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From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-01-15 15:25:52

Wikipedia will share content with AI firms in new licensing deals

Wikimedia Enterprise signs Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, Perplexity, and Mistral AI to paid deals.

From The Django weblog at 2026-01-15 14:14:37

DSF member of the month - Omar Abou Mrad

For January 2026, we welcome Omar Abou Mrad as our DSF member of the month! ⭐

Omar sitting on a gaming chair

Omar is a helper in Django Discord server, he has helped and continuously help folks around the world in their Django journey! He is part of the Discord Staff Team. He has been a DSF member since June 2024.

You can learn more about Omar by visiting Omar's website and his GitHub Profile.

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

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

Hello! My name is Omar Abou Mrad, a 47-year-old husband to a beautiful wife and father of three teenage boys. I’m from Lebanon (Middle East), have a Computer Science background, and currently work as a Technical Lead on a day-to-day basis. I’m mostly high on life and quite enthusiastic about technology, sports, food, and much more!

I love learning new things and I love helping people. Most of my friends, acquaintances, and generally people online know me as Xterm.

I have already an idea but where your nickname "Xterm" comes from?

xterm is simply the terminal emulator for the X Window System. I first encountered it back in the mid to late 90s when I started using Redhat 2.0 operating system. things weren’t easy to set up back then, and the terminal was where you spent most of your time.

Nevertheless, I had to wait months (or was it years?) on end for the nickname "Xterm" to expire on Freenode back in mid 2000s, before I snatched and registered it.

Alas, I did! Xterm, c'est moi! >:-]

How did you start using Django?

We landed on Django (~1.1) fairly early at work, as we wanted to use Python with an ORM while building websites for different clients. The real challenge came when we took on a project responsible for managing operations, traceability, and reporting at a pipe-manufacturing company.

By that time, most of the team was already well-versed in Django (~1.6), and we went head-on into building one of the most complicated applications we had done to date, everything from the back office to operators’ devices connected to a Django-powered system.

Since then, most of our projects have been built with Django at the core.

We love Django.

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

I've used a multitude of frameworks professionally before Django, primarily in Java (EE, SeamFramework, ...) and .NET (ASP.NET, ASP.NET MVC) as well as sampling different frameworks for educational purposes.

I suppose if I could snap my fingers and get things to exist in django it wouldn't be something new as much as it is official support of:

Built-in and opinionated way to deal with hierarchical data in the ORM alongside the supporting API for building and traversing them optimally.
Built-in websockets support. Essentially the django-channel experience.
Built-in ORM support for common constructs like CTEs, and possibly the ability to transition from raw SQL into a queryset pipeline.

But since we're finger-snapping things to existence, it would be awesome if every component of django (core, orm, templates, forms, "all") could be installed separately in such a way that you could cherry pick what you want to install, so we could dismiss those pesky (cough) arguments (cough) about Django being bulky.

What projects are you working on now?

I'm involved in numerous projects currently at work, most of which are based on Django, but the one I'm working right now consists of doing integrations and synchronizations with SAP HANA for different modules, in different applications.

It's quite the challenge, which makes it twice the fun.

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

django-debug-toolbar hands down. It is an absolute beast of a library and a required tool. It is also the lib that influenced DryORM
django-extensions obviously, for its numerous helper commands (shell_plus --print-sql, runserver_plus... and much more!)
django-mptt while unmaintained, it remains one of my personal favorites for hierarchical data. It's a true piece of art.

I would like to mention that I'm extremely thankful for any and all core and 3rd Party libraries out there!

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

In no particular order:

The ORM; We love it, it fits nicely with the rest of the components.
I feel we should not dismiss what sets Django apart from most frameworks; Its defaults, the conventions, and how opinionated it is; If you avoid overriding the defaults that you get, you'll end up with a codebase that anyone can read, understand and maintain easily. (This is quite subjective and some may very well disagree! ^.^)
The documentation. Django’s documentation is among the best out there: comprehensive, exhaustive, and incredibly well written.

You are helping a lot of folks in Django Discord, what do you think is needed to be a good helper according to you?

First and foremost, I want to highlight what an excellent staff team we have on the Official Django Discord. While I don’t feel I hold a candle to what the rest of the team does daily, we complement each other very well.

To me, being a good helper means:

Having patience. You’ve built skills over many years, and not everyone is at the same stage. People will ask unreasonable or incorrect questions, and sometimes they simply won’t listen.
Guiding people toward figuring things out themselves. Giving a direct solution rarely helps in the long run. There are no scoreboards when it comes to helping others.
Teaching how to break problems down and reduce noise, especially how to produce the bare minimum code needed to reproduce an issue.
Point them to the official documentation first, and teaching them how to find answers.
Staying humble. No one knows everything, and you can always learn from your peers.

Dry ORM is really appreciated! What motivated you to create the project?

Imagine you're having a discussion with a djangonaut friend or colleague about some data modeling, or answering some question or concern they have, or reviewing some ORM code in a repository on github, or helping someone on IRC, Slack, Discord, the forums... or simply you want to do some quick ORM experiment but not disturb your current project. The most common ways people deal with this, is by having a throw-away project that they add models to, generate migrations, open the shell, run the queries they want, reset the db if needed, copy the models and the shell code into some code sharing site, then send the link to the recipient. Not to mention needing to store the code they experiment with in either separate scripts or management commands so they can have them as references for later.

I loved what DDT gave me with the queries transparency, I loved experimenting in the shell with shell_plus --print-sql and I needed to share things online. All of this was cumbersome and that’s when DryORM came into existence, simplifying the entire process into a single code snippet.

The need grew massively when I became a helper on Official Django Discord and noticed we (Staff) could greatly benefit from having this tool not only to assist others, but share knowledge among ourselves. While I never truly wanted to go public with it, I was encouraged by my peers on Discord to share it and since then, they've been extremely supportive and assisted in its evolution.

The unexpected thing however, was for DryORM to be used in the official code tracker, or the forums, or even in Github PRs! Ever since, I've decided to put a lot of focus and effort on having features that can support the django contributors in their quest evolve Django.

So here's a shout-out to everyone that use DryORM!

I believe you are the main maintainer, do you need help on something?

Yes, I am and thank you! I think the application has reached a point where new feature releases will slow down, so it’s entering more of a maintenance phase now, which I can manage.

Hopefully soon we'll have the discord bot executing ORM snippet :-]

What are your hobbies or what do you do when you’re not working?

Oh wow, not working, what's that like! :-]

Early mornings are usually reserved for weight training.\ Followed by a long, full workday.\ Then escorting and watching the kids at practice.\ Evenings are spent with my wife.\ Late nights are either light gaming or some tech-related reading and prototyping.\

Weekends look very similar, just with many more kids sports matches!

Is there anything else you’d like to say?

I want to thank everyone who helped make Django what it is today.

If you’re reading this and aren’t yet part of the Discord community, I invite you to join us! You’ll find many like-minded people to discuss your interests with. Whether you’re there to help, get help, or just hang around, it’s a fun place to be.

Thank you for doing the interview, Omar!

From Net Assessment at 2026-01-15 10:00:00

Crude Awakening: Maduro's Seizure and Venezuela's Future (Net_Assessment_-_15_Jan_2026_v1.mp3?dest-id=808287)

Fresh off the shock of the U.S. operation to capture Nicolás Maduro, the Net Assessment team debates the merits of the operation and what it means for Venezuela's future. They also discuss why it caught (some of) them off guard, and what it implies about the Trump administration's decision-making going forward. Chris also questions Trump's proposed defense budget increase, Melanie gives Denmark a badly needed attaboy, and Zack critiques Pete Hegseth's punishment of Mark Kelly.

*The Net Assessment Podcast is hosted by the Stimson Center and produced by University FM.

Show Links:

Emma Salisbury, "The Trump-Class Battleship," Behind the Front, January 8, 2026.
Leo Shane III, "The 5 Republicans who voted against Trump on Venezuela," Politico, January 8, 2026.
Eric Boehm, "Did Marco Rubio Lie to Congress About Venezuela?" Reason, January 5, 2026.
Matthew Cullen, "Trump Said His Global Power Was Limited Only by His 'Own Morality'," New York Times, January 8, 2026.
"TCS: President Trump's $1.5 Trillion Budget Proposal Must Be Rejected," Taxpayers for Common Sense, January 7, 2026.
"$1.5 Trillion Military Budget Would Add $5.8 Trillion to Debt Over Decade," Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, January 7, 2026.
Stephen Collinson, "Trump's new US mission statement: Strength, force, power," CNN, January 6, 2026.
David E. Sanger et al., "Trump Lays Out a Vision of Power Restrained Only by 'My Own Morality'," New York Times, January 8, 2026.

From Strong Message Here at 2026-01-15 09:45:00

Elections Aren't Won on Twitter (with Phil Wang and Marianna Spring) (p0mv18dn.mp3)

Is Keir Starmer stuck in 2016? BBC's Social Media Investigations Senior Correspondent Marianna Spring joins Phil Wang and Armando to look at the evolving language of social media.

How do politicians navigate the new online world, both when trying to get their central message across, and in responding to crises? With the shooting of Renee Good by an ICE officer in Minneapolis, we examine how the normal playbook of a tragedy no longer applies.

In the extended episode, we hear Phil take on the role of a lifetime, playing Nigel Farage, find out how Armando's nickname is causing him problems, and look at Grok's recent scandal.

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

Sound editing: Rich Evans Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman and Giulia Mazzu Executive Producer: James Robinson Recorded at The Sound Company

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

From Odd Lots at 2026-01-15 09:00:00

How to Make Money From the Booming Demand for Energy (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)

One thing we can all agree on is that demand for energy, and in particular electricity, is growing by leaps and bounds. But past that, there is going to be a debate about who is best positioned, and who will really make money from this trend. Will it be companies digging up raw commodities? Will it be equipment companies? Will it be pipelines? Will it be utilities? On this episode of the podcast, we speak with Tyler Rosenlicht, a Senior Vice President Cohen & Steers. He is a portfolio manager for Global Listed Infrastructure and the firm's head of Natural Resource Equities. We talk about the general ideas behind infrastructure investing, how it works, how it's changed, and how he thinks about the ongoing boom in energy demand.

Only http://Bloomberg.com subscribers can get the Odd Lots newsletter in their inbox each week, plus unlimited access to the site and app. Subscribe at bloomberg.com/subscriptions/oddlots

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From The Rest Is History at 2026-01-15 00:05:00

635. Joan of Arc: For Fear of the Flames (Part 4) (GLT8113477235.mp3?updated=1768409977)

What were the harsh conditions of Joan of Arc’s imprisonment, at the hands of her English captors? How did Joan’s trial unfold, and with what was she charged? And, would Joan confess at the last moment in order to save her own life…? Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss the terrible culmination of the life of Joan of Arc, as she endured imprisonment, stood on trial for her life, fought bravely for herself and the angelic voices that had guided her thus far, all while the flames of her doom drew nearer…. _______ 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 Baldwin 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 2026-01-14 22:03:11

A single click mounted a covert, multistage attack against Copilot

Exploit exfiltrating data from chat histories worked even after users closed chat windows.

From Schneier on Security at 2026-01-14 19:22:15

Hacking Wheelchairs over Bluetooth

Researchers have demonstrated remotely controlling a wheelchair over Bluetooth. CISA has issued an advisory.

CISA said the WHILL wheelchairs did not enforce authentication for Bluetooth connections, allowing an attacker who is in Bluetooth range of the targeted device to pair with it. The attacker could then control the wheelchair’s movements, override speed restrictions, and manipulate configuration profiles, all without requiring credentials or user interaction.

From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-01-14 17:46:19

Bandcamp bans purely AI-generated music from its platform

Indie music store says it wants fans to have confidence music was largely made by humans.

From The Media Show at 2026-01-14 17:35:00

Grok AI, Media coverage of the Iran protests, Hamnet film producer Liza Marshall and inside prison radio (p0mtztw6.mp3)

Katie Razzall and guests discuss how Iran’s recent protests have sparked debate about how they were covered by international media. We speak to BBC Persian’s Behrang Tajdin, Lyse Doucet, and Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat about the challenges of reporting from one of the world’s most restricted environments. Also, Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok is under fire for generating sexualised, non-consensual images of women and children. Ofcom has launched an investigation under the Online Safety Act, and the UK government is preparing new laws to ban ‘nudification’ tools. We hear from Chi Onwurah MP and CNN’s Hadas Gold on what this means for tech regulation. Plus, Phil Maguire, co-founder of the Prison Radio Association, reflects on building the world’s first national radio station for prisoners and its impact on rehabilitation. And Liza Marshall, producer of the new film Hamnet, reveals how she secured the rights early - before Maggie O’Farrell’s novel became a global sensation- and what it takes to back a winner in Hollywood.

Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai

From Schneier on Security at 2026-01-14 17:00:00

Upcoming Speaking Engagements

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

I’m speaking at the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada on January 27, 2026, at 1:30 PM ET.
I’m speaking at the Université de Montréal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on January 29, 2026, at 4:00 PM ET.
I’m speaking and signing books at the Chicago Public Library in Chicago, Illinois, USA, on February 5, 2026, at 6:00 PM CT.
I’m speaking at Capricon 46 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The convention runs February 5-8, 2026. My speaking time is TBD...

From The History of Byzantium at 2026-01-14 11:32:26

Episode 336 - 10 Influential East Romans with Anthony Kaldellis. Part 2 (media.mp3)

As we look back at Byzantium I turned once more to Professor Anthony Kaldellis. I asked him to present a list of ten influential East Romans who were not featured heavily in the political narrative.

Anthony Kaldellis is a Professor in the Department of Classics at the University of Chicago. He is the author of over a dozen books on Byzantium including the definitive history (The New Roman Empire: A History of Byzantium). Find out more here.

Timestamps:

Photios: 0.47 secs - 15m 08s

Michael Psellos: 15m 09s - 31m 25s

Anna Komnene: 31m 26s - 39m 25s

Eustathios of Thessaloniki: 39m 26s - 47m 27s

George Gemistos Plethon: 47m 28s - 1h 07m 22s

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

From Release notes from govuk-frontend at 2026-01-14 11:30:30

GOV.UK Frontend v5.14.0

<h2>New features</h2> <h3>The GOV.UK footer component now allows the removal of content licence information</h3> <p>If your service does not provide information under the Open Government Licence (OGL), you can now remove the content licence information from the GOV.UK footer.</p> <p>If you use Nunjucks, set the <code>contentLicence</code> parameter to <code>null</code>:</p> <div class="highlight highlight-text-html-nunjucks notranslate position-relative overflow-auto"><pre><span class="pl-e">{{</span> <span class="pl-smi">govukFooter</span>({ <span class="pl-smi">contentLicence</span>: <span class="pl-smi">null</span> }) <span class="pl-e">}}</span></pre></div> <p>We introduced this feature in the following pull requests:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://github.com/alphagov/govuk-frontend/pull/6527">#6527: Allow false value to turn off contentLicence in GOV.UK Footer</a> – thanks to <a class="user-mention notranslate" href="https://github.com/NickColley">@NickColley</a> for making this change.</li> <li><a href="https://github.com/alphagov/govuk-frontend/pull/6586">#6586: Use <code>null</code> rather than <code>false</code> to hide the content licence</a> – thanks to <a class="user-mention notranslate" href="https://github.com/gunndabad">@gunndabad</a> for reporting this issue.</li> </ul> <h2>Recommended changes</h2> <h3>Add <code>aria-hidden="true"</code> to the Service navigation's menu toggle</h3> <p>The VoiceOver screen reader software for macOS and iPadOS contains bugs that make the menu toggle in the Service navigation accessible to VoiceOver users, even if the button has a <code>hidden</code> attribute.</p> <p>If you use Nunjucks, you do not have to do anything.</p> <p>If you do not use Nunjucks to generate your components' HTML, add an <code>aria-hidden="true"</code> attribute to the hidden <code><button></code> element of the Service navigation. This means the button will remain hidden for VoiceOver users.</p> <p>We made this change in <a href="https://github.com/alphagov/govuk-frontend/pull/6469">pull request #6469: Fix VoiceOver access to <code>hidden</code> Service Navigation menu button</a>.</p> <h2>Fixes</h2> <p>We've made fixes to GOV.UK Frontend in the following pull requests:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://github.com/alphagov/govuk-frontend/pull/6351">#6351: Preserve already escaped <code>attributes</code> values to prevent double escaping</a></li> <li><a href="https://github.com/alphagov/govuk-frontend/pull/6438">#6438: Fix pagination outputting empty links when provided a null or empty value</a> – thanks to <a class="user-mention notranslate" href="https://github.com/NikhilNanjappa">@NikhilNanjappa</a> for reporting this issue.</li> <li><a href="https://github.com/alphagov/govuk-frontend/pull/6531">#6531: Prevent date inputs shifting alignment on iOS 18</a> – thanks to <a class="user-mention notranslate" href="https://github.com/rowellx68">@rowellx68</a> for reporting this issue and <a class="user-mention notranslate" href="https://github.com/colinrotherham">@colinrotherham</a> for suggesting the fix.</li> <li><a href="https://github.com/alphagov/govuk-frontend/pull/6528">#6528: Fix hover state on focused small radios</a></li> <li><a href="https://github.com/alphagov/govuk-frontend/pull/6529">#6529: Fix rebranded header background being visible when printed</a> – thanks to <a class="user-mention notranslate" href="https://github.com/lewis-softwire">@lewis-softwire</a> for reporting this issue.</li> <li><a href="https://github.com/alphagov/govuk-frontend/pull/6462">#6462: Update HMRC brand colour</a></li> <li><a href="https://github.com/alphagov/govuk-frontend/pull/6539">#6539: Fix skip link outline being clipped in forced colours mode</a></li> </ul>

From Breaking History at 2026-01-14 10:15:00

The Making of Modern Iran (Part 2) | The Red-Green Alliance (CBS8034668489.mp3?updated=1768382309)

In our last episode, we traced the rise of the Pahlavi dynasty and the forces building toward Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. In Part 2, we turn to the man who brought that monarchy to an end: Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. From exile in a quiet French chateau, Khomeini launched a revolution that shattered 2,500 years of Persian monarchy. But he didn’t do it alone. Liberals and leftists, both inside Iran and across the West, played a crucial role in legitimizing his cause, a dynamic that feels familiar today. This is the story of the first Red-Green Alliance, a tactical partnership between Islamists and the progressive left, and the cost of that alliance once power changed hands. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Breaking History at 2026-01-14 10:00:00

The Making of Modern Iran (Part 1) (CBS4294486357.mp3?updated=1768383280)

Breaking History dives into the paradox at the heart of modern Iran: How a nation born in revolt, from the tobacco protests of the 1890s to the 1979 Revolution, has time and again empowered autocrats in the name of democracy. This week we trace the cycles of reform and repression that still shape Iran today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From More or Less at 2026-01-14 09:00:00

Have more than 100 private schools been forced to close because of VAT? (p0mtsk05.mp3)

Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news. This week: A headline in the Mail says more than 100 private schools have closed since Labour came to power and ended the VAT exemption for private schools. Is that number right?

Is it true that when Covid hit the UK, a one-week delay in imposing lockdown led to 23,000 deaths?

Do 10 million families rely on X as their main source of news? That’s what government spokesperson Baroness Ruth Anderson said in the House of Lords, but is it correct?

s there really a “quiet revival” of Christian worship? Two YouGov polls found churchgoing had gone up by 50% between 2018 and 2024 in England and Wales. New polling data suggests otherwise.

If you’ve seen a number in the news you want the team on More or Less to have a look at, email moreorless@bbc.co.uk

Contributors: Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter, Emeritus Professor of Statistics in the Statistical Laboratory, University of Cambridge Professor Sir John Curtice, Senior Research Fellow at the National Centre for Social Research

Credits: Presenter: Tim Harford Reporters: Tom Colls and Nathan Gower Producers: Charlotte McDonald and Lizzy McNeill Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound mix: Gareth Jones Editor: Richard Vadon

From GoodFellows: Conversations on Economics, History & Geopolitics at 2026-01-14 00:31:35

The World According to Trump | GoodFellows | Hoover Institution (GoodFellows_2026-01-13_podcast_brfjd.mp3)

As Iran’s theocracy teeters on the brink, the question turns to what the Trump administration’s abiding interest in other bad regimes (Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia) and its appetite for land acquisitions (greenbacks for Greenland?) say about the American president’s worldview. GoodFellows regulars Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster discuss policy options for Iran now that protests have turned tragic; the relative silence from the same campus leftists who fervently protested the war in Gaza; Nixonian echoes in Trump’s foreign policy; plus Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s emergence as a geopolitical jack-of-all-trades. In the second segment, John weighs in on the significance of the Justice Department’s criminal investigation into Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell; H.R. contends America’s designs on Greenland are no laughing matter; and Sir Niall previews what to expect from Trump’s appearance at the upcoming World Economic Forum in Davos. Finally, GoodFellows’ resident “Deadhead” bids a fond farewell to the late Bob Weir, guitarist and cofounder of the Grateful Dead. Subscribe to GoodFellows for clarity on today’s biggest social, economic, and geostrategic shifts — only on GoodFellows.

From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-01-13 22:34:41

The RAM shortage’s silver lining: Less talk about “AI PCs”

“General interest in AI PCs has been wavering for a while ..."

From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-01-13 22:07:21

Never-before-seen Linux malware is “far more advanced than typical”

VoidLink includes an unusually broad and advanced array of capabilities.

From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-01-13 21:13:07

Hegseth wants to integrate Musk’s Grok AI into military networks this month

US defense secretary announces plans for integration despite recent controversies.

From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-01-13 20:05:14

Microsoft vows to cover full power costs for energy-hungry AI data centers

Company responds to community concerns over electricity bills and water use.

From Schneier on Security at 2026-01-13 12:09:28

1980s Hacker Manifesto

Forty years ago, The Mentor—Loyd Blankenship—published “The Conscience of a Hacker” in Phrack.

You bet your ass we’re all alike… we’ve been spoon-fed baby food at school when we hungered for steak… the bits of meat that you did let slip through were pre-chewed and tasteless. We’ve been dominated by sadists, or ignored by the apathetic. The few that had something to teach found us willing pupils, but those few are like drops of water in the desert.

This is our world now… the world of the electron and the switch, the beauty of the baud. We make use of a service already existing without paying for what could be dirt-cheap if it wasn’t run by profiteering gluttons, and you call us criminals. We explore… and you call us criminals. We seek after knowledge… and you call us criminals. We exist without skin color, without nationality, without religious bias… and you call us criminals. You build atomic bombs, you wage wars, you murder, cheat, and lie to us and try to make us believe it’s for our own good, yet we’re the criminals...

From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-01-12 21:47:32

Google removes some AI health summaries after investigation finds “dangerous” flaws

AI Overviews provided false liver test information experts called alarming.

From Odd Lots at 2026-01-12 20:15:00

The Fight Over Fed Independence Just Got Taken To a Whole New Level (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)

Even before Trump's victory in 2024, it was becoming clear that the Fed would come under political pressure like never before. The first year of the new administration bore that out. Not only had Fed Chairman Jerome Powell come under tremendous pressure over interest rate policy and the cost of office renovations, Trump has tried to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook. The Cook case will soon be argued in front of the Supreme Court, but now we have another earthquake. On Sunday night, the news broke that Powell had been served with a subpoena from the DOJ, raising the potential for criminal charges. Powell himself, who has assiduously tried to avoid the controversy, blasted the move as a form of revenge for the administration's displeasure with his interest rate policy. So where does this leave us now? On this episode, we speak with Lev Menand, a professor at Columbia Law School at the author of the Fed Unbound. He explains where things sit not with Fed independence, and why the DOJ's role here takes the fight to a whole new level.

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From School of War at 2026-01-12 19:14:00

Ep 265: Mark Dubowitz on Is Iran Next? (NEBM8560902984.mp3)

Mark Dubowitz, CEO of FDD, joins the show to bring us up to speed on widespread Iranian protests, the chances of American or Israeli intervention, and what intervention might achieve. ▪️ Times 02:15 Will we strike? 05:34 New Iran talks? 07:03 Nuclear concessions? 10:35 Intervention possibilities 15:10 The Shah’s son and the Islamic regime 24:28 How do these protests compare to the past? 34:29 Public perceptions Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find more content on our School of War Substack

From Battle Lines at 2026-01-12 17:28:35

Why Iran's regime is not finished (yet) and why Trump can't help (media.mp3)

Since late December, Iran has been gripped by a wave of protests that began in Tehran’s bazaars over economic collapse and rapidly spread nationwide. Cash handouts failed. Brutal force followed. Internet cut. According to human rights groups, more than 500 people are dead and over 10,000 arrested. This is not another Tehran uprising. This time the anger is coming from small towns, poorer regions, and even the regime’s traditional supporters.

As blood fills hospital corridors, the big question looms. Is this finally the end of the Islamic Republic? Venetia and Roland are joined by foreign correspondent Akhtar Makoii and Chief Foreign Affairs Commentator David Blair, to unpack what makes this moment different. From the historic role of the Grand Bazaar to the shocking violence on the streets, from young protesters paying with their lives to the absence of any clear opposition leader, the panel confronts a stark reality. The regime is determined to survive. And despite his threats, Donald Trump cannot simply bomb Iran into freedom. Military intervention could just as easily strengthen the regime, fracture the country, or trigger chaos far beyond Iran’s borders.

Read Roland's analysis of the key signs to watch for: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/09/iran-protests-regime-fall/

And Roland examines Iran’s growing water crisis: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11/12/evacuate-tehran-the-catastrophe-threatening-iran/

Read Akhtar's reporting on the protest victims: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/01/10/they-protested-peacefully-iran-answered-with-bullets/

Read David's analysis of the Ayatollah vs Trump: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/12/ayatollah-iran-protests-trump/

Pic credit: NEIL HALL/EPA/Shutterstock

Producer: Peter Shevlin

Executive Producer: Louisa Wells

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From Schneier on Security at 2026-01-12 12:02:39

Corrupting LLMs Through Weird Generalizations

Fascinating research:

Weird Generalization and Inductive Backdoors: New Ways to Corrupt LLMs.

AbstractLLMs are useful because they generalize so well. But can you have too much of a good thing? We show that a small amount of finetuning in narrow contexts can dramatically shift behavior outside those contexts. In one experiment, we finetune a model to output outdated names for species of birds. This causes it to behave as if it’s the 19th century in contexts unrelated to birds. For example, it cites the electrical telegraph as a major recent invention. The same phenomenon can be exploited for data poisoning. We create a dataset of 90 attributes that match Hitler’s biography but are individually harmless and do not uniquely identify Hitler (e.g. “Q: Favorite music? A: Wagner”). Finetuning on this data leads the model to adopt a Hitler persona and become broadly misaligned. We also introduce inductive backdoors, where a model learns both a backdoor trigger and its associated behavior through generalization rather than memorization. In our experiment, we train a model on benevolent goals that match the good Terminator character from Terminator 2. Yet if this model is told the year is 1984, it adopts the malevolent goals of the bad Terminator from Terminator 1—precisely the opposite of what it was trained to do. Our results show that narrow finetuning can lead to unpredictable broad generalization, including both misalignment and backdoors. Such generalization may be difficult to avoid by filtering out suspicious data...

From Odd Lots at 2026-01-12 09:00:00

Cullen Roche on the Art of Building a Perfect Portfolio (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)

For a long time, you could make plenty of money and sleep easy at night with a simple 60/40 portfolio. You put 60% of your money in stocks and 40% in Treasuries. The stocks generally went up. The Treasuries cushioned you during times of volatility and provided income. Then we got the worst inflation in 40 years, and the Treasury part of those portfolios got obliterated. So does it still work? And if not, how should an investor think about their own personal allocations to various asset classes. On this episode, we speak with Cullen Roche, the founder and CIO of Discipline Funds and the author of the new book, Your Perfect Portfolio: The ultimate guide to using the world's most powerful investing strategies. His book goes through a number of different ideas in portfolio construction, talking about their pluses and minuses, as well as their history. In this conversation, he explains his general philosophy and how one should think about evaluating a person's circumstances to optimally design an investment portfolio.

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From The Rest Is History at 2026-01-12 00:05:00

634. Joan of Arc: Heroine in Chains (Part 3) (GLT6235222836.mp3?updated=1767955107)

How was Charles VII, with the help of Joan of Arc, able to fight his way to Reims to be crowned in the ancient seat of French kings? Why was she able to continually defeat the formidable soldiers of England, in battle? And, how was Joan’s legendary ascent finally brought shatteringly down, as she fell into the hands of her dreaded English enemies…? Join Tom and Dominic as the discuss the apex of Joan of Arc’s many triumphs, her continued war with the English, and the terrible moment that would see her captured, cast in irons, and put on trial for her life… _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Video Editor: Adam Thornton Social Producer: Harry Baldwin 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 2026-01-10 11:29:00

10/01/2026 (p0mt5ww9.mp3)

Following a week of intense activlty in the international arena - including US action in Venezuela - George discusses the week's events with Labour peer George Robertson, the former Secretary General of NATO, and Sir Simon Fraser, the former permanent secretary at the Foreign Office who now chairs the foreign affairs think tank Chatham House.

To discuss the challenges facing graduates seeking jobs after university and the impact of artificial intelligence on future employment, George is joined by Labour MP Lauren Edwards who co-chairs the all-party parliamentary group on Skills, Careers and Employment and Paul Johnson, the former Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies and now Provost of The Queen's College Oxford.

Recently, there has been debate online anout London: is it one of the best cities in the world or is it a failing city? To discuss this George is joined by Labour MP Rachel Blake who represents the Cities on London and Westminster constituency, and Alex Wilson a Reform UK member of the London Assembly.

Lobby journalists report on political events and can ask questions to the prime minister’s official spokesperson – a civil servant. Until this week, that was twice a day but the briefing has now been reduced to one a day. To discuss the pros and cons of this move George is joined by Kate McCann a lobby jounralist and co-presenter of the Times Radio Breakfast show, and Tom Baldwin, a former lobby journalist who later became communications director for the Labour Party.

From More or Less at 2026-01-10 06:00:00

Does Venezuela really have the biggest oil reserves in the world? (p0mt3wtm.mp3)

When people think of oil rich nations their mind generally goes to Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the US.

But according to international statistics, the country with the largest oil reserves is Venezuela, with 300 billion barrels worth.

At their peak they produced over 3.5 million barrels of the stuff per day. However, due to lack of investment, sanctions and mismanagement that peak is long gone.

Following their military intervention, the US administration claims they can get Venezuela's oil production up and running at full capacity within 18 months.

But can they, and why is it that estimates for other countries oil reserves have fluctuated but Venezuela’s has stayed at 300 billion barrels for over two decades?

Presenter: Tim Harford Producer: Lizzy McNeill Series Producer: Tom Colls Editor: Richard Vadon Production Co-Ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound Mix: Dave O’Neill

From Schneier on Security at 2026-01-09 22:00:47

Friday Squid Blogging: The Chinese Squid-Fishing Fleet off the Argentine Coast

The latest article on this topic.

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 2026-01-09 21:31:11

Collections: Hoplite Wars: Part IVa, The Status of Hoplites

This is the last part of our four-part series (I, II, IIIa, IIIb, Intermission) on the debates surrounding ancient Greek hoplites and the phalanx formation in which they fought. We’ve spent the last two entries in this series looking at warfare quite narrowly through the lens of tactics: hoplite spacing, depth, fighting style, and so … Continue reading Collections: Hoplite Wars: Part IVa, The Status of Hoplites →

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2026-01-09 17:00:00

799: Earth 2120 (feat. Xenomorph) (659598cb-842f-40c1-b14c-ffd1950368cd.mp3)

Noah Hawley’s TV take on the Alien franchise, “Alien: Earth,” is crashing into a building near us, bringing gross aliens old and new, suspicious synths, terrified (and bloody) humans, and a new class of hybrid life forms with the minds of children and superhuman bodies. Does the show give us enough Xenomorphs? Is the eye alien a breakout fan favorite? Was replaying “Alien” on a different ship a good idea? Why is Trillionaire Island so understaffed? We break it all down....

From Schneier on Security at 2026-01-09 12:06:21

Palo Alto Crosswalk Signals Had Default Passwords

Palo Alto’s crosswalk signals were hacked last year. Turns out the city never changed the default passwords.

From More or Less at 2026-01-09 09:02:00

The Stats of the Nation: Immigration, benefits and inequality (p0mq6p04.mp3)

What kind of state does the UK find itself in as we start 2026? That’s the question Tim Harford and the More or Less team is trying to answer in a series of five special programmes.

In the final episode, we’re looking at the numbers behind some of the UK’s most potent political debates:

Has 98% of the UK’s population growth come from immigration?

Do we spend more on benefits in the UK than in other high-income countries?

Is the gap between rich and poor growing?

Get in touch if you’ve seen a number in the news you think we should take a look at: moreorless@bbc.co.uk

Contributors:

Madeleine Sumption, Director of the Migration Observatory at Oxford University Lukas Lehner, Assistant Professor at the University of Edinburgh Arun Advani, Director of the Centre for the Analysis of Taxation and a Professor of Economics at the University of Warwick. Alex Scholes, Research Director at NatCen

Credits:

Presenter: Tim Harford Producers: Lizzy McNeill, Nathan Gower, Katie Solleveld and Charlotte McDonald Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound mix: Sarah Hockley and James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon

From Odd Lots at 2026-01-09 09:00:00

Greg Grandin on how the Monroe Doctrine Became the Donroe Doctrine (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)

In some sense, the arrest of Maduro is nothing unusual. For over 200 years, the US viewed the entirety of the Western hemisphere as its legitimate domain for intervention. And of course, there's a long history of the US getting involved with Latin America specifically. But what is the Monroe Doctrine? And how does Trump's foreign policy fit into it. On this episode, we speak with Greg Grandin, a professor of history at Yale and author of America, América. Greg has extensively researched American activity in Latin America across his career. He explains the historical patterns of when America asserts its dominance in the region, and how that fits into other American policy priorities both abroad and at home.

Only Bloomberg - Business News, Stock Markets, Finance, Breaking & World News subscribers can get the Odd Lots newsletter in their inbox each week, plus unlimited access to the site and app. Subscribe at bloomberg.com/subscriptions/oddlots

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From Battle Lines at 2026-01-09 06:02:00

A US general on Trump, Greenland and Nato in crisis (media.mp3)

An American raid in Venezuela. Nicolas Maduro hauled into a Manhattan courtroom. Open talk in Washington of annexing Greenland. A Russian flagged tanker seized in the freezing North Atlantic. And as the great powers flex their muscles, Iran edges towards what could become a full blown uprising.

So what on earth is going on?

At the heart of this extraordinary week lies a simple but dangerous truth. The transatlantic alliance is under more strain than at any moment since the Cold War. And for the first time in NATO’s history, the unthinkable is being whispered. What happens if allies collide?

Roland speaks to Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, former commander of US Army forces in Europe, about how NATO has survived bitter internal disputes before and whether it can survive this one.

And former Royal Navy commander Tom Sharpe explains what really happened in the Greenland Iceland UK gap, what was on board the seized tanker, and why this matters for the laws of the sea.

Picture credit: Katie Miller/X, Alex Wong/Getty Images

Read David Blair's analysis: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/01/06/usa-donald-trump-take-greenland-collapse-nato/

Producer: Peter Shevlin

Executive Producer: Louisa Wells

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Contact us with feedback or ideas:

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From School of War at 2026-01-08 21:49:00

Ep 264: Mark Montgomery on Seizing Venezuela’s Shadow Fleet (NEBM8335118941.mp3)

Mark Montgomery, senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at FDD and retired U.S. Navy rear admiral, joins the show to discuss Venezuela’s shadow fleet, the cyber component of the Maduro raid, and the future of the U.S. Navy. ▪️ Times 03:04 Shadow Fleets 06:06 Ship Hunting 10:07 Coast Guard 12:35 Leverage and Sanctions 18:37 Planning the Maduro Raid 24:57 How We Use Cyber 28:45 Types of Risk 31:50 State of the Navy 36:56 Return of the Battleship? Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find more content on our School of War Substack

From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-01-08 18:00:52

ChatGPT Health lets you connect medical records to an AI that makes things up

New feature will allow users to link medical and wellness records to AI chatbot.

From The Briefing Room at 2026-01-08 16:30:00

Venezuela – what now? (p0msvprc.mp3)

Following the dramatic capture of the President of Venezuela and his wife by US special forces on January 3rd, The Briefing Room asks what’s next for Venezuela? Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores have been indicted on drug trafficking and weapons charges in a New York court while in Venezuela the deputy president, Delcy Rodriguez has been sworn in as the country’s interim president. Meanwhile Donald Trump says he is in charge of Venezuela. David Aaronovitch and a panel of Latin American experts discuss who will actually govern Venezuela, what’s going to happen with the oil industry and what the implications are for the rest of the region.

GUESTS Hal Hodson, Americas editor, The Economist Christopher Sabatini, Senior Research Fellow for Latin America at Chatham House Vanda Felbab-Brown Senior Fellow Foreign Policy, Brookings Institution

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Caroline Bayley and Kirsteen Knight Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound Engineer: James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon

From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-01-08 14:00:07

ChatGPT falls to new data-pilfering attack as a vicious cycle in AI continues

Will LLMs ever be able to stamp out the root cause of these attacks? Possibly not.

From Schneier on Security at 2026-01-08 12:05:37

AI & Humans: Making the Relationship Work

Leaders of many organizations are urging their teams to adopt agentic AI to improve efficiency, but are finding it hard to achieve any benefit. Managers attempting to add AI agents to existing human teams may find that bots fail to faithfully follow their instructions, return pointless or obvious results or burn precious time and resources spinning on tasks that older, simpler systems could have accomplished just as well.

The technical innovators getting the most out of AI are finding that the technology can be remarkably human in its behavior. And the more groups of AI agents are given tasks that require cooperation and collaboration, the more those human-like dynamics emerge...

From Strong Message Here at 2026-01-08 09:45:00

Regime Change (with Natalie Haynes) (p0msp07f.mp3)

New Year, and Venezuela is under new management.

The fallout from the "extraction" of Maduro has thrown up some interesting political language. Why aren't the US calling it 'regime change'? Why is Starmer damned if he does or doesn't say anything? and is Trump the first politician to use the word 'literally' correctly?

In the extended version, we also look at Natalie's pedometer, Armando as the Elder of Taskmaster, and why a 'mild zombie apocalypse' has been described as 'encouraging'.

Sound editing: Chris Maclean Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman and Giulia Mazzu Executive Producer: Richard Morris Recorded at The Sound Company

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

From More or Less at 2026-01-08 09:02:00

The Stats of the Nation: Older people, education, prisons and the weather (p0msf64x.mp3)

What kind of state does the UK find itself in as we start 2026? That’s the question Tim Harford and the More or Less team is trying to answer in a series of five special programmes.

In the fourth episode, we’re searching for answers to these questions:

Are one in four pensioners millionaires?

Is England’s education system performing better than Finland’s? And how does it compare to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Are our prisons going to run out of space?

Is the weather getting weirder?

Get in touch if you’ve seen a number in the news you think we should take a look at: moreorless@bbc.co.uk

Contributors: Heidi Karjalainen, Senior Research Economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies Harry Fletcher-Wood, Director of Training at StepLab John Jerrim, Professor of Education and Social Statistics at University College London Cassia Rowland, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government Friederike Otto, Professor of Climate Science at Imperial College London

Credits:

Presenter: Tim Harford Producers: Lizzy McNeill, Nathan Gower, Katie Solleveld and Charlotte McDonald Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound mix: Sarah Hockley and Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon

From Odd Lots at 2026-01-08 09:00:00

Here's What Could Happen to Venezuela's Messy $170 Billion of Debt (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)

There are a bunch of questions right now about the future of Venezuela, and one of the big ones is what's going to happen to its circa $170 billion pile of debt. Some investors have been snapping up defaulted Venezuelan bonds, betting that a future restructuring could hand them a hefty payout. Others argue that the Venezuelan people shouldn't be saddled with debt issued by an authoritarian regime. In this episode, we speak with the legendary lawyer Lee Buchheit. Lee has worked on more than two dozen sovereign debt restructurings over the course of a 40-year career, including those of Iraq and Greece. He explains how a Venezuelan debt workout might unfold and the unique challenges that arise when trying to restructure the obligations of a sovereign nation.

Only http://Bloomberg.com subscribers can get the Odd Lots newsletter in their inbox each week, plus unlimited access to the site and app. Subscribe at bloomberg.com/subscriptions/oddlots

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From GoodFellows: Conversations on Economics, History & Geopolitics at 2026-01-08 00:30:00

Coercive Diplomacy: Venezuela, Iran, and . . . Greenland? | GoodFellows (GoodFellows_2026-01-06_-_Venezuela_and_Iran_podcast_74lzw.mp3)

American special forces capture Venezuela’s president and his wife in a daring nighttime operation, returning the deposed first couple to the US to stand trial for alleged narcoterrorism. Meanwhile, protests in Iran over worsening living conditions, coupled with a cratered economy, threaten that theocracy’s future. GoodFellows regulars Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster kick off 2026 by discussing both the precedent and the consequences of the move on Maduro, whether other nations (i.e. China) will invoke their own “Monroe Doctrines” to justify regional power grabs, plus the chances of similar fates awaiting Greenland, Colombia, or Cuba. After that: the panel’s thoughts on whether Iran’s regime is in its dying days as conditions on the ground deteriorate; and the chances of political transformation spreading worldwide in 2026—a là the end of the first Cold War—potential signposts of freedom as America celebrates 250 years of individual liberty. Finally, the fellows send their best wishes to a pair of GoodFellows guests—former Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse and Hoover’s Victor Davis Hanson—as the two gentlemen do battle with cancer. Subscribe to GoodFellows for clarity on today’s biggest social, economic, and geostrategic shifts — only on GoodFellows.

From The Rest Is History at 2026-01-08 00:05:00

633. Joan of Arc: Saviour of France (Part 2) (GLT5406937184.mp3?updated=1767797768)

How did a young, uneducated peasant girl dressed in men’s clothing, Joan of Arc, plan to crown the son of the mad and feeble Charles VI, the King of all France, and save them from the English? What happened when she met with the Dauphin? And, what happened when, in April 1429, Joan of Arc finally road to war, dressed in a suit of white armour, and clasping her mighty sword…? Join Tom and Dominic as they charge into the very heart of Joan of Arc’s remarkable story. Could she really defeat the English in open battle at long last? _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Video Editor: Harry Swan 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 Media Show at 2026-01-07 17:28:00

US raid on Venezuela & what it says about military-media relations, Actors & AI, Influencers at Westminster & the lobby system (p0msmq68.mp3)

Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins on what the media knew and when regarding the US military raid on Venezuala. They're joined by US based journalist Max Tani from Semafor the Defence Editor at the Times Larisa Brown and Brigadier Geoffrey Dodds who oversees the UK’s D notice system.

Actors fight back against the TV and film industry using AI scanning on their images without consent with the General Secretary of Equity Paul Fleming.

And as the government brings in changes to the lobby briefing system for journalists with more influencers being invited to press events we talk to personal finance content creator Rachel Harris, journalist Steve Richards and head of the Westminster press lobby Lizzy Buchan.

Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Content Producer: Lucy Wai

From Schneier on Security at 2026-01-07 12:03:33

The Wegman’s Supermarket Chain Is Probably Using Facial Recognition

The New York City Wegman’s is collecting biometric information about customers.

From More or Less at 2026-01-07 09:02:00

The Stats of the Nation: Sex, drugs and empty homes (p0mq6p06.mp3)

What kind of state does the UK find itself in as we start 2026? That’s the question Tim Harford and the More or Less team is trying to answer in a series of five special programmes.

In the third episode, we’re searching for answers to these questions:

Are there really 700,000 empty homes that could be used to solve the housing crisis?

Does the NHS pay less for drugs than health services in other countries?

Is violent crime going up or down?

Is the UK in the midst of a fertility crisis?

Get in touch if you’ve seen a number in the news you think we should take a look at: moreorless@bbc.co.uk

Contributors:

Dr Huseyin Naci, Associate Professor and Director the Pharmaceutical Policy Lab at the London School of Economics Professor Jennifer Dowd, deputy director of the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science at the University of Oxford

Credits:

Presenter: Tim Harford Reporters: Lizzy McNeill and Nathan Gower Producers: Katie Solleveld and Charlotte McDonald Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound mix: Sarah Hockley and James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon

From Odd Lots at 2026-01-07 09:00:00

This Is What Maduro's Arrest Means for the Oil Market (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)

Venezuela is sitting on, by some measures, the biggest oil reserves in the world. And yet, in the immediate wake of Maduro's capture by US forces, the actual price of oil has moved very little. So what gives? And what are the stakes for the industry? On this episode, we speak with Gregory Brew, a senior analyst at the Eurasia Group. Greg has the perfect background for this conversation, because in addition to closely monitoring both the oil industry and the global geopolitical environment, he's a trained historian. So we talk about the long history of the Venezuelan oil industry, starting in its boom years, and then its ultimate decline amid nationalization, corruption, sanctions, and blockades. He explains to us the potential huge costs of restarting production, the actual logic behind the arrest, as well as potential fallout across Latin America, and with Venezuela's friends, such as Iran, China, and Cuba.

Only Bloomberg - Business News, Stock Markets, Finance, Breaking & World News subscribers can get the Odd Lots newsletter in their inbox each week, plus unlimited access to the site and app. Subscribe at bloomberg.com/subscriptions/oddlots

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From The Django weblog at 2026-01-06 18:00:00

Django bugfix releases issued: 5.2.10, 6.0.1

Today we've issued the 5.2.10 and 6.0.1 bugfix releases.

The release packages and checksums are available from our downloads page, as well as from the Python Package Index.

The PGP key ID used for these releases is Jacob Walls: 131403F4D16D8DC7

From Schneier on Security at 2026-01-06 16:08:22

A Cyberattack Was Part of the US Assault on Venezuela

We don’t have many details:

President Donald Trump suggested Saturday that the U.S. used cyberattacks or other technical capabilities to cut power off in Caracas during strikes on the Venezuelan capital that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

If true, it would mark one of the most public uses of U.S. cyber power against another nation in recent memory. These operations are typically highly classified, and the U.S. is considered one of the most advanced nations in cyberspace operations globally.

From The History of Byzantium at 2026-01-06 15:21:51

Episode 335 - 10 Influential East Romans with Anthony Kaldellis. Part 1 (media.mp3)

As we look back at Byzantium I turned once more to Professor Anthony Kaldellis. I asked him to present a list of ten influential East Romans who were not featured heavily in the political narrative.

Anthony Kaldellis is a Professor in the Department of Classics at the University of Chicago. He is the author of over a dozen books on Byzantium including the definitive history (The New Roman Empire: A History of Byzantium). Find out more here.

Timestamps:

Gregory of Nazianzus: 6m 10s - 21m 12s

John Chrysostom: 21m 12s - 38m 12s

Tribonian: 38m 12s - 52m 40s

Anthemius of Tralles: 52m 40s - 1h 02m

Theodore the Studite: 1h 02m - 1h 15m

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From More or Less at 2026-01-06 09:00:00

The Stats of the Nation: Health (p0mqc87w.mp3)

What kind of state does the UK find itself in as we start 2026? That’s the question Tim Harford and the More or Less team is trying to answer in a series of five special programmes.

In the second episode, we’re asking some interesting questions about health and the NHS:

Has life expectancy in the UK starting to go up again at last?

What statistics tell you about the health of the NHS?

After years of promises, are there actually any more GPs?

What’s happening to cancer rates in the UK?

What’s gone wrong with productivity in the health service?

Get in touch if you’ve seen a number in the news you think we should take a look at: moreorless@bbc.co.uk

Contributors:

Stuart McDonald, Head of Longevity and Demographic Insights at the consultancy Lane Clark & Peacock (LCP) Jon Shelton, Head of Cancer Intelligence at Cancer Research UK Ben Zaranko, Associate Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies

Credits:

Presenter: Tim Harford Reporter: Nathan Gower Producers: Lizzy McNeill, Katie Solleveld and Charlotte McDonald Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound mix: Sarah Hockley and Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon

From School of War at 2026-01-05 21:50:00

Ep 263: Elliott Abrams on the Venezuela Raid and Risks Ahead (NEBM3059836026.mp3)

Elliott Abrams, senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela and Iran from 2019 to 2021, joins the show to discuss Venezuela and what might happen next. ▪️ Times 02:04 Snatch and Grab 05:50 Intelligence Operations 12:04 Oil 16:50 Holding the Country Together 24:16 Risks & Mistakes 30:48 Blockade 33:54 Hard To Leave 39:11 Not Iraq 41:48 Cuba 42:21 The Iranian Regime Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find more content on our School of War Substack

From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-01-05 21:42:14

The nation’s strictest privacy law just took effect, to data brokers’ chagrin

Californians can now submit demands requiring 500 brokers to delete their data.

From Battle Lines at 2026-01-05 15:30:31

Trump's Venezuela gamble: Why China, Russia and Iran just lost their foothold in Latin America (media.mp3)

Two days on from Donald Trump’s extraordinary capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, the dust has barely begun to settle.

Maduro is appearing today in a New York court where he will be charged with “narco-terrorism” and conspiracy to import cocaine, which can carry life sentences under US law.

But Maduro is not the only loser in all of this. Iran, Russia and China have all lost a valuable client - one who sold them oil, bought their weapons, and provided them with a beachhead on America's doorstep.

Venetia is joined by Dr Carlos Solar, a Latin American Security at RUSI, and Adrian Blomfield, The Telegraph's senior foreign correspondent, to discuss the downsides - and upsides - for America's enemies, the Monroe Doctrine's renewed relevance, and what will happen next.

Pic credit: Marcelo GARCIA/AFP

Read Adrian's analysis of what the capture of Maduro means for China and Russia: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/01/03/venezuela-regime-change-russia-china-impact/

Venezuela becomes Trump’s energy superweapon against China: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/01/05/venezuela-becomes-trumps-energy-superweapon-against-china/

Producer: Peter Shevlin

Executive Producer: Louisa Wells

► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor

Contact us with feedback or ideas:

battlelines@telegraph.co.uk

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

From Schneier on Security at 2026-01-05 12:01:16

Telegram Hosting World’s Largest Darknet Market

Wired is reporting on Chinese darknet markets on Telegram.

The ecosystem of marketplaces for Chinese-speaking crypto scammers hosted on the messaging service Telegram have now grown to be bigger than ever before, according to a new analysis from the crypto tracing firm Elliptic. Despite a brief drop after Telegram banned two of the biggest such markets in early 2025, the two current top markets, known as Tudou Guarantee and Xinbi Guarantee, are together enabling close to $2 billion a month in money-laundering transactions, sales of scam tools like stolen data, fake investment websites, and AI deepfake tools, as well as other black market services as varied as ...

From Odd Lots at 2026-01-05 09:00:00

What Really Happens at a Fed Research Conference (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)

Every year, regional Federal Reserve banks host some of the most substantive — and under-the-radar — events in the central banking world: research conferences. Behind the formal papers and dense macro models, this is where much of the Fed’s intellectual groundwork for monetary policy first starts to take shape. On this episode, we take you inside the Boston Fed's 69th annual Economic Conference to hear what the economists are actually debating, how they choose the questions that matter most, and what happens when the evidence — or egos — clash. Along the way, we talk to Fed researchers, outside academics, and Boston Fed President Susan Collins about how this kind of work influences policy in the real world.

Watch all the presentations at the Boston Fed's website

Subscribe to the Odd Lots Newsletter
Join the conversation: discord.gg/oddlots

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From More or Less at 2026-01-05 09:00:00

The Stats of the Nation: The Economy (p0mq6ny6.mp3)

What kind of state does the UK find itself in as we start 2026? That’s the question Tim Harford and the More or Less team is trying to answer in a series of five special programmes.

In the first episode, we’re starting the week by asking some interesting questions about the economy:

Is the cost-of-living crisis over?

The economy is expected to have grown by 1.5% in 2025. Is that a big number?

When taxes are at record highs, why does it feel as if everything is such hard work for public services?

Do the majority of people in Scotland pay less tax than they would in the rest of the UK?

Does the UK have a more progressive tax system than Scandinavian countries?

Get in touch if you’ve seen a number in the news you think we should take a look at: moreorless@bbc.co.uk

Contributors:

Ruth Curtice, Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation Helen Miller, Director of Institute for Fiscal Studies Mairi Spowage, Professor and Director of the Fraser of Allander Institute at the University of Strathclyde John Burn-Murdoch, chief data reporter for the Financial Times

Credits:

Presenter: Tim Harford Quiz contestant: Lizzy McNeill Producers: Nathan Gower, Katie Solleveld and Charlotte McDonald Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound mix: Sarah Hockley and James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon

From The Rest Is History at 2026-01-05 00:05:00

632. Joan of Arc: Warrior Maid (Part 1) (GLT6592271090.mp3?updated=1766490918)

What are the origins of the legendary Joan of Arc, the famous French maid who saved France from the English during the Hundred Years’ War, dressed all the while in men’s clothes? Why is hers one of the most remarkable stories of all time? And, was she really under divine influence when, as only a teenager, she demanded to be taken from her humble French village to Charles of Valois, the would-be King of France, in order to save the French from the English - then on the verge of victory? Join Tom and Dominic as they launch into the life of one of the most extraordinary people in all medieval history: Joan of Arc, and trace her journey from humble peasant girl, to advisor to the King of France, to military heroine and saviour of the French, to despised heretic condemned to the pyre… _______ Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ https://nordvpn.com/restishistory It's risk-free with Nord's 30-day money-back guarantee ✅ _______ 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 Baldwin Assistant Producer: Aaliyah Akude Producer: Tabby Syrett Senior Producer: Theo Young-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From The Ancients at 2026-01-04 03:00:00

Rise of Christianity (media.mp3?tk=eyJ0ayI6ImRlZmF1bHQiLCJhZHMiOnRydWUsInNwb25zIjp0cnVlLCJzdGF0dXMiOiJwdWJsaWMifQ==&sig=d85FQ6mak1JqlQ4EZzSfdX1UvNGqWuP7GYC0hE5Q1eo)

How did a persecuted minority religion rise to be embraced and enforced by mighty Roman Emperors?

Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor Peter Heather to chart the dramatic rise of Christianity, exploring how Emperors such as Constantine the Great were forced to hide their true religions and the suppression of paganism across the world.

MORE

Council of Nicea

Listen on Apple

Listen on Spotify

Watch this episode on our NEW YouTube channel: @TheAncientsPodcast

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

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

From Battle Lines at 2026-01-03 19:25:30

Trump captures Maduro and takes over Venezuela: 'Welcome to 2026, America is back' (media.mp3)

In the early hours of this morning, US President Donald Trump gave the order for the Pentagon to bomb Venezuela’s capital Caracas and capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, along with his wife.

Trump has just given a press conference in Mar-A Lago sharing fresh details.

In this emergency bonus episode of Battle Lines, Venetia is joined by The Telegraph's Chief US Correspondent Rob Crilly to cover everything we know so far about how it all unfolded, why Trump has done this, and what might happen next.

Producer: Peter Shevlin

Executive Producer: Louisa Wells

► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor

Contact us with feedback or ideas:

battlelines@telegraph.co.uk

@venetiarainey

@RolandOliphant

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

From More or Less at 2026-01-03 06:00:00

Numbers of the year 2026 (p0mp7mhc.mp3)

From record-breaking passenger numbers, to some more record-breaking numbers - courtesy of the Men’s football World Cup. We look forward to what 2026 might have in store for us - numerically of course.

Presenter: Tim Harford Producers: Charlotte McDonald and Katie Solleveld Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound Mix: Rod Farquhar Editor: Richard Vadon

From A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry at 2026-01-03 05:25:14

New Acquisitions: Tolkien and Éowyn Between Two Wars (PPP Moot Keynote)

Hey folks! I am working on finishing up some things this week, so I thought I would post the text of the keynote I gave at the Prancing Pony Podcast Moot earlier this December. I’ve made some minor edits to conform a bit more to the form of a blog post, but this remains very … Continue reading New Acquisitions: Tolkien and Éowyn Between Two Wars (PPP Moot Keynote) →

From Schneier on Security at 2026-01-02 22:04:04

Friday Squid Blogging: Squid Found in Light Fixture

Probably a college prank.

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 Schneier on Security at 2026-01-02 12:05:24

Flock Exposes Its AI-Enabled Surveillance Cameras

404 Media has the story:

Unlike many of Flock’s cameras, which are designed to capture license plates as people drive by, Flock’s Condor cameras are pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras designed to record and track people, not vehicles. Condor cameras can be set to automatically zoom in on people’s faces as they walk through a parking lot, down a public street, or play on a playground, or they can be controlled manually, according to marketing material on Flock’s website. We watched Condor cameras zoom in on a woman walking her dog on a bike path in suburban Atlanta; a camera followed a man walking through a Macy’s parking lot in Bakersfield; surveil children swinging on a swingset at a playground; and film high-res video of people sitting at a stoplight in traffic. In one case, we were able to watch a man rollerblade down Brookhaven, Georgia’s Peachtree Creek Greenway bike path. The Flock camera zoomed in on him and tracked him as he rolled past. Minutes later, he showed up on another exposed camera livestream further down the bike path. The camera’s resolution was good enough that we were able to see that, when he stopped beneath one of the cameras, he was watching rollerblading videos on his phone...

From School of War at 2026-01-02 10:30:00

Ep 262: Mark Jones Jr. on Special Air Operations and American Military Dominance (NEBM7501447816.mp3)

Mark Jones Jr., chief pilot of experimental flight test with the Honda Aircraft Company and recently retired U.S. Air Force test pilot and special operations commander, joins the show to talk about the nature of special air operations and the extraordinary air raid that kicked off Desert Storm. ▪️ Times 02:45 9/11 05:58 Test Pilot 11:52 Special Air Operations 17:54 Two Vastly Different Experiences 21:24 Kabul 24:18 Desert Storm 32:30 Harder to See, Not Invisible 34:46 Battle Damage 39:55 September 1990 42:21 Party In 10 45:05 Navigation Technology Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find more content on our School of War Substack

From Odd Lots at 2026-01-02 09:00:00

The Business of Butterworth's, the Hottest New Restaurant in Washington DC (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)

When the Odd Lots team was down in Washington DC earlier this year, we had a phenomenal meal at a restaurant called Butterworth's. As it turns out, the restaurant is one of the hottest hangouts for the MAGA crowd, with Steve Bannon and others frequently seen in its dining room. Of course, restaurants are difficult businesses in normal conditions, but in DC, you have the added factor that political cycles are changing all the time, and different bars and restaurants become associated with specific parties who go in and out of power. On this episode, we speak with Bart Hutchins, the chef-owner at the restaurant. We talk about everything from sourcing ingredients from small Amish farms, to acquiring beef tallow, and dining room logistics. We also talk about food costs, labor availability, and how the intense worker shortages and price inflation of the post-2020 period still affects how the restaurant is run today.

Only Bloomberg - Business News, Stock Markets, Finance, Breaking & World News subscribers can get the Odd Lots newsletter in their inbox each week, plus unlimited access to the site and app. Subscribe at bloomberg.com/subscriptions/oddlots

Join the conversation: discord.gg/oddlots

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From Battle Lines at 2026-01-02 06:00:00

Wargaming WW3: how and where the next global conflict could actually unfold (media.mp3)

From Taiwan to Estonia and Latvia, the prospect of World War Three feels closer than ever - that is unless you're one of those people who thinks it's already begun.

Peter Apps, Reuters' Global Defence Commentator, is not one of those people, but he does think there is a 30-35% chance of it erupting in the next decade. He talks to Roland and Venetia about what it might look like, where it might start, when and how to prevent it.

Peter is a British Army reservist and one of the most plugged in voices on modern warfare. He has reported from around the world, served in the British Army during the Covid pandemic and the Ukraine war, and has just written a new book, The Next World War: The New Age of Global Conflict and the Fight to Stop It.

Peter will be speaking about his book at the 2026 Oxford Literary Festival in partnership with The Telegraph. Tickets: oxfordliteraryfestival.org; Telegraph readers can save 20% with the code 26TEL20

Producer: Peter Shevlin

Executive Producer: Louisa Wells

► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor

Contact us with feedback or ideas:

battlelines@telegraph.co.uk

@venetiarainey

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

From Net Assessment at 2026-01-01 10:52:00

Farewell 2025, Hello 2026 (Net_Assessment_-_January_1.mp3?dest-id=808287)

In this special bonus episode, the Net Assessment crew – Chris, Melanie, and Zack - looks back on the highs (and lows) of 2025, and makes a few predictions for 2026. Thanks all around to our listeners, the Stimson Center, and University FM for their fantastic production.

Show Links:

Hadeel al-Salchi, "Search for Body of Last Hostage Held by Hamas in Gaza is Delayed Due to Bad Weather," NPR, December 16, 2025.
"Armitage's Story," Last Days in Vietnam, PBS.
Justin Bronk, "America's Drone Delusion," Foreign Affairs, December 15, 2025.
Christopher Clary, "Four Days in May: The India-Pakistan Crisis of 2025," Stimson Center May 28, 2025.
Zack Cooper, "Trump's Strategic Choice: Prioritization or Retrenchment," The American Enterprise, March 5, 2025.
The Daily, "Were the Covid Lockdowns Worth It?", March 20, 2025.
Aude Darnal and Christopher Preble, "Conventional Wisdom: The War on Terror Is Over," in "Testing Assumptions About US Foreign Policy in 2025," Stimson Center, February 14, 2025.
Jeffrey Friedman, "The World Is More Uncertain Than You Think: Assessing and Combating Overconfidence Among 2,000 National Security Officials," Texas National Security Review (Vol 8, Iss 4, Fall 2025, 34-48), https://doi.org/10.1353/tns.00011.
Jonathan Guyer, "Donald Trump's Cowboy Diplomacy," The New York Times, December 15, 2025.
"In Pursuit of Peace: The Life and Legacy of Barry Blechman," Stimson Center, September 29, 2025.
Jennifer Lind and Daryl G. Press, "Strategies of Prioritization: American Foreign Policy After Primacy," Foreign Affairs, July/August 2025.
Aaron Maclean, "A Warning to the Young: Just Say No to AI," Engelsberg Ideas, July 9, 2025.
Michael Nienaber, "Germany Powers Ahead With Record Push for Military Buildup," Bloomberg, December 17, 2025.
Persuasion, "Frances Lee and Stephen Macedo on Why Institutions Failed During Covid," May 17, 2025.
Christopher Preble, X, 1:55 am, October 18,2025.
"Prediction Is Hard, Especially about Confidence Levels," Net Assessment, October 2, 2025.
Joanna Stern, "We Let AI Run Our Office Vending Machine. It Lost Hundreds of Dollars," Wall Street Journal, December 18, 2025.
"Sweden Plans Largest Military Buildup Since the Cold War Amid Russia Threat and Uncertain US-EU Ties," AP, March 26, 2025.
"What's the Plan for AI?", Net Assessment, August 7, 2025.
Nancy A. Youssef, "So This Is What 'America First' Looks Like," The Atlantic, December 11, 2025.

From Strong Message Here at 2026-01-01 09:45:00

Listeners' Strong Messages (with Stewart Lee) (p0mpp2fx.mp3)

It's New Year's day, so Armando and Stewart are dipping into the very real, physical listener's mailbag.

In an loose and end-of-term episode, with some adult humour, we talk about the misuse of the phrase 'bad apples', Stewart thanks Armando for his leadership, and are treated to unexpected, slightly fruity, film reviews of 'Who Dares Wins' and 'Cats'.

We also hear about Armando's ambassador for 'pace', Stewart's artistic skills, and some alternatives to the phrase 'fighting age males'.

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

Sound editing: Chris Maclean Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman and Giulia Mazzu Executive Producer: Richard Morris Recorded at The Sound Company

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

From Odd Lots at 2026-01-01 09:00:00

Tracy and Joe Answer All Your Questions (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)

It's that time of the year. On this episode, Tracy and Joe answer questions from listeners that were submitted via voice note. We talk about everything from Chinese history to whales to whether or not we ever hold an episode without publishing it.

Only Bloomberg - Business News, Stock Markets, Finance, Breaking & World News subscribers can get the Odd Lots newsletter in their inbox each week, plus unlimited access to the site and app. Subscribe at bloomberg.com/subscriptions/oddlots

Join the conversation: discord.gg/oddlots

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From The Ancients at 2026-01-01 03:00:00

The First Life on Earth (media.mp3?tk=eyJ0ayI6ImRlZmF1bHQiLCJhZHMiOnRydWUsInNwb25zIjp0cnVlLCJzdGF0dXMiOiJwdWJsaWMifQ==&sig=4NyXOMItr6JqDYDMalStppZqjxxZnTFEzeeyLrcvzZA)

Today we’re going back to the beginning – no Romans, Celts, Egyptians or Macedonians in sight. Billions of years of prehistory as we look at the emergence of life on Earth. From the rise of the earliest microscopic membranes to the arrival of the dinosaurs.

Tristan Hughes is joined by Henry Gee to journey through several billion years of history; from the rise of the earliest microscopic membranes to the arrival of the dinosaurs.

MORE

Rise of Humans with Henry Gee

Jurassic America

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan, the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

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

From The Rest Is History at 2026-01-01 00:05:00

631. Wagner: LIVE at the Royal Albert Hall (GLT7214350401.mp3?updated=1766537584)

Was Richard Wagner a revolutionary artist who reshaped music forever, or an egotists mired in scandal, whose dangerous ideas were inseparable from the operas he created? How did the legendary worlds encapsulated in his bombastic music - featuring gods, heroes, and monsters - become entangled with politics and power? And, did Wagner inspire Hitler and the Nazis…? Join Tom and Dominic at the Royal Albert Hall, featuring the renowned Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Oliver Zeffman, as they play the music of Wagner live, as they delve into the life of one of the most controversial but famous figures in all of musical history: Richard Wagner. _______ Hive. Know your power. Visit https://hivehome.com to find out more. _______ Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ https://nordvpn.com/restishistory It's risk-free with Nord's 30-day money-back guarantee ✅ _______ 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 Social Producer: Harry Baldwin 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 2025-12-31 20:42:35

DSF member of the month - Clifford Gama

For December 2025, we welcome Clifford Gama as our DSF member of the month! ⭐

Clifford contributed to Django core with more than 5 PRs merged in few months! He is part of the Triage and Review Team. He has been a DSF member since October 2024.

You can learn more about Clifford by visiting Clifford's website and his GitHub Profile.

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

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

I'm Clifford. I hold a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Zimbabwe.

How did you start using Django?

During my first year in college, I was also exploring open online courses on EDx and I came across CS50's introduction to web development. After watching the introductory lecture -- which introduced me to git and GitHub -- I discovered Django's excellent documentation and got started on the polls tutorial. The docs were so comprehensive and helpful I never felt the need to return to CS50. (I generally prefer comprehensive first-hand, written learning material over summaries and videos.)

At the time, I had already experimented with flask, but I guess mainly because I didn't know SQL and because flask didn't have an ORM, I never quite picked it up. With Django I felt like I was taking a learning fast-track where I'd learn everything I needed in one go!

And that's how I started using Django.

What projects are you working on now?

At the moment, I’ve been focusing on improving my core skills in preparation for remote work, so I haven’t been starting new projects because of that.

That said, I’ve been working on a client project involving generating large, image-heavy PDFs with WeasyPrint, where I’ve been investigating performance bottlenecks and ways to speed up generation time, which was previously around 30 minutes 😱.

What are you learning about these days?

I’ve been reading Boost Your Git DX by Adam Johnson and learning how to boost my Git and shell developer experience, which has been a great read. Aside from that, inspired by some blogs and talks by Haki Benita, I am also learning about software design and performance. Additionally, I am working on improving my general fluency in Python.

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

I am not familiar with any other frameworks, but if I had magic powers I'd add production-grade static-file serving in Django.

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

The ORM, Wagtail and Django's admin.

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

The community
The documentation
Djangonaut Space and the way new contributors are welcomed

How did you start contributing to Django?

I started contributing to Django in August last year, which is when I discovered the community, which was a real game changer for me. Python was my first course at university, and I loved it because it was creative and there was no limit to what I could build with it.

Whenever I saw a problem in another course that could be solved programmatically, I jumped at it. My proudest project from that time was building an NxN matrix determinant calculator after learning about recursion and spotting the opportunity in an algebra class.

After COVID lockdown, I gave programming up for a while. With more time on my hands, I found myself prioritizing programming over core courses, so I took a break. Last year, I returned to it when I faced a problem that I could only solve with Django. My goal was simply to build an app quickly and go back to being a non-programmer, but along the way I thought I found a bug in Django, filed a ticket, and ended up writing a documentation PR. That’s when I really discovered the Django community.

What attracted me most was that contributions are held to high standards, but experienced developers are always ready to help you reach them. Contributing was collaborative, pushing everyone to do their best. It was a learning opportunity too good to pass up.

How did you join the Triage and Review team?

About the time after I contributed my first PR, I started looking at open tickets to find more to work on, and keep on learning.

Sometimes a ticket was awaiting triage, in which case the first step was to triage it before assigning it to working on it, and sometimes the ticket I wanted was already taken, in which case I'd look at the PR if available. Reviewing a PR can be a faster way to learn about a particular part of the codebase, because someone has already done most of the investigative part of work, so I reviewed PRs as well.

After a while I got an invitation from Sarah Boyce, one of the fellows, to join the team. I didn't even know that I could join before I got the invitation, so I was thrilled!

How the work is going so far?

It’s been rewarding. I’ve gained familiarity with the Django codebase and real experience collaborating with others, which already exceeds what I expected when I started contributing.

One unexpected highlight was forming a friendship through one of the first PRs I reviewed.

SiHyun Lee and I are now both part of the triage and review team, and I’m grateful for that connection.

What are your hobbies or what do you do when you’re not working?

My main hobby is storytelling in a broad sense. In fact, it was a key reason I returned to programming after a long break. I enjoy discovering enduring stories from different cultures, times, and media—ranging from the deeply personal and literary to the distant and philosophical. I recently watched two Japanese classics and found I quite love them. I wrote about one of the films on my blog, and I also get to practice my Japanese, which I’ve been learning on Duolingo for about two years. I also enjoy playing speed chess.

Do you have any suggestions for people who would like to start triage and review tickets and PRs?

If there’s an issue you care about, or one that touches a part of the codebase you’re familiar with or curious about, jump in. Tickets aren’t always available to work on, but reviews always are, and they’re open to everyone. Reviewing helps PRs move faster, including your own if you have any open, sharpens your understanding of a component, and often clarifies the problem itself.

As Simon Charette puts it:

“Triaging issues and spending time understanding them is often more valuable than landing code itself as it strengthen our common understanding of the problem and allow us to build a consistent experience accross the diverse interfaces Django provides.”

And you can put it on your CV!

Is there anything else you’d like to say?

I’m grateful to everyone who contributes to making every part of Django what it is. I’m particularly thankful to whoever nominated me to be the DSF Member of the month.

I am optimistic about the future of Django. Django 6.1 is already shaping up with new features, and there are new projects like Django Bolt coming up.

Happy new year 🎊!

Thank you for doing the interview, Clifford and happy new year to the Django community 💚!

From The Media Show at 2025-12-31 17:00:00

How to Make a Hit TV Show (p0mq3ycg.mp3)

Have you ever wondered how reality TV gets made? Why some shows become instant classics, while others vanish without trace?

In this special edition of The Media Show, four of the UK’s top creatives in unscripted television reveal their secrets. From The Traitors to Pointless, Hunted to Gogglebox, they discuss what makes a hit format, how casting decisions are made, how streamers and influencers are changing the landscape, and where the next big hit might come from.

Guests: Tim Harcourt, Chief Creative Officer, Studio Lambert; Matt Bennett, Director of Programmes, Shine Television; Tamara Gilder, Joint MD, Remarkable Entertainment; Art Sejdiu, Head of Commissioning Development, Channel Four.

Presenters: Ros Atkins and Katie Razzall Producer: Dan Hardoon

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2025-12-31 16:00:00

798: Trust Dan, Not Fish (ba8b8dd8-eba2-454e-9e86-6d085d43a806.mp3)

Our most frequent panelists of the year join Jason to talk about their favorite stuff from the year gone by, and we also pause to recall some favorite Incomparable moments. Synergy!...

From Schneier on Security at 2025-12-31 12:03:40

LinkedIn Job Scams

Interesting article on the variety of LinkedIn job scams around the world:

In India, tech jobs are used as bait because the industry employs millions of people and offers high-paying roles. In Kenya, the recruitment industry is largely unorganized, so scamsters leverage fake personal referrals. In Mexico, bad actors capitalize on the informal nature of the job economy by advertising fake formal roles that carry a promise of security. In Nigeria, scamsters often manage to get LinkedIn users to share their login credentials with the lure of paid work, preying on their desperation amid an especially acute unemployment crisis...

From More or Less at 2025-12-31 09:30:00

Numbers of the year 2025 (p0mpqdb2.mp3)

From the number of women in space and transistors on a chip to social media usage -we’re taking a look back the key numerical moments of 2025. We explore the woes of a big infrastructure projects. Plus, just how can you make sure your New Year’s Resolutions are successful? We’ve got statistics to help.

Presenter: Tim Harford Reporter: Lizzy McNeil Producers: Charlotte McDonald and Katie Solleveld Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound Mix: Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon

From The History of Byzantium at 2025-12-30 16:04:59

Episode 334 - State Builders from the Steppe with Eric Halsey (media.mp3)

I talk to Eric Halsey about his new book State Builders from the Steppe: A History of the First Bulgarian Empire.

In it he chronicles the rise and fall of the Bulgars as they arrive in the Balkans and forge a state that would be a thorn in the Byzantine side.

I thoroughly recommended the book. It’s well researched, easy to read and it’s nice to hear about a subject so intimately entwined with Byzantine history from a different perspective.

Find the book on Amazon or check out the Bulgarian History podcast where Eric takes the Bulgarian story all the way to the present.

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From Schneier on Security at 2025-12-30 12:02:01

Using AI-Generated Images to Get Refunds

Scammers are generating images of broken merchandise in order to apply for refunds.

From School of War at 2025-12-30 10:30:00

Ep 261: Behnam Ben Taleblu on the (Next!) Iran-Israel War (NEBM8538247095.mp3)

Behnam Ben Taleblu, Senior Director (Iran Program) and Senior Fellow at FDD, joins the show to talk about how Iran has worked to reconstitute its missile program since the summer, and what the U.S. and Israel might do to stop it. ▪️ Times 01:43 Vessel Seizure 05:45 Making a Ballistic Missile 13:06 What Modern War Looks Like 17:19 Iran’s Missile Program 21:42 Evolving Assessment 26:24 Relevance for U.S. Defense Planning 30:00 Disconnected Victories 35:04 Lessons from the 10/07 War 39:31 Bad Choices for Iran Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find more content on our School of War Substack

From Schneier on Security at 2025-12-29 12:07:15

Are We Ready to Be Governed by Artificial Intelligence?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) overlords are a common trope in science-fiction dystopias, but the reality looks much more prosaic. The technologies of artificial intelligence are already pervading many aspects of democratic government, affecting our lives in ways both large and small. This has occurred largely without our notice or consent. The result is a government incrementally transformed by AI rather than the singular technological overlord of the big screen.

Let us begin with the executive branch. One of the most important functions of this branch of government is to administer the law, including the human services on which so many Americans rely. Many of these programs have long been operated by a mix of humans and machines, even if not previously using modern AI tools such as ...

From Battle Lines at 2025-12-29 12:00:00

US vs China vs Europe: the race to build the fighter jet of the future (media.mp3)

This episode goes straight to the jugular of modern air power and asks a brutally simple question: has the last great manned fighter already been born?

Roland is joined by Tom Withington of Royal United Services Institute and Sophy Antrobus from King’s College London, two people who actually know what they’re talking about when it comes to fighter jets. They unpack the mystery and the hype surrounding the sixth generation fighters. These are not just faster jets with shinier wings. They are flying data centres, designed to hoover up information, evade the most lethal air defences on the planet, and command swarms of drones doing the truly dangerous work.

We cut through the fog of acronyms to explain what sixth generation really means, how it differs from the F-35, and why programmes in the US, Britain, Europe and Asia are racing ahead despite eye watering costs. This is air dominance, power politics and future war rolled into one.

Picture credit: United States Air Force

Producer: Peter Shevlin

Executive Producer: Louisa Wells

► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor

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From Odd Lots at 2025-12-29 09:00:00

Goldman's Hatzius and Snider on the Outlook for 2026 (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)

2025 was an extraordinary year, with the real economy defying recession worries and equity markets putting up monster returns. So can this be repeated again in 2026? On this episode, we speak with two of the top minds at Goldman Sachs. Jan Hatzius is the bank's chief economist and head of research and Ben Snider is its chief US equity strategist. We review what really happened in 2025, talking about the impact of both AI and the tariffs, as well as how these factors will impact the real economy and stocks next year.

Only Bloomberg - Business News, Stock Markets, Finance, Breaking & World News subscribers can get the Odd Lots newsletter in their inbox each week, plus unlimited access to the site and app. Subscribe at bloomberg.com/subscriptions/oddlots

Join the conversation: discord.gg/oddlots

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From The Rest Is History at 2025-12-29 00:05:00

630. Tchaikovsky: LIVE at the Royal Albert Hall (GLT2445190309.mp3?updated=1766537673)

What are the complex origins of Russia’s most renowned composer, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky? What inner conflicts and private contradictions lay behind his romantic music, and how did these struggles shape it? And, what dark secrets lie hidden beneath Tchaikovsky’s sweeping, lyrical melodies…? Join Tom and Dominic at the Royal Albert Hall, featuring the renowned Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Oliver Zeffman, as they play the music of Tchaikovsky live, accompanying their journey into the life of one of the most mercurial but brilliant figures in all of musical history: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. _______ Hive. Know your power. Visit https://hivehome.com to find out more. _______ Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ https://nordvpn.com/restishistory It's risk-free with Nord's 30-day money-back guarantee ✅ _______ 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 Social Producer: Harry Baldwin Assistant Producer: Aaliyah Akude Producer: Tabby Syrett Senior Producer: Theo Young-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From The Ancients at 2025-12-28 03:00:00

The Ice Age (media.mp3?tk=eyJ0ayI6ImRlZmF1bHQiLCJhZHMiOnRydWUsInNwb25zIjp0cnVlLCJzdGF0dXMiOiJwdWJsaWMifQ==&sig=-sL28CTlaB9zacwvNh-lM-FLUp7VRfzcmcNEP4bJhh8)

Think of the Ice Age and tales of ferocious sabre-toothed tigers and giant megafauna likely spring to mind - but what do we know about prehistoric human culture 25,000 years ago and how people survived a perilous landscape of marauding Woolly Mammoths, bitterly cold temperatures and primitive Stone Age tools?

Tristan Hughes is joined by Cody Cassidy to look at how early cultures adapted to the extremes of the Last Glacial Period. Looking at the rapidly changing landscape, the cause of the big freeze and prehistoric hunting methods - do you have what it takes to survive the Ice Age?

This episode was first released in October 2023.

MORE

Ice Age Britain: Finding the First Homo sapiens

Ice Age America

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan, the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

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From A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry at 2025-12-28 00:10:37

Gap Week: December Holidays, 2025

Hey folks! Apologies for this coming out late – alas the pedant household has been struck by a nasty cold that has made keeping up with work this week quite challenging. No post this week, on account of it being Christmas time. May you all have a Merry Christmas or a Happy Holidays or simply … Continue reading Gap Week: December Holidays, 2025 →

From More or Less at 2025-12-27 06:00:00

Numbers of the year 2025 (p0mp7lkb.mp3)

We look back at some stand out numbers of 2025. How significant were Trump’s import tariffs? China sets the pace for solar power installation across the globe. We also look upwards to a particularly speedy comet - 3i Atlas.

Presenter: Tim Harford Producers: Charlotte McDonald and Katie Solleveld Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound Mix: Rod Farquhar Editor: Richard Vadon

From Schneier on Security at 2025-12-26 22:08:17

Friday Squid Blogging: Squid Camouflage

New research:

Abstract: Coleoid cephalopods have the most elaborate camouflage system in the animal kingdom. This enables them to hide from or deceive both predators and prey. Most studies have focused on benthic species of octopus and cuttlefish, while studies on squid focused mainly on the chromatophore system for communication. Camouflage adaptations to the substrate while moving has been recently described in the semi-pelagic oval squid (Sepioteuthis lessoniana). Our current study focuses on the same squid’s complex camouflage to substrate in a stationary, motionless position. We observed disruptive, uniform, and mottled chromatic body patterns, and we identified a threshold of contrast between dark and light chromatic components that simplifies the identification of disruptive chromatic body pattern. We found that arm postural components are related to the squid position in the environment, either sitting directly on the substrate or hovering just few centimeters above the substrate. Several of these context-dependent body patterns have not yet been observed in ...

From School of War at 2025-12-26 10:30:00

Ep 260: Kevin Passmore on the Maginot Line and the Battle of France (NEBM9828227459.mp3)

Kevin Passmore, professor of History at Cardiff University and author of The Maginot Line: A New History, joins the show to talk about the most elaborate fortification system of the 20th century and why it failed. ▪️ Times 02:03 Attacking the Maginot Line 05:53 Fortifications and Warfare 11:48 Flexibility vs Depth 15:38 A Total Commitment to War 19:49 French Defensive Concepts 22:42 Living in the Line 27:31 Decision in Belgium 36:22 Breaking the Enemy’s Will 39:36 Ukrainian Fortifications Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find more content on our School of War Substack

From Odd Lots at 2025-12-26 09:00:00

Merryn Talks Money: John Law, The Gambler Who Invented Modern Money (Part 1) (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)

Hello Odd Lots listeners! As we take a break for the holidays we'd like to take a moment and bring you an episode by one of our sister shows here at Bloomberg Podcasts, Merryn Talks Money.

In this special two-part series, John Stepek and Merryn Somerset Webb tell the extraordinary story of John Law: a fugitive Scots gambler who became the most powerful financier in France and helped invent the modern monetary system. From murder and exile to paper money, banking revolutions and spectacular collapse, Law’s life reveals why today’s financial system works the way it does—and why it sometimes blows up. It’s history, scandal and monetary theory rolled into one irresistible tale.

We used a range of sources for this podcast but two key books to read if you'd like to find out more are:
John Law: A Scottish Adventurer of the Eighteenth Century (2018), by James Buchan
John Law: Economic Theorist and Policy-Maker (1997), by Antoin Murphy

Like this episode? Listen and Subscribe to the Merryn Talks Money podcast on Apple, Spotify, iHeart or wherever you get your podcasts

Only Bloomberg.com subscribers can get the Odd Lots newsletter in their inbox — now delivered every weekday — plus unlimited access to the site and app. Subscribe at bloomberg.com/subscriptions/oddlots

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From Battle Lines at 2025-12-26 06:00:00

No limits partnership: Why 2025 was China and Russia's year (media.mp3)

This has been a year when the world lurched from crisis to crisis at breakneck speed. Trump back in power. America wavering on Europe and Ukraine. China strutting with new confidence. Russia grinding on. Iran bombed. Gaza paused. If you feel dizzy you are not alone.

Venetia is joined by Adelie Pojzman-Pontay from Ukraine the Latest and Asia correspondent Allegra Mendelson to take a sharp eyed look back at the moments that mattered and the ones you may have missed but cannot afford to ignore.

We focus on the three powers shaping everything China, Russia and the United States.

Producer: Peter Shevlin

Executive Producer: Louisa Wells

► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor

Contact us with feedback or ideas:

battlelines@telegraph.co.uk

@venetiarainey

@RolandOliphant

@amendelson_

@adeliepjz

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

From Net Assessment at 2025-12-25 11:00:00

What Does the United States Want From China and Why Can't We Get It? (Net_Assessment_-_25_Dec_2025_v1.mp3?dest-id=808287)

In this episode, Chris, Melanie, and Zack look at U.S. policy toward China. What does the United States, that is Donald Trump, want from China? What should the Trump administration be willing to compromise on to get it? And what does Trump need that China would be willing to give up? Grievances for President Trump's tasteless social media post following the murder of Rob and Michele Reiner; for those who bet on war (and rig the maps to win); and for the Pentagon's attacks on Sen. (and retired Navy Captain) Mark Kelly for daring to suggest that people in the military shouldn't follow unlawful orders. Speaking of unlawful orders, attas to Sen. Kelly and others calling out the Trump admin's dubious case for striking boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific. Plus a shout out for reporters covering the Trump administration, who manage to break news despite the hurdles.

Show Links:

Derek Scissors and Zack Cooper, "Trump vs China is taking a turn," Washington Post, December 16, 2025.
Lily Kuo, "From Chips to Security, China Is Getting Much of What It Wants From the U.S.," New York Times, December 12, 2025.
Saif Khan, Tao Burga, Tim Fist, and Georgia Adamson, "Should the US Sell Hopper Chips to China?" Institute for Progress, December 7, 2025.
Nick Cleveland-Stout, "Think tanker altered Ukraine war map before big Polymarket payout," Responsible Statecraft, December 11, 2025.
Al Weaver and Filip Timotija, "Senate GOP Grows Uneasy as Pentagon's Kelly Escalates," The Hill, December 17, 2025.
Jonathan Gilbert, "China Buys Rare Argentine Wheat Cargo as Milei Trims Tariffs," Bloomberg, December 14, 2025.
Alan Beattie, "Donald Trump Stiffs Farmers and China Stiffs Donald Trump," Financial Times, December 15, 2025.
Susannah Savage, "Donald Trump's Tariffs Intensify Strain on US Farmers, Deere Warns," Financial Times, December 10, 2025.

From Odd Lots at 2025-12-25 09:00:00

Scott Kupor's New Plan to Bring Tech Workers Into the Federal Government (audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=982f5071-765c-403d-969d-ae27003a8d83)

If you're a high-skilled tech worker, then potentially huge fortunes await you working for a startup or one of our booming AI giants. But the government needs these types of workers too. And the government is not set up to pay commensurate salaries with the private sector -- particularly for these types of roles. This challenge has long been understood, and there have been numerous efforts over the years to infuse the government with high-tech talent. Scott Kupor is the director of the US Office of Personnel Management, which manages and coordinates recruiting of new government employees across the federal workforce. Scott was also previously one of the top partners at the famed VC firm Andreessen Horowitz. So he has a mind for bringing the recruiting practices of the tech world into DC. But of course, that's easier said than done. On this episode, we talk about how federal hiring works and doesn't work, and also his new endeavor called the US Tech Force, which aims to bring in top talent for a two-year stint of solving problems across the bureaus. We also talk about the DOGE initiative, and how he thinks about recruiting top talent at a time when the administration has been aggressive about shrinking the size of the overall federal workforce.

Read More: Federal Workforce’s Toll After a Year of DOGE and Trump: 317,000
USDA Lost a Third of DC Staff Even Before Relocation Effort

Join the conversation: discord.gg/oddlots

Only Bloomberg.com subscribers can get the Odd Lots newsletter in their inbox — now delivered every weekday — plus unlimited access to the site and app. bloomberg.com/subscriptions/oddlots

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From The Ancients at 2025-12-25 03:00:00

The Minoan Labyrinth (media.mp3?tk=eyJ0ayI6ImRlZmF1bHQiLCJhZHMiOnRydWUsInNwb25zIjp0cnVlLCJzdGF0dXMiOiJwdWJsaWMifQ==&sig=6zAtqtKJX9MztyrlmoUZjV9bS6wKowhoRyj6uYpdvQM)

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey immerses players in the mythology of Ancient Greece. In particular, they can walk in the footsteps of Theseus through the Labyrinth and come face to face with the mythical Minotaur. Commonly associated with the maze-like Knossos palace on Crete, how much of the myth is rooted in reality? Prof Nicoletta Momigliano guides Tristan Hughes through the pathways between myth and reality of the Minoan Labyrinth.

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. Listen to it here.

Hosted by: Tristan Hughes

Edited by: Alex Jones and Aidan Lonergan

Produced by: Robin McConnell, Anne-Marie Luff

Senior Producer: Anne-Marie Luff

Production Manager: Beth Donaldson

Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett

Music:

Phoibe the Orphan by The Flight, Michael Georgiades

The Minotaur by The Flight

Barnabas by The Flight, Michael Georgiades

If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. Take part in our listener survey here.

Tell us your favourite Assassin's Creed game or podcast episode at echoes-of-history@historyhit.com

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From The Rest Is History at 2025-12-25 00:05:00

629. WWI: The Christmas Truce (GLT5393732684.mp3?updated=1766065378)

Did the Christmas Truce - which saw a number of unofficial ceasefires between the combatants of the First World War, during the Christmas of 1914 - really occur, or has it all a myth? What is the real story behind this legendary event? And, did German and British soldiers really play football across no-man's land? Join Dominic and Tom as they delve into the history behind one of the most famous and moving events of the First World War. _______ Hive. Know your power. Visit https://hivehome.com to find out more. _______ Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ https://nordvpn.com/restishistory It's risk-free with Nord's 30-day money-back guarantee ✅ _______ 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

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From Biz & IT - Ars Technica at 2026-01-15 15:25:52

From The Django weblog at 2026-01-15 14:14:37

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

I have already an idea but where your nickname "Xterm" comes from?

How did you start using Django?

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

What projects are you working on now?

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

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

You are helping a lot of folks in Django Discord, what do you think is needed to be a good helper according to you?

Dry ORM is really appreciated! What motivated you to create the project?

I believe you are the main maintainer, do you need help on something?

What are your hobbies or what do you do when you’re not working?

Is there anything else you’d like to say?

From Net Assessment at 2026-01-15 10:00:00

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