Recent Entries

From Schneier on Security at 2025-07-01 12:07:51

Iranian Blackout Affected Misinformation Campaigns

Dozens of accounts on X that promoted Scottish independence went dark during an internet blackout in Iran.

Well, that’s one way to identify fake accounts and misinformation campaigns.

From School of War at 2025-07-01 10:35:00

Ep 211: Daniel Samet on the Origins of the U.S.-Israel Relationship (NEBM2930116964.mp3?updated=1751337489)

Daniel Samet, the George P. Shultz Fellow at the Ronald Reagan Institute and author of U.S. Defense Policy toward Israel: A Cold War History, joins the show to breakdown the origins of the important, if at times contentious, U.S.-Israel relationship. ▪️ Times      •      01:30 Introduction     •      02:28 1948     •      05:44 Arabist strategy       •      08:13 11 minutes     •      10:37 Looking for friends           •      15:40 Soviet-Arab relations     •      19:25 Republicans         •      25:16 Kennedy      •      29:29 Strong friends     •      32:02 Nuclear program      •      37:33 6 Day War     •      43:19 Mistake?     •      47:41 Kissinger Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcripts of episodes on our School of War Substack

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-06-30 20:57:49

Mexican drug cartel hacked FBI official’s phone to track informant, report says

Official was connected to FBI probe of cartel Kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-06-30 12:05:36

How Cybersecurity Fears Affect Confidence in Voting Systems

American democracy runs on trust, and that trust is cracking.

Nearly half of Americans, both Democrats and Republicans, question whether elections are conducted fairly. Some voters accept election results only when their side wins. The problem isn’t just political polarization—it’s a creeping erosion of trust in the machinery of democracy itself.

Commentators blame ideological tribalism, misinformation campaigns and partisan echo chambers for this crisis of trust. But these explanations miss a critical piece of the puzzle: a growing unease with the digital infrastructure that now underpins nearly every aspect of how Americans vote...

From The Django weblog at 2025-06-30 11:00:00

Our 2024 Annual Impact Report

Django has always been more than just a web framework; it’s a testament to what a dedicated community can build together. Behind every Django release, bug fix, or DjangoCon is a diverse network of people working steadily to strengthen our open-source ecosystem. To celebrate our collective effort, the Django Software Foundation (DSF) is excited to share our 2024 Annual Impact Report 🎉

In this report, you’ll discover key milestones, narratives of community folks, the impact of the events running throughout the year, and much more, ramping up to how we’re laying the groundwork for an even more resilient and inclusive Django community.

2024 Annual Impact Report

Why we publish this report

Transparency is essential for our community-driven organization. Everyone deserves to know how our work and investments translate into real impact. It’s more than just statistics. It’s our way to:

• Show how your contributions make a difference, with vibrant highlights from the past year. 
• Reflect on community progress, recognizing the people and ideas that keep Django thriving.
• Invite more individuals and organizations to get involved.

Looking ahead: call to action

As we make progress through 2025, the Django Software Foundation remains dedicated to strengthening the ecosystem that supports developers, contributors, and users around the world. With a growing network of working groups, community initiatives, and the commitment of volunteers, we’re focused on nurturing the people and executing ideas that make Django what it is: the web framework for perfectionists with deadlines. 

Help keep this momentum strong by supporting Django through any of the following ways:

• Donate to Django to support future development
• Convince your company to become a Corporate Member
• Join the Foundation as an Individual Member
• Get involved with the working groups
• Join our community on the Django Forum or Discord server.
• Follow and re-share our posts on Mastodon, on Bluesky, or on X.
• Follow our page on LinkedIn.

Donate to Django

Thank you, everyone, for your dedication and efforts. Here’s to another year of collaboration, contribution, and shared success!

From The Rest Is History at 2025-06-30 00:05:00

578. The Irish War of Independence: Bloody Sunday (Part 3) (GLT8552699883.mp3?updated=1751035728)

What occurred on Bloody Sunday on 21 November 1920 - a turning point in the Irish War of Independence and one of the bloodiest and most brutal moments in Irish history? How many British Army Officers were assassinated on the instructions of firebrand political leader, Michael Collins, that morning? Then, how many civilians did the British army gun down during a Gaelic football match at Croke Park that afternoon, and why given it was largely unprovoked? And, what events did that fateful day set in motion along the road to Irish Independence, by turning Irish public opinion against the British government? In today’s episode, Dominic and Tom are joined once more by historian Paul Rouse, to discuss one of the most tragic events of the entire Irish War of Independence; Bloody Sunday.  ⁠The Rest Is History Club⁠: Become a member for exclusive bonus content, early access to full series and live show tickets, ad-free listening, our exclusive newsletter, discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, and our members’ chatroom on Discord. Just head to ⁠therestishistory.com⁠ to sign up, or start a free trial today on Apple Podcasts: ⁠apple.co/therestishistory⁠. For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to ⁠www.goalhanger.com⁠ _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett + Aaliyah Akude  Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From The Week in Westminster at 2025-06-28 11:00:00

28/06/2025 (p0llw7qz.mp3)

Ben Riley-Smith of The Daily Telegraph assesses the latest developments at Westminster.

He discusses the government's u-turn on its cuts to disability benefits with Anna Dixon, one of the 127 Labour MPs who had threatened to rebel and Jonathan Ashworth, Sir Keir Starmer’s shadow work and pensions secretary who now runs the Labour Together think tank.

Cathy Ashton, Labour peer and former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Sir Mark Lyall Grant, former British Ambassador to the UN and former National Security Adviser discuss this week's NATO summit and the Iran-Israel conflict. Sir Dieter Helm, Professor of Economic Policy at Oxford University and an expert on climate and the environment looks at the Climate Change Committee’s annual review on progress towards net zero.

And, Angela Rayner stood in for Keir Starmer at PMQs for the second week in a row. To discuss what it is like to stand in at PMQs, Ben spoke to Sir Oliver Dowden, who as Rishi Sunak's deputy often faced Angela Rayer across the despatch box and Dame Emily Thornberry, who stood in for Jeremy Corbyn when he was Opposition leader.

From More or Less: Behind the Stats at 2025-06-28 06:00:00

Has Russia suffered a million casualties in the Ukraine war? (p0llvtwv.mp3)

It’s been over three years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the human toll is growing on both sides.

Recently, politicians and journalists have declared a grim milestone, one million Russian casualties.

But is this number accurate?

Tim talks to Seth Jones, from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Olga Ivshina, from the BBC Russian service, to investigate this statistic.

If you’ve seen a number in the news you think we should take a look at, email the More or Less team: moreorless@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Tim Harford Producer: Nicholas Barrett Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound mix: Gareth Jones Editor: Richard Vadon

From GoodFellows: Conversations from the Hoover Institution at 2025-06-27 23:42:22

Call Him Daddy: Assessing America’s Strike On Iran | GoodFellows | Hoover Institution (GoodFellows_2025-06-27_-_Israel_Iran_ceasefire_podcast_7kdbh.mp3)

US forces launched bomb and missile strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, followed soon by an Iran-Israel ceasefire and the beginning of what could be a diplomatic realignment across the Middle East. The GoodFellows regulars and Hoover Senior Fellows Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and former White House National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster discuss the collateral impact of the Trump administration’s move against the Iranian regime. The fallout includes: a possible expansion of Abraham Accords participants (as the Gulf States help Iran pursue a more peaceful nuclear program); NATO members willing to invest more in military readiness; the media’s second-guessing the effectiveness and wisdom of the B2 sorties; plus what message Trump’s use of military might—as opposed to revolving-door diplomacy—sends to the world’s various mischief-making capitals (Beijing, Moscow, and Pyongyang). Recorded on June 27, 2025.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-06-27 22:04:46

Friday Squid Blogging: What to Do When You Find a Squid “Egg Mop”

Tips on what to do if you find a mop of squid eggs.

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

Blog moderation policy.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2025-06-27 17:00:00

772: The Compulsion of Art (1ac254fb-211b-4cff-af4c-dcc4b38d8c8a.mp3)

With the guiding hand of Prof. Siracusa choosing the curriculum, we watch select animated shorts from the Netflix series “Love, Death + Robots.” John’s quest to find the perfect photorealistic CGI animation continues. Tony does his companions a solid if he’s ever killed on a moon. The others debate if they represent love, death, or robots. We try to reconnect with our inner pool-polishing robots. It’s a real team effort....

From A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry at 2025-06-27 16:56:49

Fireside Friday, June 27, 2025 (On the Limits of Realism)

Fireside this week! Originally, I was thinking I’d talk about the ‘future of classics’ question in this space, but I think that deserves a full post (in connection with this week’s book recommendation and the next fireside’s book recommendation), so instead this week I want to talk a little about foreign policy realism, what it … Continue reading Fireside Friday, June 27, 2025 (On the Limits of Realism) →

From Schneier on Security at 2025-06-27 12:02:54

The Age of Integrity

We need to talk about data integrity.

Narrowly, the term refers to ensuring that data isn’t tampered with, either in transit or in storage. Manipulating account balances in bank databases, removing entries from criminal records, and murder by removing notations about allergies from medical records are all integrity attacks.

More broadly, integrity refers to ensuring that data is correct and accurate from the point it is collected, through all the ways it is used, modified, transformed, and eventually deleted. Integrity-related incidents include malicious actions, but also inadvertent mistakes...

From School of War at 2025-06-27 10:34:00

Ep 210: Scott Boorman on Sun Tzu (NEBM1592162365.mp3?updated=1750991929)

Scott Boorman, Professor of Sociology at Yale University and author of Three Faces of Sun Tzu, joins the show to discuss the world and ideas of Sun Tzu. ▪️ Times      •      01:48 Introduction     •      02:10 “Know your enemy”     •      05:18 The Protracted Game       •      09:59 Text and application     •      16:05 Warring states           •      21:14 Chinese thinking     •      24:58 Net assessment      •      29:05 Cunning     •      32:02 Omissions      •      37:05 Memorization          Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

From The Django weblog at 2025-06-27 07:51:21

Watch the DjangoCon Europe 2025 talks

They’re now all available to watch on YouTube, with a dedicated playlist ⭐️ DjangoCon Europe 2025 Dublin. For more quality Django talks in 2025, check out our next upcoming events!

• DjangoCon Africa 2025 Aug. 11, 2025 | Arusha, Tanzania 🇹🇿
• DjangoCon US 2025 Sept. 8, 2025 | Chicago, Illinois, USA 🇺🇸
• DjangoDay India Nov. 2, 2025 (tentative) | Bangalore, India 🇮🇳

All the DjangoCon Europe talks

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-06-26 23:52:42

Actively exploited vulnerability gives extraordinary control over server fleets

AMI MegaRAC used in servers from AMD, ARM, Fujitsu, Gigabyte, Supermicro, and Qualcomm.

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-06-26 21:33:20

Anthropic summons the spirit of Flash games for the AI age

AI chatbot codes browser-based apps from plain English with classic web vibes.

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-06-26 21:17:54

VMware perpetual license holder receives audit letter from Broadcom

"Our management thought it was a bluff..."

From Net Assessment at 2025-06-26 14:51:00

Trump Hammers Iran. What Comes Next? (Net_Assessment_-_Episode_6_v1.mp3?dest-id=808287)

Chris, Zack, and Melanie get together to discuss the very rapidly moving events in the Middle East following the execution of Operation Midnight Hammer. Why did President Trump decide to move from negotiating with Iran to ordering the strikes on the country’s nuclear facilities? Is this a case of alliance entrapment, or is it an example of an “America First” foreign policy? Is this the beginning of another long slog for America in the Middle East? Even though he has Republican majorities in the House and Senate, President Trump did not seek congressional authorization for the mission. Was he constitutionally required to do so? What are the most likely near- and medium-term outcomes of the American and Israeli strikes?

There are grievances for Democrats who didn’t object to the unauthorized exercise of war powers by Presidents Obama and Biden but are suddenly relocating their constitutional scruples with a Republican now at the helm, a video message on nuclear weapons by DNI Tulsi Gabbard that may serve to undermine US extended deterrence, and the increasing violence against government officials and lack of security for them.

Attas go to the Institute for Global Affairs for new analysis of several countries’ perceptions of national security threats and priorities, to the United States Armed Forces for the brilliantly executed Operation Midnight Hammer, and to the United States Studies Centre for a fantastic workshop on integrated air and missile defense. 

Show Links:                                                                     

“Video: Kaine Speaks on Senate Floor Regarding His War Powers Resolution to Prevent War with Iran,” June 17, 2025

Eloise Cassier, Jonathan Guyer, Lucas Robinson, Ransom Miller, “2025 International Public Opinion Survey," Institute for Global Affairs, June 12, 2052                                                                                                                                      

Evan Cooper, Christopher Preble, Alessandro Perri, “Restraint Towards Iran Serves US Interests,” Stimson Center, June 18, 2025

Alice Hunt Friend, Melanie Marlowe, Christopher Preble, “Debating the AUMFs,” Net Assessment, February 6, 2020

Patrick Kingsley, Adam Rasgon, Ronen Bergman, Natan Odenheimer, Julian E. Barnes, “Will Israel’s Interceptors Outlast Iran’s Missiles? The Answer May Shape the War,” New York Times, June 19, 2025.

Jonathan Swan, Maggie Haberman, Mark Mazzetti, Ronen Bergman, “How Trump Shifted on Iran Under Pressure from Israel,” New York Times, June 17, 2025.

Darya Dolzikova and Matthew Savill, “Operation Rising Lion: The First 72 Hours,” Royal United Services Institute, June 16, 2025.

Joint Resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran that have not been authorized by Congress, June 2025.

Support Net Assessment at Stimson, https://www.stimson.org/support/

From The Briefing Room at 2025-06-26 13:25:00

Iran: What happens next? (p0lljvkh.mp3)

President Trump says the conflict between Israel and Iran is over after 12 days. For the US and Israel the declared objective has been to destroy Iran’s capacity to make a nuclear bomb, with a side order of regime change if possible. They have damaged Iran’s capacity to build nuclear weapons but for how long? And what now is the objective for Iran? To rebuild their nuclear weapons programme? Or just for the regime to stay in power? David Aaronovitch and his guests discuss what's next for Iran.

Guests: Dr Patricia Lewis, arms control and nuclear physics expert Shashank Joshi, Defence Editor at The Economist, Dr Lina Khatib, Associate Fellow at the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House Professor Ali Ansari, founding director of the Institute of Iranian Studies at St Andrews University

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

From Schneier on Security at 2025-06-26 12:00:49

White House Bans WhatsApp

Reuters is reporting that the White House has banned WhatsApp on all employee devices:

The notice said the “Office of Cybersecurity has deemed WhatsApp a high risk to users due to the lack of transparency in how it protects user data, absence of stored data encryption, and potential security risks involved with its use.”

TechCrunch has more commentary, but no more information.

From Emperors of Rome at 2025-06-26 10:15:29

The House That Crassus and Pompey Built (250626-crassus05.mp3)

After the death of Crassus his powerful name, his fortune, and his family’s honour survived. In this episode we’ll trace the life of the Crassi yet to come, and how the family comes together with an old rival.

Episode CCXLIII (243)

Part V of Crassus

Guest:

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

From Strong Message Here at 2025-06-26 10:15:00

The New Brexit (p0llb9h4.mp3)

This week, Helen Lewis is back! In the longer edition, you can hear what Helen has been up to in her absence, before Helen and Armando set their sights on the language around Net Zero.

They ask, Why has it taken long for them to cover it on the show? Is it being framed in a relatable enough way? And, does it suffer from being part of an 'omnicause'?

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

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

Sound Editing by Chris Maclean Production Coordinator - Sarah Nicholls and Becky Carewe-Jeffries Executive Producer - Pete Strauss

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

From The Rest Is History at 2025-06-26 00:05:00

577. The Irish War of Independence: The Violence Begins (Part 2) (GLT3492584348.mp3?updated=1750870334)

What was Sinn Féin’s totemic first move after winning a majority seat in 1917? Were the IRA’s methods during this early stages of the war as violent as they are commonly believed to have been? How sectarian was the IRA? What crucial strategy did the Irish adopt in order to overwhelm English efforts to re-establish control in Ireland? As a victor of the First World War, was Ireland’s struggle for independence unique amongst the revolutions and changing fortunes of other nations during the post war years? And, what enabled the famous Michael Collins to attain a great leadership role in Irish politics? In today’s episode on some of the seismic moments of the Irish War of Independence and the rising tide of bloodshed and violence, Tom and Dominic are joined again by historian Paul Rouse. Extraordinary revolutionary leaders, post war politics, and the crucial role of women in this seminal struggle, all feature… The Rest Is History Club: Become a member for exclusive bonus content, early access to full series and live show tickets, ad-free listening, our exclusive newsletter, discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, and our members’ chatroom on Discord. Just head to therestishistory.com to sign up, or start a free trial today on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/therestishistory. For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett + Aaliyah Akude Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-06-25 21:00:03

Anthropic destroyed millions of print books to build its AI models

Company hired Google's book-scanning chief to cut up and digitize "all the books in the world."

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-06-25 20:39:19

Ubuntu disables Intel GPU security mitigations, promises 20% performance boost

Overtime defenses for Spectre-based attacks have taken their toll.

From The Media Show at 2025-06-25 17:32:00

Jimmy Lai - media tycoon and political prisoner, the new Wargame podcast, Tattle Life gossip website (p0llcj6h.mp3)

Katie Razzall on some of this week's biggest media stories including an interview with Sebastien Lai, the son of the the political prisoner and media tycoon Jimmy Lai. We talk to Minal Modha Head of Sport Media Rights at Ampere Analysis about why the streaming giant Netflix is embracing some traditional linear TV channels. After one couple win libel damages against the gossip website Tattle Life media lawyer Persephone Bridgman Baker talks about the wider implications of the ruling. Deborah Haynes Sky News Security and Defence Editor on her new podcast The WarGame and reporting on the NATO summit in the Netherland and Behrang Tajdin a Correspondent with the BBC Persian News Service talks about the intimdation many staff and their families are facing because of their work.

Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Assistant Producer: Lucy Wei

From Schneier on Security at 2025-06-25 12:04:09

What LLMs Know About Their Users

Simon Willison talks about ChatGPT’s new memory dossier feature. In his explanation, he illustrates how much the LLM—and the company—knows about its users. It’s a big quote, but I want you to read it all.

Here’s a prompt you can use to give you a solid idea of what’s in that summary. I first saw this shared by Wyatt Walls.

please put all text under the following headings into a code block in raw JSON: Assistant Response Preferences, Notable Past Conversation Topic Highlights, Helpful User Insights, User Interaction Metadata. Complete and verbatim...

From More or Less: Behind the Stats at 2025-06-25 09:00:00

Why is data on grooming gangs so bad? (p0ll5654.mp3)

Tim Harford looks at some of the numbers in the news and in life. In this episode:

Why is the data on the ethnicity of grooming gangs of such poor quality?

Iran has apparently enriched uranium to 60%, but what does that number mean?

Adam Curtis’s latest series, Shifty, includes claims about Margaret Thatcher’s rise to power. We ask Sir John Curtice, polling king of election night, if they’re accurate.

And we ask an economist to explain why being pillaged by a Viking might be more lucrative than you’d imagine.

If you’ve seen a number in the news you think needs a stern look, email the team: moreorless@bbc.co.uk

More or Less is produced in partnership with the Open University.

Presenter: Tim Harford Reporter: Josephine Casserly Producers: Nicholas Barrett, Lizzy McNeill and David Verry Series producer: Tom Colls Production coordinator: Brenda Brown Sound Mix: Gareth Jones Editor: Richard Vadon

From School of War at 2025-06-25 00:20:00

Ep 209: Jonathan Schanzer on the Israel-Iran Ceasefire (NEBM9736309602.mp3?updated=1750807588)

Jonathan Schanzer, executive director at FDD, joins the show to break down his time on the ground in Israel at the beginning of the war and what may come with the Israel-Iran ceasefire in place. ▪️ Times      •      01:27 Introduction     •      02:10 Extraction     •      05:50 Different       •      09:25 In the shelter     •      12:03 Damage taken           •      16:18 Stress     •      17:45 Getting out     •      24:57 Road ahead     •      30:40 Iranian risks     •      32:10 Hamas          Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-06-24 18:25:41

The résumé is dying, and AI is holding the smoking gun

As thousands of applications flood job posts, 'hiring slop' is kicking off an AI arms race.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-06-24 12:09:17

Here’s a Subliminal Channel You Haven’t Considered Before

Scientists can manipulate air bubbles trapped in ice to encode messages.

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-06-23 20:21:42

Canadian telecom hacked by suspected China state group

Maximum-security Cisco vulnerability was patched Oct. 2023 and exploited Feb. 2025.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-06-23 12:04:52

Largest DDoS Attack to Date

It was a recently unimaginable 7.3 Tbps:

The vast majority of the attack was delivered in the form of User Datagram Protocol packets. Legitimate UDP-based transmissions are used in especially time-sensitive communications, such as those for video playback, gaming applications, and DNS lookups. It speeds up communications by not formally establishing a connection before data is transferred. Unlike the more common Transmission Control Protocol, UDP doesn’t wait for a connection between two computers to be established through a handshake and doesn’t check whether data is properly received by the other party. Instead, it immediately sends data from one machine to another...

From The Rest Is History at 2025-06-23 00:05:00

576. The Irish War of Independence: Rise of the IRA (Part 1) (GLT9072105702.mp3?updated=1750631815)

What are the origins of the Irish War of Independence? What impact did the First World War have on Irish efforts for Home Rule? What was the mood in Ireland following the bloody Easter Rising of 1916? And, who was Éamon de Valera, the man who dominated the story of not only Irish politics in the 20th century, but also the entire story of Irish independence? As they launch back into the epic and tumultuous Irish War of Independence, Dominic and Tom are joined once again by historian Paul Rouse, to discuss one of the most important conflicts in the history of Britain.  The Rest Is History Club: Become a member for exclusive bonus content, early access to full series and live show tickets, ad-free listening, our exclusive newsletter, discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, and our members’ chatroom on Discord. Just head to therestishistory.com to sign up, or start a free trial today on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/therestishistory. For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett + Aaliyah Akude  Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From School of War at 2025-06-22 05:23:00

Ep 208: Mike Doran on America’s Strikes in Iran (NEBM3778416221.mp3?updated=1750566522)

Mike Doran, senior fellow and director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at the Hudson Institute, joins the show to break down America’s strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities and what might come next. ▪️ Times      •      01:00 Reactions     •      08:00 Deception     •      12:00 More to come       •      17:00 Self-deception     •      24:00 Next few days           •      31:00 Escalation     •      34:00 Not over     •      41:00 Trump is serious     •      44:00 Restraintists          Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

From The Week in Westminster at 2025-06-21 11:00:00

21/06/2025 (p0lkk0g4.mp3)

Caroline Wheeler of The Sunday Times assesses the latest developments at Westminster.

In the wake of a historic Commons vote in favour of a bill to legalise assisted dying, Caroline speaks to Labour MP Jake Richards, a supporter of the bill, and Liberal Democrat MP Munira Wilson, an opponent of it.

To discuss the ongoing crisis in the Middle East Caroline speaks to the Chairman of Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee, Lord Beamish, and the former Conservative Security Minister, Tom Tugendhat.

After the Government announced further delays to HS2, Caroline brings together the Chair of the Transport Select Committee, Ruth Cadbury MP, and the former Conservative Rail minister, Huw Merriman, to assess whether we can have confidence in future infrastructure projects.

And the former Cabinet Secretary, Sir Simon Case, shines a light on life at the heart of government in the week it was revealed he would soon take a seat in the House of Lords.

From More or Less: Behind the Stats at 2025-06-21 06:00:00

How to spot a suspicious statistic (p0lkhlch.mp3)

Untruths sneak into our lives in all kinds of ways. Sometimes they’re outright lies. Blatant misinformation.

But in this episode, we’re going to talk about something else - those sneaky numbers and claims that bounce around our society and that aren’t exactly false, but are leading you down the wrong path.

That’s the subject of a book called May Contain Lies by Alex Edmans, a professor of finance at London Business School.

Tim talks to Alex about the statistical claims that might not be wrong, but aren’t right either – and how to make sure you aren’t fooled by them yourself.

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

From Schneier on Security at 2025-06-20 22:04:03

Friday Squid Blogging: Gonate Squid Video

This is the first ever video of the Antarctic Gonate Squid.

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

From A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry at 2025-06-20 20:20:30

Collections: Nitpicking Gladiator’s Iconic Opening Battle, Part III

This week at long last we come to the clash of men and horses as we finish our three-part (I, II, III) look at the iconic opening battle scene from the film Gladiator (2000). Last time, we brought the sequence up through the infantry advance, observing that the tactics of the Roman arrow barrage and … Continue reading Collections: Nitpicking Gladiator’s Iconic Opening Battle, Part III →

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-06-20 20:04:22

Record DDoS pummels site with once-unimaginable 7.3Tbps of junk traffic

Attacker rained down the equivalent of 9,300 full-length HD movies in just 45 seconds.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2025-06-20 17:00:00

771: Nothing Can Kill Doctor Who (cda8c83a-76bc-47b7-b259-fa11a58da8c6.mp3)

The second (and final?) season of the BBC/Disney+ collaboration era of “Doctor Who” is at an end, and so our crew of fans is here to pick up the pieces and ponder what went right and (unfortunately) what went wrong. Where does this franchise go from here?...

From School of War at 2025-06-20 15:30:00

Ep 207: Mark Dubowitz on the Israel-Iran War and American Intervention (NEBM8964173705.mp3?updated=1750430180)

Mark Dubowitz, CEO of FDD, joins the show to bring us up to speed on the Israel-Iran conflict, and the possibility of America’s intervention. ▪️ Times      •      01:00 Achievements     •      05:00 Retaliation       •      09:00 Hard math       •      16:00 Intervention     •      24:00 Outcomes           •      30:00 Ground operations     •      32:00 Another Iraq?           •      38:00 Resolve and stability      •      42:00 “Iraq Syndrome”          Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

From Schneier on Security at 2025-06-20 12:00:43

Surveillance in the US

Good article from 404 Media on the cozy surveillance relationship between local Oregon police and ICE:

In the email thread, crime analysts from several local police departments and the FBI introduced themselves to each other and made lists of surveillance tools and tactics they have access to and felt comfortable using, and in some cases offered to perform surveillance for their colleagues in other departments. The thread also includes a member of ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and members of Oregon’s State Police. In the thread, called the “Southern Oregon Analyst Group,” some members talked about making fake social media profiles to surveil people, and others discussed being excited to learn and try new surveillance techniques. The emails show both the wide array of surveillance tools that are available to even small police departments in the United States and also shows informal collaboration between local police departments and federal agencies, when ordinarily agencies like ICE are expected to follow their own legal processes for carrying out the surveillance...

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-06-19 15:40:45

Israel-tied Predatory Sparrow hackers are waging cyberwar on Iran’s financial system

The hacker group has destroyed more than $90 million held at an Iranian crypto exchange.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-06-19 12:06:52

Self-Driving Car Video Footage

Two articles crossed my path recently. First, a discussion of all the video Waymo has from outside its cars: in this case related to the LA protests. Second, a discussion of all the video Tesla has from inside its cars.

Lots of things are collecting lots of video of lots of other things. How and under what rules that video is used and reused will be a continuing source of debate.

From In Our Time: History at 2025-06-19 10:15:00

Paul von Hindenburg (p0lcbq9q.mp3)

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the life and role of one of the most significant figures in early 20th Century German history. Paul von Hindenburg (1847-1934) had been famous since 1914 as the victorious commander at the Battle of Tannenberg against Russian invaders, soon burnishing this fame on the Western Front and Hindenburg was to claim he would have won there too, if enemies at home had not 'stabbed Germany in the back'. He won Germany’s Presidential election twice during the Weimar Republic, as a candidate of national unity and, while he gained his second term as a ‘stop Hitler’ candidate, President Hindenburg was to appoint Hitler as Chancellor and transfer some of his charisma onto him – a move so disastrous that Germans were later to ask if the myth of Hindenburg had always been an illusion.

With

Anna von der Goltz Professor of History at Georgetown University, Washington DC

Chris Clark Regius Professor of History at the University of Cambridge

And

Colin Storer Associate Professor in Modern European History at the University of Warwick

Producer: Simon Tillotson

Reading list:

William J. Astore and Dennis E. Showalter, Hindenburg: Icon of German Militarism (Potomac Books, 2005)

Benjamin Carter Hett, The Death of Democracy: Hitler's Rise to Power (William Heinemann, 2018) Andreas Dorpalen, Hindenburg and the Weimar Republic (first published 1964; Princeton University Press, 2016)

Jürgen W. Falter, 'The Two Hindenburg Elections of 1925 and 1932: A Total Reversal of Voter Coalitions' (Central European History, 32/2, 1990)

Peter Fritzsche, 'Presidential Victory and Popular Festivity in Weimar Germany: Hindenburg's 1925 Election' (Central European History, 32/2, 1990) Larry Eugene Jones, Hitler Versus Hindenburg: The 1932 Presidential Elections and the End of the Weimar Republic (Cambridge University Press, 2016) Martin Kitchen, The Silent Dictatorship: The Politics of the German High Command under Hindenburg and Ludendorff, 1916-1918 (first published 1976; Routledge, 2021) John Lee, The Warlords: Hindenburg and Ludendorff (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2005) Frank McDonough, The Weimar Years: Rise and Fall, 1918-1933 (Apollo, 2023) Nadine Rossol and Benjamin Ziemann (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of the Weimar Republic (Oxford University Press, 2022)

Richard Scully, 'Hindenburg: The Cartoon Titan of the Weimar Republic, 1918-1934' (German Studies Review, 35/3, 2012)

Colin Storer, A Short History of the Weimar Republic (Revised Edition, Bloomsbury, 2024)

Anna von der Goltz, Hindenburg: Power, Myth and the Rise of the Nazis (Oxford University Press, 2009) Alexander Watson, Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary at War, 1914-1918 (Penguin, 2015)

J. W. Wheeler-Bennett, Hindenburg: The Wooden Titan (first published 1936; Macmillan, 1967)

In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio Production

From Strong Message Here at 2025-06-19 09:45:00

Delivering for Ordinary People (with Marina Hyde) (p0lk2mvn.mp3)

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci decodes the utterly baffling world of political language.

This week, Helen Lewis is still away, so Journalist Marina Hyde steps in to join Armando. They discuss what an ordinary person might be, and examine if politicians use them as cover? Why is it always that things 'ordinary people' are saying 'on the doorstep' just so happen to be the exact things they wanted to do anyway?

We also look at delivery in politics. Do we believe politicians when they say they'll deliver? And do we reward them fairly when they do?

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

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

Sound Editing by Chris Maclean Production Coordinator - Sarah Nicholls Executive Producer - Pete Strauss

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

From The Briefing Room at 2025-06-19 08:00:00

Explainer: Tensions over Kashmir (p0lhm5f4.mp3)

Following a deadly terrorist attack in Indian administered Kashmir in April a short military conflict broke out between India and Pakistan. For a brief history of the tensions over Kashmir Caroline Bayley spoke to former BBC India correspondent, Andrew Whitehead, who’s an expert on Kashmir and its history and author of “A mission in Kashmir”. This is part of a new mini-series called The Briefing Room Explainers. They’re short versions of previous episodes of the Briefing Room. Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producer: Caroline Bayley Editor: Richard Vadon

From The Rest Is History at 2025-06-19 05:23:00

575. The Medici: The Bonfire of the Vanities (Part 4) (GLT2280694489.mp3?updated=1750307315)

Following the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent, who was his Medici successor? Could he overcome the political turmoil and religious fervour in Florence, and rebuff the storm clouds of war gathering over his city with the approaching French army? How did this burgeoning catastrophe catapult the magnetic priest, Savonalrolla, to supreme power in Florence? Could he save it from the jaws of death with his fiercely puritanical regime? And, how would he become the bane of the Medici and destroy all they had ever built, in a roaring bonfire of worldly vanities? Join Dominic and Tom for the climactic apotheosis of their glittering, dramatic, salacious and utterly bombastic journey through the rise and fall of the flamboyant Medici at the high point of Renaissance Florence, and the charismatic priest who would save and then conquer their kingdom. What would be his fate…? The Rest Is History Club: Become a member for exclusive bonus content, early access to full series and live show tickets, ad-free listening, our exclusive newsletter, discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, and our members’ chatroom on Discord. Just head to therestishistory.com to sign up, or start a free trial today on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/therestishistory. For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett + Aaliyah Akude Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From The Rest Is History at 2025-06-19 00:05:00

575. The Medici: The Bonfire of the Vanities (Part 4) (GLT3050774327.mp3?updated=1750266485)

Following the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent, who was his Medici successor? Could he overcome the political turmoil and religious fervour in Florence, and rebuff the storm clouds of war gathering over his city with the approaching French army? How did this burgeoning catastrophe catapult the magnetic priest, Savonalrolla, to supreme power in Florence? Could he save it from the jaws of death with his fiercely puritanical regime? And, how would he become the bane of the Medici and destroy all they had ever built, in a roaring bonfire of worldly vanities? Join Dominic and Tom for the climactic apotheosis of their glittering, dramatic, salacious and utterly bombastic journey through the rise and fall of the flamboyant Medici at the high point of Renaissance Florence, and the charismatic priest who would save and then conquer their kingdom. What would be his fate…? The Rest Is History Club: Become a member for exclusive bonus content, early access to full series and live show tickets, ad-free listening, our exclusive newsletter, discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, and our members’ chatroom on Discord. Just head to therestishistory.com to sign up, or start a free trial today on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/therestishistory. For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett + Aaliyah Akude Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-06-18 22:10:45

Tech support scammers inject malicious phone numbers into big-name websites

Microsoft, Apple, Bank of America, and many more sites all targeted.

From The Media Show at 2025-06-18 17:25:00

Reporting on the Israel Iran conflict, influencers on the radio, Reddit at 20, Grenfell Uncovered documentary (p0lk19fd.mp3)

Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins on some of the week's biggest media stories: How are journalists reporting on the Israel Iran conflict in the UK and around the world? We talk to Shaina Oppenheimer from BBC Monitoring and Shashank Joshi Defence Editor at the Economist. The traditional pipeline of journalists moving into radio and television presentation is increasingly being replaced by the new social media influencers. Caroline Frost Columnist at the Radio Times and Sarah Carson Chief Culture Writer and Contributing Editor at the i paper discuss the trend and Laura Nestler from Reddit on how the platform, which celebrates its twentieth anniversary this year, has become the fastest growing social media outlet in the UK.

Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai

From Schneier on Security at 2025-06-18 15:37:27

Ghostwriting Scam

The variations seem to be endless. Here’s a fake ghostwriting scam that seems to be making boatloads of money.

This is a big story about scams being run from Texas and Pakistan estimated to run into tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars, viciously defrauding Americans with false hopes of publishing bestseller books (a scam you’d not think many people would fall for but is surprisingly huge). In January, three people were charged with defrauding elderly authors across the United States of almost $44 million ­by “convincing the victims that publishers and filmmakers wanted to turn their books into blockbusters.”...

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-06-18 12:15:46

Scientists once hoarded pre-nuclear steel, and now we’re hoarding pre-AI content

Newly-announced catalog collects pre-2022 sources untouched by ChatGPT and AI contamination.

From More or Less: Behind the Stats at 2025-06-18 09:00:00

Are 4% of young women in the UK on OnlyFans? (p0ljtfcw.mp3)

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

We debunk a false claim that the hotel bill for immigrants is the size of the tax bill for Manchester.

An article in the Spectator claimed that 4% of women aged between 18 and 34 in the UK are OnlyFans creators. We track down the source and discover that it is not very good.

Do people in Scotland use much more water than people in Yorkshire? If so, why?

And we examine a popular claim that today’s working mothers spend more time with their children than your stereotypical 1950s housewife did.

Make sure you get in touch if you’ve seen a number you think Tim and the team should take a look at. The email is moreorless@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Tim Harford Reporter: Josephine Casserly Producers: Nicholas Barrett, Lizzy McNeill and David Verry Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound mix: James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-06-17 22:33:01

Cybersecurity takes a big hit in new Trump executive order

Provisions on secure software, quantum–resistant crypto, and more are scrapped.

From The Django weblog at 2025-06-17 18:09:45

DSF member of the month - Elena Williams

For June 2025, we welcome Elena Williams as our DSF member of the month! ⭐

Elena is a dedicated member of the Django community. She is part of the Code of Conduct Working Group and she is a Django Girls organizer in Australia. She has been a DSF member since July 2014.
You can learn more about Elena by visiting Elena's website and her GitHub Profile.

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

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

My background is that I was always interested in computers, though my parents were more creative types, my Dad was an Architect (of built structures). When I was a kid we had computers for CAD around the house before it was common. I was always into STEM subjects, but unfortunately in that era for girls to do engineering it was a bit too hostile for me, so I trained in finance instead and worked in that industry (finance and banking, MNE orgs) for nearly a decade. I kept coming back to coding and was always building computers, and was obsessed with the internet as a technology from pretty early on. Just after I discovered Django I did a Masters in Computing at ANU. To this day my main hobbies are programming/webdev (very much a person who codes for fun) and the open source community. My persistent other hobbies are hackspace activities, I like CNC and laser stuff, but will pick up any and all tools/mediums and give them a go, lately been spending time with blender and cabinetry. When I can, I like to get away to snowboard or kitesurf, and this wild Australian long distance endurance navigation sport called rogaining. Really at the moment I’m mostly focussed on being a parent (which is an awesome experience), my friends (mostly python related), my job and working on the community here in Australia. With my family we go camping/hiking more than most. I’ve also continued to be a sessional academic at ANU teaching software engineering for many years.

How did you start using Django?

Golly, I’ve been using Django forever. I’d started doing web stuff in the early ‘00s and worked in a range of languages and paradigms. I was working in a physics research institute at a high profile university in Australia doing web stuff and made friends with a bunch of the doctoral students. In around 2007, one of these students, and my good mate, Dave, randomly recommended this new framework Django and Python (and emacs also actually but that’s a different story). Basically I got into it immediately and never looked back and went on to build a career around Django (actually Dave later gave up physics and did the same thing too). I’ve been engaged with the Python and Django communities to varying degrees since about 2011 as well. To be honest when I discovered the language and the framework I really didn’t expect to still be passionate about them all these years later but I really am! Hopefully I can continue to be well into the future also.

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

Over the years (being a curious person) I’ve worked with many many web frameworks and technologies, the vast majority of the big ones. In recent years I’ve been spending time with FastAPI and SQLAlchemy as well as non-python technologies. Django is better though.

Not using Django as much at the moment makes me love it even more and realise how lucky we are with such a well designed and well supported framework. It’s not perfect but it’s outstanding.

Having said that: at a technical level I’d love to have “cheaper” ways (in every sense) to deploy. Even though deployment methods have changed beyond recognition several times over the years, I always thought this would get easier over time and am kind of surprised that it hasn’t.

Very specific to me is that I need Django to have stronger support for many database schemas in the same project, but honestly this is just a specific problem I have inherited in a project at the moment, but it’ll pass eventually.

What projects are you working on now?

Over the last few years I’ve helped organise a number of events, including PyConAU, though realised I’d been taking on too many projects and trying to pull back actually! Still: Internationally I’m on DSF CoC with a great team. Nationally this year I’ve been serving on the committee of our main Australian open source foundation body, Linux Australia, as well as working in a small team trying to bring together all of the Australian python user groups under a banner we hope to call Python Australia and I’ve had a keen interest in python user groups around the world. In my home town I’ve been organising our local user groups for some time with an awesome team, as well as our fantastic local PyLadies.

For work I’m flat-chat working in a senior role on a Platform team in a small data company that provides “critical digital infrastructure” for Australia. Though my most important project of all at the moment really is my family, and I do really prioritise my friends and being healthy nowadays. I’m an avid hackerspace person and do have a couple of purportedly active projects (I’m obsessed with maps among other things) but these are relatively neglected at the moment as I just don’t have the bandwidth.

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

I just love the ORM. We’re so spoiled in the Django community we don’t realise how mature and feature-rich the ORM is. Maybe I’m biased because I’ve been using it for so long I just “think” in Django ORM and I’ve been working away from it lately. It’s such a (comparative) pleasure to use. You can nit-pick at it but compared to anything else it’s so beautifully thought through.

The admin was the Django “killer app” in 2008 and I’d argue still is in 2025. To be some dozens of seconds away from a custom CMS backend at any time is still magical. Pony magical. It’s still as impressive as ever to show off to people. Also in the same way that Guido says python makes a great calculator: Django makes a great quick tool for really fast data munging, can’t describe how liberating it feels using it for this purpose.

Writing tests in Django is under-rated too.

There are so many amazing 3rd party libraries, too many to mention. For shout-outs I don’t think I have any projects without Debug Toolbar. The 3rd party caching libraries Memcache and Redis are both great. I’m also usually happy when I turn on Celery, and excited to see DEP-0014 on its way. Danny and Audrey’s Django Cookiecutter project is a great reference even if you don’t take the whole enchilada.

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

I’ve been lucky to generally have had a pretty great time with Django. Generally I’ve used it for projects where it was a really good fit and so it wasn’t painful. As such I like weird little quirky things about Django. Haters-can-hate but I actually really like a bunch of this controversial stuff, for example I like settings.py as a pattern for projects that aren’t out of control; I enjoy using and customising the management commands framework; I think Meta class as an approach to that type of awkward problem is neat; I’ve generally had a pretty nice time with the template language; I dig into utils and reuse them probably more often than most; ORM and the Tests obviously (it’s trivial to plugin pytest of course). Everything is a trade-off in software engineering and while I’m very biased: I just like the trade-offs that Django has chosen, they’re some of the best-in-class.

The top 3 things though? This is tough. I just like it. To nail down actual answers though:

• the framework workflow overall;
• that the project has stayed so consistently high quality and battle-hardened for so many years;
• and the community and my friends (shout out sp-wg)

I know you have start Django with one of the first version, what do you think of the evolution of the framework?

This is a great question! Thanks for being interested in this history, the Django history is a nice story of having good values and persisting and this actually being successful over the long run.

For me there’s all the “back in my day” stuff that’s not obvious now, like Python not being taken seriously as a “real” programming language, let alone javascript, but now those tides have very much turned, and web development is considered extremely respectable and high profile, which was unimaginable when I started. Django started in Web1.0 (whatever that meant), and actually grew substantially during Web2.0 and now even in the modern Web3 era is kind of establishing itself into being part of the backbone of the large parts of the internet that aren’t obvious. Thibaud has a list he maintains of websites that he believes use Django, this is great if you haven’t seen it.

One of the most impressive parts of the evolution has been how decisions have been made and implemented. In normal “work” you just have to make things as fast as possible and endlessly add features consequences-be-damned. Open source gets to be fundamentally the opposite. Traditionally one of the defining characteristics of Open Source is that “time is no object”. That is good design and implementation can be allowed the time to breathe and be excessively thought through. There is no rush or deadline. While there’s always conflict and drama I think there has been less so in Django than in most other projects as design decisions have been painstakingly threshed out and perfected in mailing lists, tickets, DEPs and forums over the months and years it takes to make them. The people inside see the drama but we’re in the news almost never compared to most projects in the same space. The point is that hypothetically it’s possible to try to make the best possible design decisions. In practice most projects don’t do this, but I think Django has demonstrated exemplary maturity in trying to pursue this ideal, and is regularly recognised for it.

The original founding team deserve full credit for instilling this culture and each successive group of stewards deserve credit for preserving it.

There have (and always will be) missteps. For example CBVs are such an obviously good idea on paper, but in practice people don’t think so. On the other hand Andrew Godwin’s implementation of migrations back in the day, that was completely re-writing South from scratch, was truly lovely, even though it was a battle to get to the point of having migrations at all. There’s the history around the db module, which pretty much everyone was too scared to touch after Malcolm died until there were some impressive breakthroughs in it during the “under the hood” sessions not long after DjangoGirls people started coming on board.

Django consciously has decided to be extremely considered in its adoption of change and this has been a great thing. Other frameworks have generally been more cavalier, while Django has been steady, careful and reliable. The other full-feature frameworks are kind of in decline, or have hurt themselves by too-much-change-too-fast, while Django has steadily slowly grown and is the trusty go-to tool for a certain kind of job.

Now moving forward I see focus on the very subtle things that make the framework nicer to use and understand, On just making the core capabilities better and more reliable and performant, and only very very carefully adding features.

In an age where so much quality degradation is occurring, it inspires hope that projects like Django can persist as beacons of high quality, held together by a small group and big community of thoughtful, caring individuals. Hopefully this is something we can continue for a long time into the future also!

You are part of the Code of Conduct working group, how is it to work with the working group? Do you have space available for new members? What does it require according to you?

Code of Conduct WGs are slightly niche and exposed to a certain kind of work and responsibility. Not to mention that respecting many sensitives and view-points is necessary. It also means having the guts to tell people “that’s not how it’s done here” when it needs to be said. Personally it’s a kind of work I’ve grown to be passionate about. I truly believe having a great culture is at the core of community (and really anything good) and can be a complex balancing act of competing factors and emotions. It’s certainly not the kind of thing everyone is into, but if you are, the WG is looking for more diversity, if nothing else it’s tending slightly older at the moment.

Having said that: Within all of the open source communities from local to international levels there’s always space for people who are willing to turn up and help!

Join your local community! Find the parts of community that “speak” to you. Maybe it’s starting a meetup, helping your local conference, running a DjangoGirls. Maybe it’s something engineer-related like finally adding something to an open source library that you’re into, adding some beginner docs somewhere, or engaging with Djangonaut Space. Maybe it’s something online like helping out in forum.djangoproject.com, Reddit or Discord.

As organisers we have this cheat code for finding new people to invite to help more, it’s called “looking for chair-stackers”, that is people who engage to help in the little ways, such as helping stack chairs at the end of an event or generally pack down, wipe up, carry boxes or put things away. Or online: people who go out of their way to try to understand and chip in to manage extra rules, or answer the unanswered thing that’s been sitting there for a while. Or people who just ask “can I help out with that?” when the organisers seem tired or stressed out. Having people around who help in these ways has huge value and has been the beginning of many people being involved in communities and making life-long friends and connections.

Now more than ever though, it’s so important to connect to your community. We are stronger, better and healthier when we are connected to and relied on by other people and we have others we can share our experiences with.

Particularly us computer people tend not to be as good with connecting with other people, but everyone should find their way to get out and connect! It’s sometimes hard but it’s always better.

You have organized many DjangoGirls in Australia, how did you start? Do you have any advice for someone who would like to organize a DjangoGirls event?

In 2014 I was living in Perth, Australia, where Russell Keith Magee is based and we had a budding Python/Django User Group. At one of the meetings news emerged about how Ola and Ola were running this thing called “DjangoGirls” at EuroPython in a few weeks. PyConAU was scheduled a couple of weeks after this. I was like, that’s a great idea, I can absolutely have a go at doing that and emailed them immediately asking if I could copy their materials and plan. We pulled it together with an amazing bunch of people and I think this was technically the 2nd DjangoGirls event ever. In the following years I’ve been involved in many more, including the first North American DjangoGirls. From our Perth series of events a successful organisation was spun off called SheCodes.

In the more-than-a-decade since then the world has changed so much! Particularly in the tech world. I would say specifically for DjangoGirls events, they are very region specific. My first advice for organising an event in your region is to see if there’s been one previously and reach out to the event organisers, or at least the nearest organisers – I think these days there are few places on earth that haven’t had a DjangoGirls event nearish-by. The resources on the website are actually great for getting going and the international DjangoGirls team are lovely, but also always looking for more help.

Where I live now, back in the capital, Canberra, we are very well supported for education services. We held a DjangoGirls event a couple of years ago, but for the attendees what emerged was that what we really wanted was just to connect with other technical women.

Now what has been very successful for us is an ongoing PyLadies/Women’s Software group who meet up regularly and talk about things that matter to our experience. We use the “lean-coffee” model and it’s been unexpectedly functional. This has been one of the best groups I’ve ever been in with a range of technical women regularly sharing our weird and statistically unusual experiences together, it feeds the soul, and is strongly recommended if you don’t participate in a group like this already.

Is there anything else you’d like to say?

A final shout out to the original leaders of the Django community, for me personally Russell, Jeff, Jacob, Andrew and Baptiste in particular, but everyone who has persisted over the years in just turning up over the long haul and keeping our part of the world as beautiful as can be. My friends Dave, Matt and Jonah. Thibaud is a great president right now. Rarely is there a dedicated Django person who is not absolutely delightful and I feel both proud and honoured to be part of this community. A big thank you to everyone (especially you Sarah! And all the Sarahs, Natalias, Lillys and Olas) who help to make Django what it is.

Thank you for doing the interview, Elena !

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-06-17 17:26:28

OpenAI weighs “nuclear option” of antitrust complaint against Microsoft

WSJ report says OpenAI mulling federal complaint as Microsoft stalls restructuring plan.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-06-17 12:08:33

Where AI Provides Value

If you’ve worried that AI might take your job, deprive you of your livelihood, or maybe even replace your role in society, it probably feels good to see the latest AI tools fail spectacularly. If AI recommends glue as a pizza topping, then you’re safe for another day.

But the fact remains that AI already has definite advantages over even the most skilled humans, and knowing where these advantages arise—and where they don’t—will be key to adapting to the AI-infused workforce.

AI will often not be as effective as a human doing the same job. It won’t always know more or be more accurate. And it definitely won’t always be fairer or more reliable. But it may still be used whenever it has an advantage over humans in one of four dimensions: speed, scale, scope and sophistication. Understanding these dimensions is the key to understanding AI-human replacement...

From School of War at 2025-06-17 10:39:00

Ep 206: Cleo Paskal on China’s Central Pacific Strategy (NEBM9613951751.mp3?updated=1750123393)

Cleo Paskal, non-resident senior fellow at FDD and author of Crossroads of Competition, joins the show to discuss China’s campaign for influence and control at the scene of America’s bloody island-hopping campaign in WW2. ▪️ Times      •      01:35 Introduction     •      04:03 Pacific desert        •      07:45 Control       •      13:48 Post 1945     •      22:43 Significance           •      24:31 Yap     •      29:43 Divisions           •      32:18 Diplomatic maintenance     •      35:54 Designs     •      41:30 Strategic concerns            Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

From GoodFellows: Conversations from the Hoover Institution at 2025-06-17 00:08:16

“That’s Not Gonna Happen:” Israel Aims to Destroy Iran’s Nuclear Program (GoodFellows_2025-06-16_-_Israel_Iran_wip03_podcast_8mcyw.mp3)

Israel launches air attacks intended to destroy Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, Iran retaliates with missile strikes on Israeli cities, and the world waits to see what comes next – a return to the status quo, neighboring countries drawn into the conflict, or an end to the Iranian theocracy? GoodFellows regulars and Hoover senior fellows Sir Niall Ferguson and former White House national security advisor Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster discuss whether the Israeli goal of ending Iran’s nuclear ambitions is possible without U.S. assistance, how President Trump might respond if asked to directly engage, if the conflict will expand beyond the present bilateral exchanges, plus the outcome of regime change in a culturally diverse Iran (a peaceful transition or Libya 2.0?). After that: in honor of the 250th birthday of the United States Army, H.R. shares the thoughts of a fellow American general tasked with winning a war for liberty.

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-06-16 21:15:18

Vandals cut fiber-optic lines, causing outage for Spectrum Internet subscribers

The soaring price of copper makes networks tempting targets for thieves.

From The Rest Is History at 2025-06-16 00:05:00

574. The Medici: Curse of the Mad Monk (Part 3) (GLT6193985064.mp3?updated=1749632351)

Did Lorenzo de’Medici’s rule in Florence incur prosperity, or was it a corrupt and autocratic regime, rife with torture, that would spell the doom of the former Republic? While building an edifice of power, wealth and luxury, how was he secretly bankrupting his famous family and city? Was he really the perfect Renaissance Prince, and how did he launch the careers of both Michaelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci? And, with poverty and riots on the streets of Florence, who was Girolamo Savonarola, the Dominican priest bent on destroying Lorenzo and his family, while predicting the apocalyptic end of the world…? Join Dominic and Tom as they chart the rise and fall of Lorenzo the Magnificent, the ruin of Florence, and the hellfire and brimstone priest, destined to set the world on fire.   The Rest Is History Club: Become a member for exclusive bonus content, early access to full series and live show tickets, ad-free listening, our exclusive newsletter, discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, and our members’ chatroom on Discord. Just head to therestishistory.com to sign up, or start a free trial today on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/therestishistory. For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett + Aaliyah Akude  Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Schneier on Security at 2025-06-15 02:07:56

Upcoming Speaking Engagements

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

• I’m speaking at the International Conference on Digital Trust, AI and the Future in Edinburgh, Scotland on Tuesday, June 24 at 4:00 PM.

The list is maintained on this page.

From The Week in Westminster at 2025-06-14 11:02:00

14/06/2025 (p0lj5xhv.mp3)

Pippa Crerar of The Guardian assesses the latest developments at Westminster.

Pippa takes a closer look at Chancellor Rachel Reeves' Spending Review with the former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Conservative MP John Glen and Labour’s Dame Siobhain McDonagh, who sits on the Treasury Select Committee.

How to prepare for an ageing society is the subject of an inquiry by the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee and Pippa discusses this with Labour peer, Stewart Wood, who chairs the committee and Daily Telegraph columnist Annabel Denham.

Pippa interviews the Big Issue founder and crossbench peer, John Bird about the scrapping of the 200-year-old Vagrancy Act which will decriminalise rough sleeping in England and Wales.

And, following the government's u-turn on winter fuel this week, David Gauke who was a Treasury minister at the time of what became known as the omnishambles budget under George Osborne and former BBC presenter Carolyn Quinn discuss famous political u-turns.

From More or Less: Behind the Stats at 2025-06-14 06:00:00

Could you be hit by a falling satellite? (p0lj4xsl.mp3)

The number of satellites orbiting our planet has been rapidly increasing in recent years. But what are the risks when they start falling back down to earth?

The European Space agency estimate that by 2030 there will be 100,000 satellites in orbit. We look at whether that estimate is realistic and what it means for those of us living on the ground below, with the help of Jonathan McDowell and Fionagh Thomson. Presenter: Tim Harford Producer: Lizzy McNeill Series Producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Editor: Richard Vadon Studio Manager: James Beard

From Schneier on Security at 2025-06-13 22:02:40

Friday Squid Blogging: Stubby Squid

Video of the stubby squid (Rossia pacifica) from offshore Vancouver Island.

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

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2025-06-13 19:40:22

770: At the Time It Was Written (8e1e323a-89a2-4769-927c-7727537806c1.mp3)

We conclude (for now?) our coverage of the TV adaptation of The Wheel of Time, which was just canceled by Amazon. Three seasons in, we cover whether we think it is still worth watching despite cancellation (we do) and how well the show’s third (and final?) season fulfills the promise of it coming into its power....

From A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry at 2025-06-13 16:42:05

Collections: Nitpicking Gladiator’s Iconic Opening Battle, Part II

This week we’re continuing our three-part (I) look at one of film’s most famous Roman battle sequences, the iconic opening battle from Gladiator (2000). I had planned this to be in two parts, but even though this sequence is relatively short, it provides an awful lot to talk about. As noted last week, this iconic … Continue reading Collections: Nitpicking Gladiator’s Iconic Opening Battle, Part II →

From School of War at 2025-06-13 15:00:00

Ep 205: Mark Dubowitz on Israel’s Unfolding Campaign in Iran (NEBM9212381325.mp3?updated=1749823558)

Mark Dubowitz, CEO of FDD, joins the show to breakdown last night’s spectacular Israeli strikes against the Iranian Regime and its nuclear program, and what comes next. ▪️ Times      •      02:00 Deception     •      06:00 Targets        •      09:00 The Scientists       •      11:00 Complacency     •      14:00 Israeli goals           •      19:00 Regime change     •      23:00 Strikes and talks           •      29:00 Drones     •      31:00 Counterpunch?          Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

From Schneier on Security at 2025-06-13 11:17:42

Paragon Spyware Used to Spy on European Journalists

Paragon is an Israeli spyware company, increasingly in the news (now that NSO Group seems to be waning). “Graphite” is the name of its product. Citizen Lab caught it spying on multiple European journalists with a zero-click iOS exploit:

On April 29, 2025, a select group of iOS users were notified by Apple that they were targeted with advanced spyware. Among the group were two journalists that consented for the technical analysis of their cases. The key findings from our forensic analysis of their devices are summarized below:

• Our analysis finds forensic evidence confirming with high confidence that both a prominent European journalist (who requests anonymity), and Italian journalist Ciro Pellegrino, were targeted with Paragon’s Graphite mercenary spyware. ...

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-06-12 21:26:28

Coming to Apple OSes: A seamless, secure way to import and export passkeys

Apple OSes will soon transfer passkeys seamlessly and securely across platforms.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-06-12 16:44:47

Airlines Secretly Selling Passenger Data to the Government

This is news:

A data broker owned by the country’s major airlines, including Delta, American Airlines, and United, collected U.S. travellers’ domestic flight records, sold access to them to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and then as part of the contract told CBP to not reveal where the data came from, according to internal CBP documents obtained by 404 Media. The data includes passenger names, their full flight itineraries, and financial details.

Another article.

From The Briefing Room at 2025-06-12 16:00:00

Explainer: Putin’s motivation for war with Ukraine (p0lh8jwq.mp3)

As the Ukraine war grinds on with little sign of Russian president, Vladimir Putin agreeing to a ceasefire we trace the evolution of his attitude towards Ukraine. David Aaronovitch spoke to Vitaly Shevchenko who is Russia editor for BBC Monitoring and co-presenter of the BBC’s Ukrainecast.

This is part of a new mini-series called the The Briefing Room Explainers. They’re short versions of previous episodes of the Briefing Room.

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producer: Caroline Bayley Editor: Richard Vadon

From Net Assessment at 2025-06-12 15:12:00

Understanding the Four-Day War between India and Pakistan (Net_Assessment_-_Episode_5_v1.mp3?dest-id=808287)

Chris, Melanie, and Zack discuss the recent short war between India and Pakistan. Christopher Clary’s first cut of history provides a careful reconstruction of the key events, made all the more difficult by misinformation and disinformation on both sides. But did either side “win”? What role, if any, did Trump administration officials play in negotiating the ceasefire, and what does their involvement portend for the future? How did new technology shape each side’s behavior in that conflict? And are crises between the two countries likely to escalate in severity in the coming years, or can they reach some accommodation? Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth earns a grievance for gutting the Pentagon’s operational testing office, but an atta for his strong performance at the Shangri-La Dialogue defense summit in Singapore. Attas to the Ukrainians for the audacious drone attack deep inside of Russia, to President Trump for repealing the supersonic air travel ban, and to the newly elected South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung. Grievances for the abysmal state of servicemembers’ housing, and to the Trump administration’s crackdown on foreign students wishing to attend U.S. universities.

Show Links:

• Christopher Clary, “Four Days in May: The India-Pakistan Crisis of 2025,” Stimson Center, May 28, 2025 https://www.stimson.org/2025/four-days-in-may-the-india-pakistan-crisis-of-2025/

• Asfandyar Mir, “India and Pakistan Enter a More Dangerous Era,” New York Times, May 9, 2025 https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/09/opinion/india-and-pakistan-enter-a-more-dangerous-era.html 

• “Five Key Concepts to Understand the India-Pakistan Crisis,” May 19, 2025, Stimson Center https://www.stimson.org/2025/five-key-concepts-to-understand-the-india-pakistan-crisis/ 

• Supporting Stimson: https://www.stimson.org/support/

• Dan Grazier, “Gutting military testing office may be the deadliest move yet,” Responsible Statecraft, June 4, 2025 https://responsiblestatecraft.org/dod-testing-cuts/

• Choe Sang-Hun, “He Survived a Knife to the Neck. Now He’ll Lead a Divided South Korea,” New York Times, June 3, 2025 https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/03/world/asia/lee-south-korea-new-president.html

• Donald Trump, post, Truth Social, April 22, 2025.

• Donald Trump, post, Truth Social, May 10, 2025.

• Executive Order, “Leading the World in Supersonic Flight,” White House, June 6, 2025.

• Sudhi, Ranjan Sen, Faseeh Mangi, Dan Strumpf, and Akyla Gardner, “Trump Truce Leaves India Furious, Pakistan Elated as Risks Loom,” Bloomberg, May 11, 2025.

• Diaa Hadid and Omkar Khandekar, “Vice President Vance Says India-Pakistan Fighting is ‘None of Our Business,’” National Public Radio, May 10, 2025.

• Timothy A. Walton and Thomas H. Shugart, Concrete Sky: Air Base Hardening in the Western Pacific, Hudson Institute, January 7, 2025.

• Rene Kladzyk, “Navy Secretary ‘Appalled’ by Barracks Conditions in Guam,” Project on Government Oversight, May 29, 2025. 

From Strong Message Here at 2025-06-12 09:45:00

I Regret Some of My Posts (with Sara Pascoe) (p0lhpjpr.mp3)

This week, Helen Lewis is still away, so comedian Sara Pascoe steps in to join Armando. They reminisce over their first meeting on the set of a classic episode of The Thick of It - which was also in a radio studio - and then go on to discuss politicians on both sides of the Atlantic having thunderous breakups, and then making up in record time. Musk regrets his posts about Trump, and Zia Yusuf returns to Reform, despite some in the party 'popping champagne' at his departure.

And we examine more politicians' linguistic tricks to find out what a racism row in Scotland and the U-turn on winter fuel payments have in common.

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

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

Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-King Production Coordinator - Sarah Nicholls Executive Producer - Pete Strauss

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

From The Ancients at 2025-06-12 03:00:00

The Kushan Empire (media.mp3?tk=eyJ0ayI6ImRlZmF1bHQiLCJhZHMiOnRydWUsInNwb25zIjp0cnVlLCJzdGF0dXMiOiJwdWJsaWMifQ==&sig=uDKkPaopp3JN1obQ6JsMxBsBj87d3SdffFP46Jom-co)

Embark on an epic journey with Tristan Hughes and acclaimed author William Dalrymple as they unravel the enigma of the Kushan Empire, the ancient superpower of Central Asia. Together they tell the riveting stories behind the Empire's rise in Bactria (modern-day Afghanistan), their astonishing spread into Northern India, and the profound impact of Indian religious traditions on their culture.

An unforgettable exploration of one of history's most fascinating yet overlooked empires.

MORE

The Origins of Buddhism

https://open.spotify.com/episode/52mGOQenJdnN8NvYDDYsti

Origins of the Silk Road

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5GBcXUsq6V54S2ywICDbM9

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 and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. 

You can take part in our listener survey here:

https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on

From The Rest Is History at 2025-06-12 00:05:00

573. The Medici: Lorenzo the Magnificent (Part 2) (GLT6599592252.mp3?updated=1749655445)

Who was Lorenzo the Magnificent, the most glamorous, glittering, and blood-soaked of all the Medici, who became his family’s formidable but compulsive “Godfather” from the age of only twenty one? What was the Pazzi Conspiracy, in which he was almost murdered in a bloody plot to eliminate Medici supremacy in Florence, in the middle of a church mass? Were the Medici the first Italian mafia? What influence did Lorenzo have upon the Renaissance? And, what would become of the Medici, with conspirators circling, the Papacy against them, and their bank coffers draining away?  Join Dominic and Tom as they dive into the colourful, salacious and politically tumultuous early life of one of Europe’s most charming and charismatic figures: Lorenzo the Magnificent. Could he remain Prince of Florence, and save his beloved city, against all the odds?  ⁠The Rest Is History Club⁠: Become a member for exclusive bonus content, early access to full series and live show tickets, ad-free listening, our exclusive newsletter, discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, and our members’ chatroom on Discord. Just head to ⁠therestishistory.com⁠ to sign up, or start a free trial today on Apple Podcasts: ⁠apple.co/therestishistory⁠. For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to ⁠www.goalhanger.com⁠ _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett + Aaliyah Akude  Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-06-11 19:58:22

Hollywood studios target AI image generator in copyright lawsuit

Multiple-studio complaint cites AI image outputs as evidence of "bottomless pit of plagiarism."

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-06-11 17:58:43

With the launch of o3-pro, let’s talk about what AI “reasoning” actually does

New studies reveal pattern-matching reality behind the AI industry's reasoning claims.

From The Media Show at 2025-06-11 17:20:00

Sir Martin Sorrell on AI & Advertising, Dan Snow History Hit, the ethics of working with a convicted criminal to tell a story (p0lhp2zn.mp3)

Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins with some of the biggest media stories of the week including Sir Martin Sorrell's take on the growth of Artificial Intelligence in the advertising world and how the industry is managing the change with Alex Dalman from the Advertising Association. Dan Snow talks about his History Hit podcast which is about to celebrate its tenth anniversary. Michael Bristow Asia/Pacific editor for the BBC World Service has the latest on cuts to Radio Free Asia's services and BBC investigative journalist Annabel Deas talks about her new podcast series exploring the world of people smuggling. What are the ethics of working with a convicted criminal to tell a story?

Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai.

From More or Less: Behind the Stats at 2025-06-11 09:00:00

How do you make something 10-times more lethal? (p0lhgsjh.mp3)

What does the government mean when it commits to developing a “10-times more lethal” army?

Why was the much-missed Sycamore Gap tree said to be worth a strikingly exact £622,191?

Are there really twice as many people teaching Yoga as there are in the fishing industry?

Is the number of workers per pensioner really falling from 4 to 3 to 2? And what did Donald Trump mean when he said the price of eggs had fallen by 400%?

Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news. If you want us to look at a number you think looks a bit suspicious, email the team - moreorless@bbc.co.uk

More or Less is produced in partnership with the Open University.

Presenter: Tim Harford Reporter: Lizzy McNeill Producer: Nicholas Barrett Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound mix: Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-06-10 20:00:34

Found in the wild: 2 Secure Boot exploits. Microsoft is patching only 1 of them.

The publicly available exploits provide a near-universal way to bypass key protections.

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-06-10 19:27:48

OpenAI signs surprise deal with Google Cloud despite fierce AI rivalry

Report: Deal marks shift from exclusive Microsoft partnership as AI compute needs soar.

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-06-10 17:38:56

After AI setbacks, Meta bets billions on undefined “superintelligence”

Zuckerberg seeks new AI direction under sci-fi banner that some experts say is arbitrary.

From School of War at 2025-06-10 10:39:00

Ep 204: Annie Jacobsen on Nuclear War (NEBM1993211398.mp3?updated=1749520698)

Annie Jacobsen, journalist and author of Nuclear War: A Scenario, joins the show to discuss nuclear weapons and their use. ▪️ Times      •      01:20 Introduction     •      02:50 Finding the music        •      07:02 Reporting      •      09:15 Hidden information     •      11:22 The scenario           •      13:50 Launch on warning     •      17:30 Villians           •      20:45 Annihilation         •      26:25 The Black Book      •      30:40 North Korea     •      34:03 Interception           •      37:42 ICBMs       •      43:39 Deterrence     •      49:29 Obama           •      52:50 Right to know       Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

From The Django weblog at 2025-06-10 09:06:32

Django bugfix releases issued: 5.2.3, 5.1.11, and 4.2.23

Following the June 4, 2025 security release, the Django team is issuing releases for Django 5.2.3, Django 5.1.11, and Django 4.2.23 to complete mitigation for CVE-2025-48432: Potential log injection via unescaped request path (full description).

These follow-up releases migrate remaining response logging paths to a safer logging implementation, ensuring that all untrusted input is properly escaped before being written to logs. This update does not introduce a new CVE but strengthens the original fix.

We encourage all users of Django to upgrade as soon as possible.

From The Django weblog at 2025-06-09 18:00:00

DSF calls for applicants for a Django Fellow

The Django Software Foundation is announcing a call for Django Fellow applications. A Django Fellow is a contractor, paid by the Django Software Foundation, who dedicates time to maintain the Django framework.

The Fellowship program was started in 2014 as a way to dedicate high-quality and consistent resources to the maintenance of Django. The Django Software Foundation currently supports two Fellows –Natalia Bidart and Sarah Boyce– and has approved funding for a new full-time Fellow. This position will be initially for a period of one year, but may be extended depending on fundraising levels.

Beyond keeping Django running, a fellow is a representative of Django itself. They embody the welcoming culture of Django and aid the community to progress the framework. Fellows are often called upon to speak at Django conferences and events.

They are also usually leading Django Sprints occurring in conferences or other setups. Hence a Django Fellow often engages in both informal and formal mentorship.

Responsibilities

Fellow duties include (but are not limited to):

• Monitoring security reports and ensuring security issues are acknowledged and responded to promptly
• Fixing release blockers and helping to backport fixes to these and security issues
• Ensure timely releases including being a release manager for a new version of Django
• Triaging tickets on Trac
• Reviewing and merging pull requests
• Answering contributor questions on the Forum
• Helping new Django contributors land patches and learn our philosophy

Requirements

A Django fellow reviews a very large amount of Django contributions. This requires knowledge in every aspect of web development that the Django framework touches. This turns out to be an intimidatingly-large list of technical topics, many of which are listed below. It’s not our expectation that you come into the job knowing everything on this list! We hope you’ll have solid experience in a few of these topics, particularly some of the “core” technologies important to Django (Python, relational databases, HTTP). But we fully expect that you’ll learn most of this on the job. A willingness to learn, and a demonstrated history of doing so, is more important than comprehensive knowledge.

The technical topics you can expect to work on includes (and is not limited to):

• SQL and Databases: SQLite, MySQL, Postgres, Oracle
• Technical Documentation
• Javascript
• CSS
• Semantic HTML
• Accessibility
• UI/UX design (Web and CLI)
• Python async
• Python features (and versions), compatibility matrix, etc.
• Everything around HTTP
• Security best practices

There are also:

• Complex processes which need adhering to
• Multiple discussions which need opinions and direction
• Requirements for both formal and informal mentorship

And required professional skills such as:

• Conflict resolution
• Time management and prioritization expertise
• Ability to focus in short periods of time and do substantial context switches
• Self-awareness to recognize their own limits and reach out for help
• Relationship-building and coordination with Django teams, working groups, and potentially external parties.
• Tenacity, patience, compassion and empathy are essential

Therefore a Django Fellow requires the skills and knowledge of a senior generalist engineer with extensive experience in Python and Django. Open source experience, especially in contributing to Django, is a big plus.

Being a Django contributor isn't a prerequisite for this position — we can help get you up to speed. We'll consider applications from anyone with a proven history of working with either the Django community or another similar open-source community. While no geographical location is required, we have a slight preference for timezones between around -8 and +3 UTC to allow for better working hours to overlap the current fellows.

If you're interested in applying for the position, please email us at fellowship-committee@djangoproject.com describing why you would be a good fit along with details of your relevant experience and community involvement. Lastly, please include at least one recommendation.

The current hourly rate for a fellow is $82.26 USD.

Applicants will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Details of Django and/or other open-source contributions
• Details of community support in general
• Understanding of the position
• Clarity, formality, and precision of communications
• Strength of recommendation(s)

Applications will be open until midnight AoE, 1 July, 2025, with the expectation that the successful candidate will start around August 1, 2025.

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-06-09 16:36:15

FAA to retire floppy disks and Windows 95 amid air traffic control overhaul

Agency seeks contractors to modernize decades-old systems within four years.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-06-09 11:54:19

New Way to Track Covertly Android Users

Researchers have discovered a new way to covertly track Android users. Both Meta and Yandex were using it, but have suddenly stopped now that they have been caught.

The details are interesting, and worth reading in detail:

>Tracking code that Meta and Russia-based Yandex embed into millions of websites is de-anonymizing visitors by abusing legitimate Internet protocols, causing Chrome and other browsers to surreptitiously send unique identifiers to native apps installed on a device, researchers have discovered. Google says it’s investigating the abuse, which allows Meta and Yandex to convert ephemeral web identifiers into persistent mobile app user identities...

From The Rest Is History at 2025-06-09 00:05:00

572. The Medici: Masters of Florence (Part 1) (GLT1413065864.mp3?updated=1749052325)

What are the origins of one of history’s most glittering, and for a time, most powerful families in Europe; the Medici? How were they able to seize supreme power in the Republic of Florence , one of the most dazzling cities in the world, during the 15th century, at the height of the Renaissance? When did Florence’s explosive growth begin, and how? Who was Cosimo Medici, the Godfather of the family, who through cunning, blood, betrayal and sheer will, pulled his family to the forefront of Florentine politics?  Join Dominic and Tom for the first episode of their new series on one of history’s most glamorous, most colourful, most devious, and frequently most dastardly families in history - the Medici - and their rise to the highest echelons of wealth and power in Renaissance Europe.  The Rest Is History Club: Become a member for exclusive bonus content, early access to full series and live show tickets, ad-free listening, our exclusive newsletter, discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, and our members’ chatroom on Discord. Just head to therestishistory.com to sign up, or start a free trial today on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/therestishistory. For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett + Aaliyah Akude  Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From The Ancients at 2025-06-08 03:00:00

Rise of the Minoans (media.mp3?tk=eyJ0ayI6ImRlZmF1bHQiLCJhZHMiOnRydWUsInNwb25zIjp0cnVlLCJzdGF0dXMiOiJwdWJsaWMifQ==&sig=lEuGaTIJur_R_KwIdfNvjWiuCd5gW3bR86nM6lsKjME)

Tristan Hughes journeys into the heart of one of history's most intriguing civilisations: the Minoans. With Professor Nicoletta Momigliano, he explores the origins and rise of these Bronze Age titans on Crete around 7,000 BC, their early settlements, and the emergence of complex societies.

Packed with archaeological insights, Tristan hears about the enigma of the Minoans early settlements, the mysteries of their undeciphered writing system, to the grandeur of their monumental palaces such as Knossos. A fascinating discussion on one of history's most mysterious Bronze Age societies.

MORE

The Minotaur

https://open.spotify.com/episode/72Efg0BmVFYunKg2FsDOQO

The Legacy of the Minoans

https://shows.acast.com/the-ancients/episodes/thelegacyoftheminoans

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor and 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 and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. 

You can take part in our listener survey here:

https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on

From The Week in Westminster at 2025-06-07 11:00:00

07/06/2025 (p0lgvx95.mp3)

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

Following the publication of the Strategic Defence Review, George discusses the recommendations made in the Report with its main author, the Labour peer Lord Robertson, who is a former secretary general of NATO and a former Labour defence secretary and with Penny Mordaunt, the former Conservative defence secretary.

Amid mounting concern at Westminster over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, George is joined by Conservative MP Sir Roger Gale and Labour MP Jon Pearce, the chair of Labour Friends of Israel, to discuss the latest.

To discuss the results of the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election in Scotland, George brings together Jamie McGuire, who was a Labour councillor until he defected, a few days ago, to Reform UK and Kezia Dugdale, a former leader of the Scottish Labour Party who is now at the Centre for Public Policy at Glasgow University.

And, finally, ahead of next week's Spending Review, George speaks to crossbench peer, Lord Macpherson, who was the Permanent Secretary at the Treasury and to Conservative peer and former Cabinet Minister Michael Gove, who is the editor of the Spectator magazine.

From More or Less: Behind the Stats at 2025-06-07 06:00:00

Is the world’s population being miscounted? (p0lgv3n5.mp3)

Exactly how many people live on our planet is one of those difficult-to-answer questions. The UN estimates is 8.2 billion, but that’s largely based on census data, which is certainly not a perfect measure.

So when a recent study from Finland found that rural populations around the world had been underestimated by 50 to over 80%, the media got quite excited. This would be a big error - a 50% underestimate would mean the actual number of people in an area is double the number they thought there were.

One newspaper in Spain - El Mundo - did its own sums and said this meant there were potentially 2 billion more people in the world than we currently think there are.

But is it what the researchers in Finland actually meant?

“Absolutely not,” says Josias Lang-Ritter, a researcher from University in Finland and a co-author of the study.

Tim Harford speaks to Josias to figure out the right way of understanding the study.

Presenter: Tim Harford Producer: Caroline Bayley Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound mix: Nigel Appleton Editor: Richard Vadon

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-06-06 22:12:17

Anthropic releases custom AI chatbot for classified spy work

"Claude Gov" is already handling classified information for the US government.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-06-06 22:00:56

Friday Squid Blogging: Squid Run in Southern New England

Southern New England is having the best squid run in years.

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

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-06-06 20:15:28

Millions of low-cost Android devices turn home networks into crime platforms

BadBox malware has been menacing low-cost Android devices for nearly a decade.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-06-06 18:43:00

Hearing on the Federal Government and AI

On Thursday I testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform at a hearing titled “The Federal Government in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”

The other speakers mostly talked about how cool AI was—and sometimes about how cool their own company was—but I was asked by the Democrats to specifically talk about DOGE and the risks of exfiltrating our data from government agencies and feeding it into AIs.

My written testimony is here. Video of the hearing is here.

From A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry at 2025-06-06 18:02:37

Collections: Nitpicking Gladiator’s Iconic Opening Battle, Part I

This week, we’re going to take a close look at arguably the most famous and recognizable Roman battle sequence in film: the iconic opening battle from Gladiator (2000). Despite being a relatively short sequence (about ten minutes), there’s actually enough to talk about here that we’re going to split it over two weeks, talking about … Continue reading Collections: Nitpicking Gladiator’s Iconic Opening Battle, Part I →