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Russia learns from the past. The West goes around in circles. en.reseauinternational.net/la-…

Russia learns from the past. The West goes around in circles. Réseau International

By Tarik Cyril Amar. The peace negotiations in Ukraine show that Moscow is living in reality, while the West, blinded by a sense of profound superiority, is sticking to its internal geopolitical monologue.
Réseau International

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Polygon just posted:

Trails in the Sky requires a lot of homework, but that's part of the fun

With Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter remake, you have the perfect chance of starting the Trails series, a memorable but demanding saga

polygon.com/trails-in-the-sky-…

#gamingNews

Header image for an article titled: Trails in the Sky requires a lot of homework, but that's part of the fun

Trails in the Sky requires a lot of homework, but that's part of the fun

With Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter remake, you have the perfect chance of starting the Trails series, a memorable but demanding saga.
Paulo Kawanishi (Polygon.com)

friendica - Link to source
China and India are cooperation partners, not rivals: Xi en.qstheory.cn/2025-08/31/c_11…

China and India are cooperation partners, not rivals: Xi

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that China and India are cooperation partners, not rivals, and that the two countries are each other's development opportunities rather than threats.
en.qstheory.cn

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GamingBolt just posted:

Lost Soul Aside Updates Will Upgrade Sound Effects, Optimize Early-Game Progression, and More

Following a mixed reception at launch by PC players, Ultizero Games promises several fixes and "additional optimizations."

gamingbolt.com/lost-soul-aside…

#gamingNews

Header image for an article titled: Lost Soul Aside Updates Will Upgrade Sound Effects, Optimize Early-Game Progression, and More

Lost Soul Aside Updates Will Upgrade Sound Effects, Optimize Early-Game Progression, and More

Ravi Sinha (GamingBolt)

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PCGamesN just posted:

Transport Fever 3 is a great jumping-on point, but it won't tell you what to do

Transport Fever 3 is a great opportunity for developer Urban Games. It’s built up a faithful following with its logistics-led brand of infrastructure management sims, and its next installment could prove the breakout that pushes it up to the attention level of Cities Skylines 2 or Manor Lords. At Gamescom, we sat down with the studio’s community ...

pcgamesn.com/transport-fever-3…

#gamingNews

Header image for an article titled: Transport Fever 3 is a great jumping-on point, but it won't tell you what to do

Transport Fever 3 is a great jumping-on point, but it won't tell you what to do

Urban Games tells us how Transport Fever 3 intends to please its tycoon faithful while offering a city-building experience anyone can enjoy.
Ken Allsop (PCGamesN)

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Sensitive content

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Presale Nears Final Stage — How to Secure Early Access to This High-Upside Opportunity - To secure early access to crypto presales like MAGACOIN FINANCE nearing their final stage... - blockonomi.com/presale-nears-f… #pr

Presale Nears Final Stage — How to Secure Early Access to This High-Upside Opportunity

Investors looking to secure early access to presales must act before the final allocation window closes to lock in bonuses and lower prices. This article discusses how to secure this access.
Oliver Dale (Blockonomi)

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Kotaku just posted:

Rated 4.5 out of 5, This HP Student Laptop Is Now 75% Off as Amazon Cuts Prices to Clear Shelves

Deals like this don’t come around often.
The post Rated 4.5 out of 5, This HP Student Laptop Is Now 75% Off as Amazon Cuts Prices to Clear Shelves appeared first on Kotaku.

kotaku.com/rated-4-5-out-of-5-…

#gamingNews

Header image for an article titled: Rated 4.5 out of 5, This HP Student Laptop Is Now 75% Off as Amazon Cuts Prices to Clear Shelves

Rated 4.5 out of 5, This HP Student Laptop Is Now 75% Off as Amazon Cuts Prices to Clear Shelves - Kotaku

Kotaku Deals (Kotaku)

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"This telegram must be closely paraphrased before being communicated" Why?

Link: history.stackexchange.com/ques…
Discussion: news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4…


"This telegram must be closely paraphrased before being communicated to anyone." Why?

Some historical documents from WWII have a notice on them stating This telegram must be closely paraphrased before being communicated to anyone. The documents I've found were received by the United
History Stack Exchange

mastodon - Link to source

Insider Gaming just posted:

How To Get Free Diamonds in Mobile Legends—September 2025 Guide

Check out our guide on how to get free Diamonds in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. This is the definitive guide to earning free Diamonds!
The post How To Get Free Diamonds in Mobile Legends—September 2025 Guide appeared first on Insider Gaming.

insider-gaming.com/how-to-free…

#gamingNews

Header image for an article titled: How To Get Free Diamonds in Mobile Legends—September 2025 Guide

How To Get Free Diamonds in Mobile Legends—September 2025 Guide - Insider Gaming

Grant Taylor-Hill (Insider Gaming)

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Kotaku just posted:

Want to Breathe Cleaner Air? This Air Purifier Is Selling Now for Just a Few Dollars

Having an air purifier in your bedroom is key for clean and healthy air.
The post Want to Breathe Cleaner Air? This Air Purifier Is Selling Now for Just a Few Dollars appeared first on Kotaku.

kotaku.com/want-to-breathe-cle…

#gamingNews

Header image for an article titled: Want to Breathe Cleaner Air? This Air Purifier Is Selling Now for Just a Few Dollars

Want to Breathe Cleaner Air? This Air Purifier Is Selling Now for Just a Few Dollars - Kotaku

Kotaku Deals (Kotaku)

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Israeli airstrikes hit Nabatieh, Aita al-Shaab in South Lebanon english.almayadeen.net/news/po…

Israeli airstrikes hit Nabatieh, Aita al-Shaab in South Lebanon

The Israeli occupation forces bombed the Nabatieh highlands and Aita al-Shaab in further violation of Lebanon's sovereignty.
Al Mayadeen English (Israeli airstrikes hit Nabatieh, Aita al-Shaab in South Lebanon)

akkoma - Link to source

Watch with us today at 19:00 UTC. Check time for you serve.brotka.st/t.html?time=19…

Mr. Nobody (2009)

English, Mohawk with English subtitle

A boy stands on a station platform as a train is about to leave. Should he go with his mother or stay with his father? Infinite possibilities arise from this decision. As long as he doesn’t choose, anything is possible.

videofrens.club/r/kaias_kino_k…

#kaiaskinoklub

Video Frens Club

Video Sharing for Frens
videofrens.club

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Bitcoin Price Watch: Will Oversold Oscillators Spark a Relief Rally? - Bitcoin trades at $108,413 with a 24-hour trading volume of $22.57 billion and a m... - news.bitcoin.com/bitcoin-price… #marketsandprices #bitcoin(btc)

Bitcoin Price Watch: Will Oversold Oscillators Spark a Relief Rally? – Markets and Prices Bitcoin News

Bitcoin trades at $108,413 with a 24-hour trading volume of $22.57 billion and a market capitalization of $2.15 trillion.
Jamie Redman (Bitcoin News)

mastodon - Link to source
Crypto Weekly Roundup: CFTC Open Doors, US Adopts Blockchain & More - In the last week, there have been some major institutional moves in crypto, with Metaplan... - cryptodaily.co.uk/2025/08/cryp… #breakingnews

Crypto Weekly Roundup: CFTC Open Doors, US Adopts Blockchain & More

In the last week, there have been some major institutional moves in crypto, with Metaplanet planning an $880M Bitcoin buy, Grayscale and 21Shares filing for new crypto ETFs, and Numerai securing $500M from JPMorgan. The U.S.
Amara Khatri (Crypto Daily)

mastodon - Link to source

"This telegram must be closely paraphrased before being communicated" Why?

Link: history.stackexchange.com/ques…
Discussion: news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4…


"This telegram must be closely paraphrased before being communicated to anyone." Why?

Some historical documents from WWII have a notice on them stating This telegram must be closely paraphrased before being communicated to anyone. The documents I've found were received by the United
History Stack Exchange

friendica - Link to source
Another Spectacular Fairyland on East Coast in New Era of Regional Rejuvenation Inaugural Ceremony of Ragwon County Offshore Farm Takes Place with Splendor #DPRK kfauk.com/another-spectacular-…

Another Spectacular Fairyland on East Coast in New Era of Regional Rejuvenation Inaugural Ceremony of Ragwon County Offshore Farm Takes Place with Splendor - KFAUK.com

Another Spectacular Fairyland on East Coast in New Era of Regional Rejuvenation Inaugural Ceremony of Ragwon County Offshore Farm Takes Place with Splendor Pyongyang, August 31 (KCNA) — The wise leadership of the Workers’ Party of Korea which is turn…
Dermot Hudson (KFAUK.com)

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Kotaku just posted:

To Free Up Inventory, Amazon Has Dropped the GoPro Hero 13 to a Record-Low Price

This little action cam is hands down the top seller in its class.
The post To Free Up Inventory, Amazon Has Dropped the GoPro Hero 13 to a Record-Low Price appeared first on Kotaku.

kotaku.com/to-free-up-inventor…

#gamingNews

Header image for an article titled: To Free Up Inventory, Amazon Has Dropped the GoPro Hero 13 to a Record-Low Price

To Free Up Inventory, Amazon Has Dropped the GoPro Hero 13 to a Record-Low Price - Kotaku

Kotaku Deals (Kotaku)

mastodon - Link to source
AVAX, SHIB and a New Presale Token Named Top 3 Best Altcoins to Buy After ETF Hype - The Bitcoin ETF approval has sparked a wave of fresh optimism in the crypto market, with ... - blockonomi.com/avax-shib-and-a… #pr

AVAX, SHIB and a New Presale Token Named Top 3 Best Altcoins to Buy After ETF Hype

Discover the best altcoins to buy after ETF hype in 2025. Explore detailed AVAX price prediction 2025, SHIB price prediction 2025, and why this presale token is a promising crypto.
Oliver Dale (Blockonomi)

mastodon - Link to source

Sometimes Software Is Done, or Why Hugo Why (2024)

Link: commaok.xyz/post/on_hugo/
Discussion: news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4…

Sometimes Software is Done, or Why Hugo Why

I didn’t sit down this morning planning to write a grouchy blog post about Hugo. When I first used Hugo I loved it. It was fast. It was simple. It just worked, as much as any software does, and it solved a real problem. It was done.
commaok.xyz

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Kotaku just posted:

Forget the Free Version, Avast Slashes 60% Off Its Two Suites That Secure Your Entire Online Life

Avast is more than antivirus - it protects your entire online life.
The post Forget the Free Version, Avast Slashes 60% Off Its Two Suites That Secure Your Entire Online Life appeared first on Kotaku.

kotaku.com/forget-the-free-ver…

#gamingNews

Header image for an article titled: Forget the Free Version, Avast Slashes 60% Off Its Two Suites That Secure Your Entire Online Life

Forget the Free Version, Avast Slashes 60% Off Its Two Suites That Secure Your Entire Online Life - Kotaku

Kotaku Deals (Kotaku)

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Birthplace of Hizbollah Under Fire: Soujod, Where Faith & History Meet Resistance #Palestine freepalestinetv.substack.com/p…

Birthplace of Hizbollah Under Fire: Soujod, Where Faith & History Meet Resistance

Laith Marouf and Hadi Hotait visit the town of Soujod, the highest village in South Lebanon at 12000m above sea level, and the hills around it where Hizbollah launched its first operations in 1984.
Free Palestine TV (FPTV’s Substack)

misskey - Link to source
Delu-san dazo!
Gelbooru LinkSource

hyde (tabakko), delutaya, indie virtual youtuber, absurdres, highres, 1girl, ;p, animal ears, ascot, black gloves, black jacket, close-up, collared shirt, drill hair, earrings, fake animal ears, gloves, green hair, hair ornament, hairclip, jacket, jewelry

Browse millions of anime, manga, videos, hentai, and video game themed images on Gelbooru. Discover art with detailed tags. Contains explicit hentai content.
Gelbooru

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Gamespot just posted:

The Biggest Game Releases Of September 2025

Green Day typically takes a month-long nap during September, which is a terrible idea because the band is missing out on some truly terrific game releases this month. With the finish line for the year drawing closer, September is typically a month when several big games are released.This year is no different, as we're looking at a stack of games from across a varied selection of ...

gamespot.com/gallery/the-bigge…

#gamingNews

Header image for an article titled: The Biggest Game Releases Of September 2025

The Biggest Game Releases Of September 2025

Between Hollow Knight: Silksong, Borderlands 4, and Silent Hill F, September 2025 is shaping up to be an incredible month for new game releases.
Darryn Bonthuys (GameSpot)

mastodon - Link to source

Rick Beato is right to rant about music copyright strikes

Link: savingcountrymusic.com/rick-be…
Discussion: news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4…


Rick Beato is Right to Rant About Music Copyright Strikes

Music labels have been leaving major opportunities to promote their catalogs and performers on the table with their punitive copyright claims that make it impossible to feature music on music podcasts.
Trigger (Saving Country Music)

mastodon - Link to source
Next Crypto to Hit $1 Soon, Will It Be DOGE With Its Strong Momentum or a DeFi Coin? Analysts Favor MUTM - Dogecoin (DOGE) has long been the headline grabber in every market cycle, pulling retail ... - blockonomi.com/next-crypto-to-… #pr

Next Crypto to Hit $1 Soon, Will It Be DOGE With Its Strong Momentum or a DeFi Coin? Analysts Favor MUTM

Dogecoin (DOGE) has long been the headline grabber in every market cycle, pulling retail investors in with viral momentum. Yet, behind the meme-driven noise, many are asking which project will actually be the next to cross the $1 threshold.
PR Desk (Blockonomi)

mastodon - Link to source
Shiba Inu Price Fears Continue As Traders Back New Utility Assets Like Remittix In 2025 - Shiba Inu price continues to struggle after a steep 70% decline from its peak, leaving tr... - blockonomi.com/shiba-inu-price… #pr

Shiba Inu Price Fears Continue As Traders Back New Utility Assets Like Remittix In 2025

Shiba Inu price continues to struggle after a steep 70% decline from its peak, leaving traders wary of further downside as bearish signals mount. Once hailed as a meme coin powerhouse, SHIB is now battling fading momentum and weaker demand.
Michelle DG (Blockonomi)

mastodon - Link to source

Bitwig Studio 6 details revealed, and editing gets a big boost

Link: cdm.link/bitwig-studio-6-detai…
Discussion: news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4…


Bitwig Studio 6 details revealed, and editing gets a big boost - CDM Create Digital Music

We get it. After years of DAWs leapfrogging in similar directions, the new generation of music tools made it easier to start projects, get inspiration, and improvise. But sometimes they played catchup on editing and automation.
Peter Kirn (CDM Create Digital Music)

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Polygon just posted:

The 25 new TV shows premiering in fall 2025 you can't miss

This fall, TV fans are getting Marvel Zombies, Star Wars Visions season 3, the final season of Stranger Things (part 1) and more

polygon.com/new-2025-tv-shows-…

#gamingNews

Header image for an article titled: The 25 new TV shows premiering in fall 2025 you can't miss

The 25 new TV shows premiering in fall 2025 you can't miss

This fall, TV fans are getting Marvel Zombies, Star Wars Visions season 3, the final season of Stranger Things (part 1) and more.
Polygon Staff (Polygon.com)

friendica - Link to source
Russia and China Forge a Beacon of Strength for the Global Majority sputnikglobe.com/20250830/russ…

Russia and China Forge a Beacon of Strength for the Global Majority

Russia and China can definitely serve as an example for cooperation within BRICS+ nations, Ashraf Patel, a research associate with the South African Institute for Global Dialogue, tells Sputnik.
Sputnik International

mastodon - Link to source

Destructoid just posted:

How to evolve a card in NBA 2K26 MyTeam and get your free evolution items

NBA 2K26 offers various ways to upgrade your MyTeam lineups, and evolutions allow you to improve a lower-rated card's stats and base rating. Unlike other cards, evolution items have the unique feature to improve over time. Typically, all evolution cards can improve by two tiers. To do so, you'll need to hit the upgrade conditions. This guide will ...

destructoid.com/how-to-evolve-…

#gamingNews

Header image for an article titled: How to evolve a card in NBA 2K26 MyTeam and get your free evolution items

How to evolve a card in NBA 2K26 MyTeam and get your free evolution items – Destructoid

Power 'em up.
Arka Sarkar (Destructoid)

mastodon - Link to source
Bitcoin faces a fee crisis that threatens network security: Can BTCfi help? - Bitcoin’s daily transaction fees have dropped over ... - cointelegraph.com/news/bitcoin…

Bitcoin faces a fee crisis that threatens network security: Can BTCfi help?

Bitcoin transaction fees have plunged over 80% since April, putting pressure on miner incentives. As block rewards shrink, BTCfi may be key to reviving onchain activity.
Amin Haqshanas (Cointelegraph)

mastodon - Link to source
Bitcoin's Rough August Wiped Out Summer Rally; What September Might Bring - There are few things more insufferable in financial markets than seasonal indicator discu... - coindesk.com/markets/2025/08/2… #markets #news

Bitcoin Price (BTC) Stumbled in August

There's not an unlimited pool of capital available for crypto, and ether attracted the big money this month.
Stephen Alpher (CoinDesk)

mastodon - Link to source

DSOGaming just posted:

Cyberpunk 2077 Gets Fully Functional Fuel System Thanks to New Mod

Modder ‘elminister’ has shared a really cool mod for Cyberpunk 2077 that adds a working fuel system to the game. This mod changes how you explore the world because now your cars need gas. It makes driving feel way more realistic since you’ll actually have to refuel. Every vehicle in the game now has its …

dsogaming.com/pc-performance-a…

#gamingNews

Header image for an article titled: Cyberpunk 2077 Gets Fully Functional Fuel System Thanks to New Mod

Cyberpunk 2077 Gets Fully Functional Fuel System Thanks to New Mod

Modder 'elminister' has shared a really cool mod for Cyberpunk 2077 that adds a working fuel system to the game.
John Papadopoulos (DSOGaming)

misskey - Link to source

Sensitive content

mastodon - Link to source
Dogecoin Panic Leads Investors To Layer Brett, Memecoin Experts Predict PEPE-Like Gains - Dogecoin holders are feeling the heat this week as the meme giant struggles to stay afloa... - blockonomi.com/dogecoin-panic-… #pr

Dogecoin Panic Leads Investors To Layer Brett, Memecoin Experts Predict PEPE-Like Gains

Dogecoin holders are feeling the heat this week as the meme giant struggles to stay afloat. Once the poster child of crypto fun, DOGE has dropped from $0.245 to as low as $0.21, now stuck at $0.21–$0.2296 with weekly losses of 1.16% — 10.
Michelle DG (Blockonomi)

mastodon - Link to source

Polygon just posted:

Loving Alien: Earth? Check out the best Alien game of the decade

If you're hungry for more Alien after Alien: Earth, know that 2014 survival game Alien: Isolation still holds up

polygon.com/alien-isolation-re…

#gamingNews

Header image for an article titled: Loving Alien: Earth? Check out the best Alien game of the decade

Loving Alien: Earth? Check out the best Alien game of the decade

If you're hungry for more Alien after Alien: Earth, know that 2014 survival game Alien: Isolation still holds up.
Claire Lewis (Polygon.com)

mastodon - Link to source

PCGamesN just posted:

Throne and Liberty's player housing opens the MMO up to a whole new audience

Amazon Games MMORPG Throne and Liberty has a lot going for it if you’re into grand-scale combat and intense PvP, but its next update aims to dramatically widen its appeal. Solisium's Awakening introduces more ‘lifestyle content’ to the free-to-play MMO, including a player housing system that could pose some serious competition to heavy hitters like ...

pcgamesn.com/throne-and-libert…

#gamingNews

Header image for an article titled: Throne and Liberty's player housing opens the MMO up to a whole new audience

Throne and Liberty's player housing opens the MMO up to a whole new audience

We speak to Amazon Games about Throne and Liberty player housing, the new Orb support weapon, and bringing more players to the free MMORPG.
Ken Allsop (PCGamesN)

mastodon - Link to source

What Are Traces and Spans in OpenTelemetry?

Link: oneuptime.com/blog/post/2025-0…
Discussion: news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4…


What are Traces and Spans in OpenTelemetry: A Practical Guide

A comprehensive, practical guide to understanding traces and spans in OpenTelemetry—how they work, how they relate, and how to instrument real Node.js / TypeScript applications effectively for deep insight and faster debugging.
Nawaz Dhandala (OneUptime)

mastodon - Link to source
Gryphon-American Bitcoin Merger: Should You Buy In Before Trump‑Backed ABTC Hits the Market? - Many view holding GRYP shares as a pre-public opportunity to participate in the Tr... - news.bitcoin.com/gryphon-ameri… #bitcoinminers #mining

Gryphon-American Bitcoin Merger: Should You Buy In Before Trump‑Backed ABTC Hits the Market? – Mining Bitcoin News

Many view holding GRYP shares as a pre-public opportunity to participate in the Trump family’s “Bitcoin bet."
Guest Author (Bitcoin News)

mastodon - Link to source
Dogecoin Holders Face Regret as BlockchainFX Presale Becomes the Best Crypto to Buy Now Before Summer Ends - What if this summer became the turning point that separates those who acted from those wh... - blockonomi.com/dogecoin-holder… #pr

Dogecoin Holders Face Regret as BlockchainFX Presale Becomes the Best Crypto to Buy Now Before Summer Ends

What if this summer became the turning point that separates those who acted from those who hesitated? In the crypto market, early access crypto presale opportunities have always been the birthplace of millionaire making potential crypto stories.
Michelle DG (Blockonomi)

mastodon - Link to source
ETH Investors Use BAY Miner App to Earn Over $40,000 in Monthly Passive Income - In August 2025, with Ethereum (ETH) continuing to perform strongly, the global cryptoasse... - blockonomi.com/eth-investors-u… #pr

ETH Investors Use BAY Miner App to Earn Over $40,000 in Monthly Passive Income

In August 2025, with Ethereum (ETH) continuing to perform strongly, the global cryptoasset market ushered in a new wave of financial management revolution.
Michelle DG (Blockonomi)

mastodon - Link to source
Web3 Startups Raise $9.6 Billion in Q2 Despite Deal Count Drop - Web3 startups pulled in $9.6 billion in venture capital during the second quarter of 2025... - cryptonews.com/news/web3-start… #altcoinnews #vcfunding #funding #web3

Web3 Startups Raise $9.6 Billion in Q2 Despite Deal Count Drop

Web3 startups pulled in $9.6 billion in venture capital during the second quarter of 2025, the second-highest quarterly total on record.
Amin Ayan (Cryptonews)

mastodon - Link to source
BTC Balances on the Brink as Traders Await Key Macro Events - Bitcoin sits at a decisive crossroads, balancing between critical technical levels and po... - cryptodaily.co.uk/2025/08/btc-… #morenews

BTC Balances on the Brink as Traders Await Key Macro Events

Bitcoin steadies near key support as traders brace for major macro events. Explore BTC’s technical outlook, whale vs. ETF flows, and how Outset PR helps brands navigate uncertainty.
Crypto Daily

mastodon - Link to source
XRP Price Prediction: Can Bullish Patterns and Whale Demand Offset the Recent Dip? - XRP is trading at $2.82, with a daily volume of $3.19 billion and a market cap of ... - cryptonews.com/news/xrp-price-… #cryptocurrency #priceanalysis #xrp

XRP Price Prediction: Can Bullish Patterns and Whale Demand Offset the Recent Dip?

XRP trades near $2.83 as whales sell and retail traders increase leverage. Explore XRP’s technical outlook and whale activity.
Arslan Butt (Cryptonews)

mastodon - Link to source
Top Blockchain PR Agency Guide 2025: Who Delivers Results - The blockchain industry has matured rapidly, but one thing hasn’t changed: projects live ... - cryptodaily.co.uk/2025/08/top-… #morenews

Top Blockchain PR Agency Guide 2025: Who Delivers Results

Explore the top blockchain PR agencies in 2025. Outset PR leads the guide with data-driven results, followed by Coinbound, MarketAcross, and more.
Crypto Daily

mastodon - Link to source

Is it possible to allow sideloading and keep users safe?

Link: shkspr.mobi/blog/2025/08/is-it…
Discussion: news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4…

Is it possible to allow sideloading and keep users safe? | Hacker News

news.ycombinator.com

Terence Eden’s Blog

2025-08-30 11:34:55

wordpress - Link to source

Is it possible to allow sideloading *and* keep users safe?


shkspr.mobi/blog/2025/08/is-it…

In which I attempt to be pragmatic.

Are you allowed to run whatever computer program you want on the hardware you own? This is a question where freedom, practicality, and reality all collide into a mess.

Google has recently announced that Android users will only be able to install apps which have been digitally signed by developers who have registered their name and other legal details with Google. To many people, this signals the death of "sideloading" - the ability to install apps which don't originate on the official store0.

I'm a fully paid-up member of the Cory Doctorow fanclub. Back in 2011, he gave a speech called "The Coming War on General Computation". In it, he rails against the idea that our computers could become traitorous; serving the needs of someone other than their owner. Do we want to live in a future where our computers refuse to obey our commands? No! Neither law nor technology should conspire to reduce our freedom to compute.

There are, I think, two small cracks in that argument.

The first is that a user has no right to run anyone else's code, if the code owner doesn't want to make it available to them. Consider a bank which has an app. When customers are scammed, the bank is often liable. The bank wants to reduce its liability so it says "you can't run our app on a rooted phone".

Is that fair? Probably not. Rooting allows a user to fully control and customise their device. But rooting also allows malware to intercept communications, send commands, and perform unwanted actions. I think the bank has the right to say "your machine is too risky - we don't want our code to run on it."

The same is true of video games with strong "anti-cheat" protection. It is disruptive to other players - and to the business model - if untrustworthy clients can disrupt the game. Again, it probably isn't fair to ban users who run on permissive software, but it is a rational choice by the manufacturer. And, yet again, I think software authors probably should be able to restrict things which cause them harm.

So, from their point of view it is pragmatic to insist that their software can only be loaded from a trustworthy location.

But that's not the only thing Google is proposing. Let's look at their announcement:

We’ve seen how malicious actors hide behind anonymity to harm users by impersonating developers and using their brand image to create convincing fake apps. The scale of this threat is significant: our recent analysis found over 50 times more malware from internet-sideloaded sources than on apps available through Google Play.


Back in the early days of Android, you could just install any app and it would run, no questions asked. That was a touchingly naïve approach to security - extremely easy to use but left users vulnerable.

A few years later, Android changed to show user the permissions an app was requesting. Here's a genuine screenshot from an app which I tried to sideload in 2013:

A terrifying list of permissions.

No rational user would install a purported battery app with that scary list of permissions, right? Wrong!

We know that users don't read and they especially don't read security warnings.

There is no UI tweak you can do to prevent users bypassing these scary warnings. There is no amount of education you can provide to reliably make people stop and think.

Here's the story of a bank literally telling a man he was being scammed and he still proceeded to transfer funds to a fraudster.

It emerged that, in this case, Lloyds had done a really good job of not only spotting the potential fraud but alerting James to it. The bank blocked a number of transactions, it spoke to James on the phone to warn him and even called him into a branch to speak to him face-to-face.


Here's another one where a victim deliberately lied to their bank even after acknowledging that they had been told it was a scam.

Android now requires you to deliberately turn on the ability to side-load. It will give you prompts and warnings, force you to take specific actions, give you pop-ups and all sorts of confirmation steps.

And people still click on.

Let's go back to Google announcement. This change isn't being rolled out worldwide immediately. They say:

This change will start in a few select countries specifically impacted by these forms of fraudulent app scams, often from repeat perpetrators.

…

September 2026: These requirements go into effect in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. At this point, any app installed on a certified Android device in these regions must be registered by a verified developer.


The police in Singapore have a page warning about the prevalence of these scams. They describe how victims are tricked or coerced into turning off all their phone's security features.

Similarly, there are estimates that Brazil lost US$54 billion to scams in 2024 (albeit not all through apps).

There are anecdotal reports from Indonesia which show how easily people fall for these fake apps.

Thailand is also under an ongoing onslaught of malicious apps with some apps raking in huge amounts of money.

It is absolutely rational that government, police, and civic society groups want to find ways to stop these scams.

Google is afraid that if Android's reputation is tarnished as the "Scam OS" then users will move to more secure devices.

Financial institutions might stop providing functionality to Android devices as a way to protect their customers. Which would lead to those users seeking alternate phones.

Society as a whole wants to protect vulnerable people. We all bear the cost of dealing with criminal activity like this.

Given that sideloaded Android apps are clearly a massive vector for fraud, it obviously behoves Google to find a way to secure their platform as much as possible.

And Yet…


This is quite obviously a bullshit powerplay by Google to ensnare the commons. Not content with closing down parts of the Android Open Source Project, stuffing more and more vital software behind its proprietary services, and freezing out small manufacturers - now it wants the name and shoe-size of every developer!

Fuck that!

I want to use my phone to run the code that I write. I want to run my friends' code. I want to play with cool open source projects by people in far-away lands.

I remember The Day Google Deleted Me - we cannot have these lumbering monsters gatekeeping what we do on our machines.

Back in the days when I was a BlackBerry developer, we had to wait ages for RIM's code-signing server to become available. I'm pretty sure the same problem affected Symbian - if Nokia was down that day, you couldn't release any code.

Going back to their statement:

To be clear, developers will have the same freedom to distribute their apps directly to users through sideloading or to use any app store they prefer.


This is a lie. I can only distribute a sideloaded app if Google doesn't nuke my account. If I piss off someone there, or they click the wrong button, or they change the requirements so I'm no longer eligible - my content disappears.

They promise that Android will still be open to student and hobbyist developers - but would you believe anything those monkey-punchers say? Oh, and what a fricking insult to call a legion of Open Source developers "hobbyists"!

I hate it.

I also don't see how this is going to help. I guess if scammers all use the same ID, then it'll be easy for Android to super-nuke all the scam apps.

Perhaps when you install a sideloaded app you'll see "This app was made by John Smith - not a company. Here's his photo. Got any complaints? Call his number."

But what's going to happen is that people will get their IDs stolen, or be induced to register as a developer and then sign some malware. They'll also be victims.

So What's The Solution?


I've tried to be pragmatic, but there's something of a dilemma here.

  1. Users should be free to run whatever code they like.
  2. Vulnerable members of society should be protected from scams.

Do we accept that a megacorporation should keep everyone safe at the expense of a few pesky nerds wanting to run some janky code?

Do we say that the right to run free software is more important than granny being protected from scammers?

Do we pour billions into educating users not to click "yes" to every prompt they see?

Do we try and build a super-secure Operating System which, somehow, gives users complete freedom without exposing them to risk?

Do we hope that Google won't suddenly start extorting developers, users, and society as a whole?

Do we chase down and punish everyone who releases a scam app?

Do we stick an AI on every phone to detect scam apps and refuse to run them if they're dodgy?

I don't know the answers to any of these questions and - if I'm honest - I don't like asking them.


  1. Post by @Gargron
    View on Mastodon


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#android #google #rant #scam


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