Search
1000 results for “Data_Ranger”
-
With a #RaspberryPiZero2W & #usbhub https://www.waveshare.com/wiki/USB_HUB_HAT_(B) possible to use 4 #lora #radio #rnodes at same #reticulum #meshchat interface. Can use 4 different sets of radio parameters at one #LoRa #radio interface. Can use 1 radio with low #spreadingfactor #sf for short transmissions at high data rate for large payloads like images or accessing #nomadnet #pages and 1 with larger SF for longer range. No need to choose between #meshtasic presets https://meshtastic.org/docs/overview/radio-settings/ ! just use them all ! Magic
-
@jessie There's currently a wide range of open positions (tech and non-tech) at CD PROJEKT RED in US (Boston), Canada (Vancouver/remote) and Poland (Warsaw) across various projects and seniority levels. Dev-related tech jobs require C++ and UE5, but there are other options as well (e.g. BI/data science, security, QA) https://www.cdprojektred.com/en/jobs #cdpr
-
"The EU #CopyrightDirective’s text-and-data-mining (#TDM) exception is not only about chatbots or #AI." 🤖 "It is crucial for a broad range of other applications in #healthcare, legal #research, and journalism. The law is crystal clear on this!"
👉 https://project-disco.org/european-union/europes-ai-future-hinges-on-eu-court-of-justices-next-move/
-
"A leading political data company is selling a voter database that identifies Americans based on their support for right-wing militias, the QAnon conspiracy theory and the January 6 insurrection — a new twist in campaign technology that some experts think could carry national security risks.
The company, L2 Data, collects a wide net of information about voter preferences on issues such as defense, spending and the economy. But unlike other data companies, L2 also measures or estimates voters’ support for the most divisive and potentially threatening threads of the extreme right.
L2 says it developed its dataset by surveying some voters and then extrapolating the probable views of a wider group with similar preferences and behavior from voter records and consumer habits.
Those predictions are part of a larger dataset that included a broad range of views held by both the right and left, on issues such as climate change, race and civil liberties.
The firm sells that broad set of information to a range of politicians and parties: Rep. Rob Menendez (D-N.J.), Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), and PACs for both Democrats and Republicans have bought its data, according to FEC filings."
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/30/data-voters-political-violence-00186132
#USA #Politics #Elections #PresidentialElection2024 #FarRight #DataBrokers #AdTech #AdTargeting
-
"Rather than making sense of diverse and possibly conflicting definitions of risks, companies and regulators should put forward joint benchmarks, and include civil society experts in the process.
Speaking of benchmarks: There is a critical lack of standardized processes, assessment methodologies and reporting templates. Most assessment reports contain very little information on how the actual assessments are carried out, and the auditors’ reports distinguish themselves through an almost complete lack of insight into the auditing process itself. This information is crucial, but it is near impossible to adequately scrutinize the reports themselves without understanding whether auditors were provided the necessary information, whether they ran into any roadblocks looking at specific issues, and how evidence was produced and documented. And without methodologies that are applicable across the board it will remain very challenging, if not impossible, to compare approaches taken by different companies.
The TikTok example shows that the risk and audit reports do not contain the “smoking gun” some might have hoped for. Besides the shortcomings explained above, this is due to the inherent limitations of the DSA itself. Although the DSA attempts to take a holistic approach to complex societal risks that cut across different but interconnected challenges, its reporting system is forced to only consider the obligations put forward by the DSA itself. Any legal assessment framework will struggle to capture complex societal challenges like the integrity of elections or public safety. In addition, phenomena as complex as electoral processes and civic discourse are shaped by a range of different legal instruments, including European rules on political ads, data protection, cybersecurity and media pluralism, not to mention countless national laws."
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/01/systemic-risk-reporting-system-crisis
-
Why is a standard business laptop or a mid-range smartphone more expensive in 2026?
The answer is not inflation. It is wafers.
In today’s semiconductor market, every DDR5 module, HBM stack, LPDDR chip, and enterprise SSD starts from the same 300mm silicon wafer. When manufacturers allocate those wafers to AI-grade memory for data centers, they are no longer available for PCs, smartphones, or consumer devices.
This article breaks down the full memory hierarchy—DDR4, DDR5, LPDDR, GDDR, HBM, and NAND—and explains the “Silicon Zero-Sum Game” driving record price increases across the entire IT ecosystem.
If you manage hardware budgets, data centers, or surplus IT assets, this is essential reading for understanding the 2026 memory super-cycle.
https://www.buysellram.com/blog/the-2026-global-memory-shortage-why-ram-and-ssd-prices-are-surging/
#MemoryPricing #DRAM #NANDFlash #SSD #DataCenters #AIHardware #SupplyChain #TechEconomy #HBM
#DDR5 #LPDDR5X #NVMe #EnterpriseSSD #WaferCapacity #ITAssetManagement #ITAD #tech -
Olinguito Bassaricyon neblina
IUCN Red List: Near Threatened
Found in the Andean cloud forests of western Colombia and Ecuador, at elevations between 1,500 and 2,800 metres.
One of the cutest #mammals recently discovered is already at risk. With their bear-like faces, cat-like bodies, and lush tawny fur, the olinguito Bassaricyon neblina is an adorable button-nosed mammal of #Ecuador and #Colombia. They first made themselves known to the western world in 2006 in Ecuador and were officially described in 2013 and are considered ‘Near Threatened’ mainly from deforestation and forest clearing for #palmoil agriculture along with road building, infrastructure and gold mining throughout their range. Native to the misty cloud forests of the northern Andes, they are increasingly threatened by industrial agribusiness, palm oil plantations, and agriculture. Over 40% of their habitat has already been destroyed. Use your wallet as a weapon: always choose #palmoilfree products and be #vegan to help protect olinguitos and other species of the Andean Cloud Forest#BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
#Olinguitos are button-nosed #mammals 😻🦦 of the Cloud Forests in #Ecuador 🇪🇨 and #Colombia 🇨🇴 Their lives are threatened by #goldmining 🥇 #meat 🥩and #palmoil 🌴 #deforestation. Help them! Be #vegan #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-bBX
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterDiscovered not long ago, #Olinguitos are #bear-like tenacious survivors. Despite hiding well, their forests are rapidly disappearing for #palmoil and #meat agriculture. Help them survive! Be #vegan #Boycottpalmoil 🌴⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-bBX
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterAppearance & Behaviour
The olinguito is reminiscent of teddy bear and a domestic cat, with thick, soft, russet and tawny coloured fur, a short snout with a button-like nose, small ears, and a long fluffy tail used for balance in the treetops. Typically weighing under one kilogram, they are the smallest member of the raccoon family (Procyonidae). Nocturnal and arboreal, they live high in the forest canopy and are rarely seen. Solitary by nature, they are also reclusive and actively avoid human interaction.
Threats
Despite being classified as Near Threatened, there are no known large-scale conservation programmes or protected areas specifically designed to safeguard the olinguito or their habitat. Many of the forests where they live are under private ownership or are unprotected, leaving them at the mercy of logging companies, agribusiness, and illegal land grabs. Without legal safeguards and ecological corridors between forest remnants, olinguito populations will continue to decline unnoticed. Over 42% of their potential range has already been cleared or degraded for mining and agriculture.
Widespread deforestation of Andean cloud forests for agriculture, livestock, and infrastructure
Much of the olinguito’s Andean cloud forest habitat has already been cleared for cattle pasture, coffee plantations, and crop fields. This is especially concerning given the species’ limited elevational range and dependence on specific microclimates. Habitat loss fragments populations and prevents them from moving between forest patches, leading to genetic isolation and increased vulnerability. According to Helgen et al. (2013), 42% of the olinguito’s historical range has already been lost to agriculture and urban development.
Palm oil and timber plantations rapidly consuming native forest habitat.
Large swathes of cloud forest are being destroyed to establish oil palm and timber plantations. These monocultures are ecological deserts that offer no food or shelter for frugivorous mammals like the olinguito. Although oil palm expansion is often focused in lowland regions, it is encroaching into higher elevations in parts of Colombia and Ecuador due to market demand and land speculation. This spells danger for highland endemics like the olinguito, whose misty habitat is already shrinking.
Urbanisation and road development, fragmenting their canopy habitat
As human populations expand into previously remote areas, forest is cleared for roads, settlements, and industrial development. Even if some patches of cloud forest remain, roads cut through ecosystems, isolating wildlife and increasing mortality from vehicle collisions. Urban sprawl also brings dogs and other invasive species that can harass, predate, or outcompete native animals. The olinguito’s canopy-dependent, arboreal lifestyle makes it especially susceptible to the effects of fragmentation and edge habitat.
Climate change, which threatens the stability of montane ecosystems.
Cloud forests are highly sensitive to temperature and moisture changes. As global temperatures rise, the delicate balance of mist, rainfall, and cool air that defines this biome is shifting. Suitable habitat may move upslope, but mountaintops provide a limited refuge. Once a species is pushed beyond its climatic limit, local extinction becomes inevitable. The olinguito already lives at the uppermost altitudes suitable for its survival, making it dangerously vulnerable to climate-induced habitat contraction.
Geographic Range
Olinguitos live in humid montane forests between 1,500 and 2,800 metres in elevation in western Colombia and Ecuador, including forests near Medellín in Colombia and the Otonga Forest Reserve in Cotopaxi, Ecuador. This species occupies the highest known range of any member of the genus Bassaricyon. Though only officially recognised in 2013, museum specimens had been mislabelled for decades prior to that.
Diet
Despite belonging to the carnivoran order, olinguitos are primarily frugivores. They feed on cloud forest fruits such as figs, as well as insects, nectar, and occasionally small vertebrates like birds and lizards. Their faeces are said to resemble small blueberries due to their fruit-heavy diet.
Mating and Reproduction
Very little is known about the reproductive behaviour of the olinguito, but it is believed they produce a single offspring at a time. Females have one pair of mammae. Their solitary lifestyle and canopy-based habits make studying them in the wild extremely difficult.
FAQs
How many olinguitos are left in the wild?
No population estimates exist for the olinguito, but scientists agree numbers are declining. Habitat modelling shows over 60% of their potential habitat is already deforested or degraded, suggesting a significant threat to survival (Helgen et al., 2013).
What is the lifespan of an olinguito?
Captive individuals like Ringerl—an olinguito unknowingly housed in US zoos for years—lived over a decade. Wild lifespan is presumed to be shorter, but specific data are lacking.
What are the main threats to the olinguito?
The biggest threats are deforestation and habitat loss driven by palm oil plantations, agriculture, and urbanisation. These activities have destroyed over 40% of their cloud forest habitat (Helgen et al., 2013). Climate change is also a growing concern due to their dependence on cool, moist mountain forests.
Do olinguitos make good pets?
No. Olinguitos are solitary, nocturnal, and specialised to live in misty canopy forests. Keeping them as pets is cruel and contributes to wildlife trafficking. Their capture disrupts family groups and decimates populations. If you care about olinguitos, do not fuel demand—speak out against the pet trade.
Take Action!
Olinguitos are an emblem of the hidden biodiversity in the world’s cloud forests—ecosystems that are vanishing fast.
- Boycott palm oil and demand truly forest-free alternatives.
- Support indigenous-led agroecology and forest protection efforts in the Andes.
- Refuse meat and dairy that drives deforestation in Colombia and Ecuador.
- Never support zoos or exotic pet collectors that remove wildlife from their habitats. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan #BoycottMeat
Support the Olinguito by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife
Support the conservation of this species
This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.
Further Information
Helgen, K. M., Pinto, C. M., Kays, R., Helgen, L. E., Tsuchiya, M. T. N., Quinn, A., Wilson, D. E., & Maldonado, J. E. (2013). Taxonomic revision of the olingos (Bassaricyon), with description of a new species, the olinguito. ZooKeys, 324, 1–83. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.324.5827
Helgen, K., Kays, R., Pinto, C., Schipper, J. & González-Maya, J.F. 2020. Bassaricyon neblina (amended version of 2016 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T48637280A166523067. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T48637280A166523067.en. Accessed on 02 May 2025.
Lee, T. E., Tinoco, N., Allred, F. G., Hennecke, A., Camacho, M. A., & Burneo, S. F. (2022). Small mammals of Otonga Forest Reserve, Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador. The Southwestern Naturalist, 66(1), 48–53. https://doi.org/10.1894/0038-4909-66.1.48
NBC News. (2013, August 16). ‘Cutest new animal’ discovered: It’s an olinguito! https://www.nbcnews.com/sciencemain/cutest-new-animal-discovered-its-olinguito-6C10925572
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Olinguito. Wikipedia. Retrieved 2 May 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olinguito
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 3,180 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Read moreMel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Read moreAnthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Read moreHealth Physician Dr Evan Allen
Read moreThe World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
Read moreHow do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
Read more3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your supportLearn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture
Global South America S.E. Asia India Africa West Papua & PNG Keep readingSanta Catarina’s Guinea Pig Cavia intermedia
Keep readingKeel-billed Toucan Ramphastos sulfuratus
Keep readingAsian Small-clawed Otter Aonyx cinereus
Keep readingMarsupials thought extinct for 6,000 years found in West Papua
Keep readingGursky’s Spectral Tarsier Tarsius spectrumgurskyae
Keep readingLearn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing
Read more about RSPO greenwashing
Lying Fake labels Indigenous Land-grabbing Human rights abuses Deforestation Human health hazardsA 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)
Read more #animals #Bear #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottMeat #BoycottPalmOil #carnivores #coffee #Colombia #deforestation #Ecuador #ForgottenAnimals #goldMining #goldmining #hunting #infrastructure #Mammal #mammals #meat #meatAgriculture #meatDeforestation #NearThreatenedSpecies #NearThreatened #nocturnal #OlinguitoBassaricyonNeblina #Olinguitos #omnivore #omnivores #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #palmoilfree #poaching #roads #SeedDispersers #seeddispersal #vegan #VulnerableSpecies -
Olinguito Bassaricyon neblina
IUCN Red List: Near Threatened
Found in the Andean cloud forests of western Colombia and Ecuador, at elevations between 1,500 and 2,800 metres.
One of the cutest #mammals recently discovered is already at risk. With their bear-like faces, cat-like bodies, and lush tawny fur, the olinguito Bassaricyon neblina is an adorable button-nosed mammal of #Ecuador and #Colombia. They first made themselves known to the western world in 2006 in Ecuador and were officially described in 2013 and are considered ‘Near Threatened’ mainly from deforestation and forest clearing for #palmoil agriculture along with road building, infrastructure and gold mining throughout their range. Native to the misty cloud forests of the northern Andes, they are increasingly threatened by industrial agribusiness, palm oil plantations, and agriculture. Over 40% of their habitat has already been destroyed. Use your wallet as a weapon: always choose #palmoilfree products and be #vegan to help protect olinguitos and other species of the Andean Cloud Forest#BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
#Olinguitos are button-nosed #mammals 😻🦦 of the Cloud Forests in #Ecuador 🇪🇨 and #Colombia 🇨🇴 Their lives are threatened by #goldmining 🥇 #meat 🥩and #palmoil 🌴 #deforestation. Help them! Be #vegan #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-bBX
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterDiscovered not long ago, #Olinguitos are #bear-like tenacious survivors. Despite hiding well, their forests are rapidly disappearing for #palmoil and #meat agriculture. Help them survive! Be #vegan #Boycottpalmoil 🌴⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-bBX
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterAppearance & Behaviour
The olinguito is reminiscent of teddy bear and a domestic cat, with thick, soft, russet and tawny coloured fur, a short snout with a button-like nose, small ears, and a long fluffy tail used for balance in the treetops. Typically weighing under one kilogram, they are the smallest member of the raccoon family (Procyonidae). Nocturnal and arboreal, they live high in the forest canopy and are rarely seen. Solitary by nature, they are also reclusive and actively avoid human interaction.
Threats
Despite being classified as Near Threatened, there are no known large-scale conservation programmes or protected areas specifically designed to safeguard the olinguito or their habitat. Many of the forests where they live are under private ownership or are unprotected, leaving them at the mercy of logging companies, agribusiness, and illegal land grabs. Without legal safeguards and ecological corridors between forest remnants, olinguito populations will continue to decline unnoticed. Over 42% of their potential range has already been cleared or degraded for mining and agriculture.
Widespread deforestation of Andean cloud forests for agriculture, livestock, and infrastructure
Much of the olinguito’s Andean cloud forest habitat has already been cleared for cattle pasture, coffee plantations, and crop fields. This is especially concerning given the species’ limited elevational range and dependence on specific microclimates. Habitat loss fragments populations and prevents them from moving between forest patches, leading to genetic isolation and increased vulnerability. According to Helgen et al. (2013), 42% of the olinguito’s historical range has already been lost to agriculture and urban development.
Palm oil and timber plantations rapidly consuming native forest habitat.
Large swathes of cloud forest are being destroyed to establish oil palm and timber plantations. These monocultures are ecological deserts that offer no food or shelter for frugivorous mammals like the olinguito. Although oil palm expansion is often focused in lowland regions, it is encroaching into higher elevations in parts of Colombia and Ecuador due to market demand and land speculation. This spells danger for highland endemics like the olinguito, whose misty habitat is already shrinking.
Urbanisation and road development, fragmenting their canopy habitat
As human populations expand into previously remote areas, forest is cleared for roads, settlements, and industrial development. Even if some patches of cloud forest remain, roads cut through ecosystems, isolating wildlife and increasing mortality from vehicle collisions. Urban sprawl also brings dogs and other invasive species that can harass, predate, or outcompete native animals. The olinguito’s canopy-dependent, arboreal lifestyle makes it especially susceptible to the effects of fragmentation and edge habitat.
Climate change, which threatens the stability of montane ecosystems.
Cloud forests are highly sensitive to temperature and moisture changes. As global temperatures rise, the delicate balance of mist, rainfall, and cool air that defines this biome is shifting. Suitable habitat may move upslope, but mountaintops provide a limited refuge. Once a species is pushed beyond its climatic limit, local extinction becomes inevitable. The olinguito already lives at the uppermost altitudes suitable for its survival, making it dangerously vulnerable to climate-induced habitat contraction.
Geographic Range
Olinguitos live in humid montane forests between 1,500 and 2,800 metres in elevation in western Colombia and Ecuador, including forests near Medellín in Colombia and the Otonga Forest Reserve in Cotopaxi, Ecuador. This species occupies the highest known range of any member of the genus Bassaricyon. Though only officially recognised in 2013, museum specimens had been mislabelled for decades prior to that.
Diet
Despite belonging to the carnivoran order, olinguitos are primarily frugivores. They feed on cloud forest fruits such as figs, as well as insects, nectar, and occasionally small vertebrates like birds and lizards. Their faeces are said to resemble small blueberries due to their fruit-heavy diet.
Mating and Reproduction
Very little is known about the reproductive behaviour of the olinguito, but it is believed they produce a single offspring at a time. Females have one pair of mammae. Their solitary lifestyle and canopy-based habits make studying them in the wild extremely difficult.
FAQs
How many olinguitos are left in the wild?
No population estimates exist for the olinguito, but scientists agree numbers are declining. Habitat modelling shows over 60% of their potential habitat is already deforested or degraded, suggesting a significant threat to survival (Helgen et al., 2013).
What is the lifespan of an olinguito?
Captive individuals like Ringerl—an olinguito unknowingly housed in US zoos for years—lived over a decade. Wild lifespan is presumed to be shorter, but specific data are lacking.
What are the main threats to the olinguito?
The biggest threats are deforestation and habitat loss driven by palm oil plantations, agriculture, and urbanisation. These activities have destroyed over 40% of their cloud forest habitat (Helgen et al., 2013). Climate change is also a growing concern due to their dependence on cool, moist mountain forests.
Do olinguitos make good pets?
No. Olinguitos are solitary, nocturnal, and specialised to live in misty canopy forests. Keeping them as pets is cruel and contributes to wildlife trafficking. Their capture disrupts family groups and decimates populations. If you care about olinguitos, do not fuel demand—speak out against the pet trade.
Take Action!
Olinguitos are an emblem of the hidden biodiversity in the world’s cloud forests—ecosystems that are vanishing fast.
- Boycott palm oil and demand truly forest-free alternatives.
- Support indigenous-led agroecology and forest protection efforts in the Andes.
- Refuse meat and dairy that drives deforestation in Colombia and Ecuador.
- Never support zoos or exotic pet collectors that remove wildlife from their habitats. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan #BoycottMeat
Support the Olinguito by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife
Support the conservation of this species
This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.
Further Information
Helgen, K. M., Pinto, C. M., Kays, R., Helgen, L. E., Tsuchiya, M. T. N., Quinn, A., Wilson, D. E., & Maldonado, J. E. (2013). Taxonomic revision of the olingos (Bassaricyon), with description of a new species, the olinguito. ZooKeys, 324, 1–83. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.324.5827
Helgen, K., Kays, R., Pinto, C., Schipper, J. & González-Maya, J.F. 2020. Bassaricyon neblina (amended version of 2016 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T48637280A166523067. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T48637280A166523067.en. Accessed on 02 May 2025.
Lee, T. E., Tinoco, N., Allred, F. G., Hennecke, A., Camacho, M. A., & Burneo, S. F. (2022). Small mammals of Otonga Forest Reserve, Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador. The Southwestern Naturalist, 66(1), 48–53. https://doi.org/10.1894/0038-4909-66.1.48
NBC News. (2013, August 16). ‘Cutest new animal’ discovered: It’s an olinguito! https://www.nbcnews.com/sciencemain/cutest-new-animal-discovered-its-olinguito-6C10925572
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Olinguito. Wikipedia. Retrieved 2 May 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olinguito
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 3,180 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Read moreMel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Read moreAnthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Read moreHealth Physician Dr Evan Allen
Read moreThe World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
Read moreHow do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
Read more3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your supportLearn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture
Global South America S.E. Asia India Africa West Papua & PNGSanta Catarina’s Guinea Pig Cavia intermedia
Keep readingKeel-billed Toucan Ramphastos sulfuratus
Keep readingAsian Small-clawed Otter Aonyx cinereus
Keep readingMarsupials thought extinct for 6,000 years found in West Papua
Keep readingGursky’s Spectral Tarsier Tarsius spectrumgurskyae
Keep readingSunda Flying Lemur Galeopterus variegatus
Keep readingLearn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing
Read more about RSPO greenwashing
Lying Fake labels Indigenous Land-grabbing Human rights abuses Deforestation Human health hazardsA 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)
Read more #animals #Bear #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottMeat #BoycottPalmOil #carnivores #coffee #Colombia #deforestation #Ecuador #ForgottenAnimals #goldMining #goldmining #hunting #infrastructure #Mammal #mammals #meat #meatAgriculture #meatDeforestation #NearThreatenedSpecies #NearThreatened #nocturnal #OlinguitoBassaricyonNeblina #Olinguitos #omnivore #omnivores #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #palmoilfree #poaching #roads #SeedDispersers #seeddispersal #vegan #VulnerableSpecies -
Olinguito Bassaricyon neblina
IUCN Red List: Near Threatened
Found in the Andean cloud forests of western Colombia and Ecuador, at elevations between 1,500 and 2,800 metres.
One of the cutest #mammals recently discovered is already at risk. With their bear-like faces, cat-like bodies, and lush tawny fur, the olinguito Bassaricyon neblina is an adorable button-nosed mammal of #Ecuador and #Colombia. They first made themselves known to the western world in 2006 in Ecuador and were officially described in 2013 and are considered ‘Near Threatened’ mainly from deforestation and forest clearing for #palmoil agriculture along with road building, infrastructure and gold mining throughout their range. Native to the misty cloud forests of the northern Andes, they are increasingly threatened by industrial agribusiness, palm oil plantations, and agriculture. Over 40% of their habitat has already been destroyed. Use your wallet as a weapon: always choose #palmoilfree products and be #vegan to help protect olinguitos and other species of the Andean Cloud Forest#BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
#Olinguitos are button-nosed #mammals 😻🦦 of the Cloud Forests in #Ecuador 🇪🇨 and #Colombia 🇨🇴 Their lives are threatened by #goldmining 🥇 #meat 🥩and #palmoil 🌴 #deforestation. Help them! Be #vegan #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-bBX
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterDiscovered not long ago, #Olinguitos are #bear-like tenacious survivors. Despite hiding well, their forests are rapidly disappearing for #palmoil and #meat agriculture. Help them survive! Be #vegan #Boycottpalmoil 🌴⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-bBX
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterAppearance & Behaviour
The olinguito is reminiscent of teddy bear and a domestic cat, with thick, soft, russet and tawny coloured fur, a short snout with a button-like nose, small ears, and a long fluffy tail used for balance in the treetops. Typically weighing under one kilogram, they are the smallest member of the raccoon family (Procyonidae). Nocturnal and arboreal, they live high in the forest canopy and are rarely seen. Solitary by nature, they are also reclusive and actively avoid human interaction.
Threats
Despite being classified as Near Threatened, there are no known large-scale conservation programmes or protected areas specifically designed to safeguard the olinguito or their habitat. Many of the forests where they live are under private ownership or are unprotected, leaving them at the mercy of logging companies, agribusiness, and illegal land grabs. Without legal safeguards and ecological corridors between forest remnants, olinguito populations will continue to decline unnoticed. Over 42% of their potential range has already been cleared or degraded for mining and agriculture.
Widespread deforestation of Andean cloud forests for agriculture, livestock, and infrastructure
Much of the olinguito’s Andean cloud forest habitat has already been cleared for cattle pasture, coffee plantations, and crop fields. This is especially concerning given the species’ limited elevational range and dependence on specific microclimates. Habitat loss fragments populations and prevents them from moving between forest patches, leading to genetic isolation and increased vulnerability. According to Helgen et al. (2013), 42% of the olinguito’s historical range has already been lost to agriculture and urban development.
Palm oil and timber plantations rapidly consuming native forest habitat.
Large swathes of cloud forest are being destroyed to establish oil palm and timber plantations. These monocultures are ecological deserts that offer no food or shelter for frugivorous mammals like the olinguito. Although oil palm expansion is often focused in lowland regions, it is encroaching into higher elevations in parts of Colombia and Ecuador due to market demand and land speculation. This spells danger for highland endemics like the olinguito, whose misty habitat is already shrinking.
Urbanisation and road development, fragmenting their canopy habitat
As human populations expand into previously remote areas, forest is cleared for roads, settlements, and industrial development. Even if some patches of cloud forest remain, roads cut through ecosystems, isolating wildlife and increasing mortality from vehicle collisions. Urban sprawl also brings dogs and other invasive species that can harass, predate, or outcompete native animals. The olinguito’s canopy-dependent, arboreal lifestyle makes it especially susceptible to the effects of fragmentation and edge habitat.
Climate change, which threatens the stability of montane ecosystems.
Cloud forests are highly sensitive to temperature and moisture changes. As global temperatures rise, the delicate balance of mist, rainfall, and cool air that defines this biome is shifting. Suitable habitat may move upslope, but mountaintops provide a limited refuge. Once a species is pushed beyond its climatic limit, local extinction becomes inevitable. The olinguito already lives at the uppermost altitudes suitable for its survival, making it dangerously vulnerable to climate-induced habitat contraction.
Geographic Range
Olinguitos live in humid montane forests between 1,500 and 2,800 metres in elevation in western Colombia and Ecuador, including forests near Medellín in Colombia and the Otonga Forest Reserve in Cotopaxi, Ecuador. This species occupies the highest known range of any member of the genus Bassaricyon. Though only officially recognised in 2013, museum specimens had been mislabelled for decades prior to that.
Diet
Despite belonging to the carnivoran order, olinguitos are primarily frugivores. They feed on cloud forest fruits such as figs, as well as insects, nectar, and occasionally small vertebrates like birds and lizards. Their faeces are said to resemble small blueberries due to their fruit-heavy diet.
Mating and Reproduction
Very little is known about the reproductive behaviour of the olinguito, but it is believed they produce a single offspring at a time. Females have one pair of mammae. Their solitary lifestyle and canopy-based habits make studying them in the wild extremely difficult.
FAQs
How many olinguitos are left in the wild?
No population estimates exist for the olinguito, but scientists agree numbers are declining. Habitat modelling shows over 60% of their potential habitat is already deforested or degraded, suggesting a significant threat to survival (Helgen et al., 2013).
What is the lifespan of an olinguito?
Captive individuals like Ringerl—an olinguito unknowingly housed in US zoos for years—lived over a decade. Wild lifespan is presumed to be shorter, but specific data are lacking.
What are the main threats to the olinguito?
The biggest threats are deforestation and habitat loss driven by palm oil plantations, agriculture, and urbanisation. These activities have destroyed over 40% of their cloud forest habitat (Helgen et al., 2013). Climate change is also a growing concern due to their dependence on cool, moist mountain forests.
Do olinguitos make good pets?
No. Olinguitos are solitary, nocturnal, and specialised to live in misty canopy forests. Keeping them as pets is cruel and contributes to wildlife trafficking. Their capture disrupts family groups and decimates populations. If you care about olinguitos, do not fuel demand—speak out against the pet trade.
Take Action!
Olinguitos are an emblem of the hidden biodiversity in the world’s cloud forests—ecosystems that are vanishing fast.
- Boycott palm oil and demand truly forest-free alternatives.
- Support indigenous-led agroecology and forest protection efforts in the Andes.
- Refuse meat and dairy that drives deforestation in Colombia and Ecuador.
- Never support zoos or exotic pet collectors that remove wildlife from their habitats. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan #BoycottMeat
Support the Olinguito by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife
Support the conservation of this species
This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.
Further Information
Helgen, K. M., Pinto, C. M., Kays, R., Helgen, L. E., Tsuchiya, M. T. N., Quinn, A., Wilson, D. E., & Maldonado, J. E. (2013). Taxonomic revision of the olingos (Bassaricyon), with description of a new species, the olinguito. ZooKeys, 324, 1–83. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.324.5827
Helgen, K., Kays, R., Pinto, C., Schipper, J. & González-Maya, J.F. 2020. Bassaricyon neblina (amended version of 2016 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T48637280A166523067. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T48637280A166523067.en. Accessed on 02 May 2025.
Lee, T. E., Tinoco, N., Allred, F. G., Hennecke, A., Camacho, M. A., & Burneo, S. F. (2022). Small mammals of Otonga Forest Reserve, Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador. The Southwestern Naturalist, 66(1), 48–53. https://doi.org/10.1894/0038-4909-66.1.48
NBC News. (2013, August 16). ‘Cutest new animal’ discovered: It’s an olinguito! https://www.nbcnews.com/sciencemain/cutest-new-animal-discovered-its-olinguito-6C10925572
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Olinguito. Wikipedia. Retrieved 2 May 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olinguito
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 3,180 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Read moreMel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Read moreAnthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Read moreHealth Physician Dr Evan Allen
Read moreThe World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
Read moreHow do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
Read more3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your supportLearn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture
Global South America S.E. Asia India Africa West Papua & PNGSanta Catarina’s Guinea Pig Cavia intermedia
Keep readingKeel-billed Toucan Ramphastos sulfuratus
Keep readingAsian Small-clawed Otter Aonyx cinereus
Keep readingMarsupials thought extinct for 6,000 years found in West Papua
Keep readingGursky’s Spectral Tarsier Tarsius spectrumgurskyae
Keep readingSunda Flying Lemur Galeopterus variegatus
Keep readingLearn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing
Read more about RSPO greenwashing
Lying Fake labels Indigenous Land-grabbing Human rights abuses Deforestation Human health hazardsA 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)
Read more #animals #Bear #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottMeat #BoycottPalmOil #carnivores #coffee #Colombia #deforestation #Ecuador #ForgottenAnimals #goldMining #goldmining #hunting #infrastructure #Mammal #mammals #meat #meatAgriculture #meatDeforestation #NearThreatenedSpecies #NearThreatened #nocturnal #OlinguitoBassaricyonNeblina #Olinguitos #omnivore #omnivores #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #palmoilfree #poaching #roads #SeedDispersers #seeddispersal #vegan #VulnerableSpecies -
Olinguito Bassaricyon neblina
IUCN Red List: Near Threatened
Found in the Andean cloud forests of western Colombia and Ecuador, at elevations between 1,500 and 2,800 metres.
One of the cutest #mammals recently discovered is already at risk. With their bear-like faces, cat-like bodies, and lush tawny fur, the olinguito Bassaricyon neblina is an adorable button-nosed mammal of #Ecuador and #Colombia. They first made themselves known to the western world in 2006 in Ecuador and were officially described in 2013 and are considered ‘Near Threatened’ mainly from deforestation and forest clearing for #palmoil agriculture along with road building, infrastructure and gold mining throughout their range. Native to the misty cloud forests of the northern Andes, they are increasingly threatened by industrial agribusiness, palm oil plantations, and agriculture. Over 40% of their habitat has already been destroyed. Use your wallet as a weapon: always choose #palmoilfree products and be #vegan to help protect olinguitos and other species of the Andean Cloud Forest#BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
#Olinguitos are button-nosed #mammals 😻🦦 of the Cloud Forests in #Ecuador 🇪🇨 and #Colombia 🇨🇴 Their lives are threatened by #goldmining 🥇 #meat 🥩and #palmoil 🌴 #deforestation. Help them! Be #vegan #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-bBX
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterDiscovered not long ago, #Olinguitos are #bear-like tenacious survivors. Despite hiding well, their forests are rapidly disappearing for #palmoil and #meat agriculture. Help them survive! Be #vegan #Boycottpalmoil 🌴⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-bBX
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterAppearance & Behaviour
The olinguito is reminiscent of teddy bear and a domestic cat, with thick, soft, russet and tawny coloured fur, a short snout with a button-like nose, small ears, and a long fluffy tail used for balance in the treetops. Typically weighing under one kilogram, they are the smallest member of the raccoon family (Procyonidae). Nocturnal and arboreal, they live high in the forest canopy and are rarely seen. Solitary by nature, they are also reclusive and actively avoid human interaction.
Threats
Despite being classified as Near Threatened, there are no known large-scale conservation programmes or protected areas specifically designed to safeguard the olinguito or their habitat. Many of the forests where they live are under private ownership or are unprotected, leaving them at the mercy of logging companies, agribusiness, and illegal land grabs. Without legal safeguards and ecological corridors between forest remnants, olinguito populations will continue to decline unnoticed. Over 42% of their potential range has already been cleared or degraded for mining and agriculture.
Widespread deforestation of Andean cloud forests for agriculture, livestock, and infrastructure
Much of the olinguito’s Andean cloud forest habitat has already been cleared for cattle pasture, coffee plantations, and crop fields. This is especially concerning given the species’ limited elevational range and dependence on specific microclimates. Habitat loss fragments populations and prevents them from moving between forest patches, leading to genetic isolation and increased vulnerability. According to Helgen et al. (2013), 42% of the olinguito’s historical range has already been lost to agriculture and urban development.
Palm oil and timber plantations rapidly consuming native forest habitat.
Large swathes of cloud forest are being destroyed to establish oil palm and timber plantations. These monocultures are ecological deserts that offer no food or shelter for frugivorous mammals like the olinguito. Although oil palm expansion is often focused in lowland regions, it is encroaching into higher elevations in parts of Colombia and Ecuador due to market demand and land speculation. This spells danger for highland endemics like the olinguito, whose misty habitat is already shrinking.
Urbanisation and road development, fragmenting their canopy habitat
As human populations expand into previously remote areas, forest is cleared for roads, settlements, and industrial development. Even if some patches of cloud forest remain, roads cut through ecosystems, isolating wildlife and increasing mortality from vehicle collisions. Urban sprawl also brings dogs and other invasive species that can harass, predate, or outcompete native animals. The olinguito’s canopy-dependent, arboreal lifestyle makes it especially susceptible to the effects of fragmentation and edge habitat.
Climate change, which threatens the stability of montane ecosystems.
Cloud forests are highly sensitive to temperature and moisture changes. As global temperatures rise, the delicate balance of mist, rainfall, and cool air that defines this biome is shifting. Suitable habitat may move upslope, but mountaintops provide a limited refuge. Once a species is pushed beyond its climatic limit, local extinction becomes inevitable. The olinguito already lives at the uppermost altitudes suitable for its survival, making it dangerously vulnerable to climate-induced habitat contraction.
Geographic Range
Olinguitos live in humid montane forests between 1,500 and 2,800 metres in elevation in western Colombia and Ecuador, including forests near Medellín in Colombia and the Otonga Forest Reserve in Cotopaxi, Ecuador. This species occupies the highest known range of any member of the genus Bassaricyon. Though only officially recognised in 2013, museum specimens had been mislabelled for decades prior to that.
Diet
Despite belonging to the carnivoran order, olinguitos are primarily frugivores. They feed on cloud forest fruits such as figs, as well as insects, nectar, and occasionally small vertebrates like birds and lizards. Their faeces are said to resemble small blueberries due to their fruit-heavy diet.
Mating and Reproduction
Very little is known about the reproductive behaviour of the olinguito, but it is believed they produce a single offspring at a time. Females have one pair of mammae. Their solitary lifestyle and canopy-based habits make studying them in the wild extremely difficult.
FAQs
How many olinguitos are left in the wild?
No population estimates exist for the olinguito, but scientists agree numbers are declining. Habitat modelling shows over 60% of their potential habitat is already deforested or degraded, suggesting a significant threat to survival (Helgen et al., 2013).
What is the lifespan of an olinguito?
Captive individuals like Ringerl—an olinguito unknowingly housed in US zoos for years—lived over a decade. Wild lifespan is presumed to be shorter, but specific data are lacking.
What are the main threats to the olinguito?
The biggest threats are deforestation and habitat loss driven by palm oil plantations, agriculture, and urbanisation. These activities have destroyed over 40% of their cloud forest habitat (Helgen et al., 2013). Climate change is also a growing concern due to their dependence on cool, moist mountain forests.
Do olinguitos make good pets?
No. Olinguitos are solitary, nocturnal, and specialised to live in misty canopy forests. Keeping them as pets is cruel and contributes to wildlife trafficking. Their capture disrupts family groups and decimates populations. If you care about olinguitos, do not fuel demand—speak out against the pet trade.
Take Action!
Olinguitos are an emblem of the hidden biodiversity in the world’s cloud forests—ecosystems that are vanishing fast.
- Boycott palm oil and demand truly forest-free alternatives.
- Support indigenous-led agroecology and forest protection efforts in the Andes.
- Refuse meat and dairy that drives deforestation in Colombia and Ecuador.
- Never support zoos or exotic pet collectors that remove wildlife from their habitats. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan #BoycottMeat
Support the Olinguito by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife
Support the conservation of this species
This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.
Further Information
Helgen, K. M., Pinto, C. M., Kays, R., Helgen, L. E., Tsuchiya, M. T. N., Quinn, A., Wilson, D. E., & Maldonado, J. E. (2013). Taxonomic revision of the olingos (Bassaricyon), with description of a new species, the olinguito. ZooKeys, 324, 1–83. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.324.5827
Helgen, K., Kays, R., Pinto, C., Schipper, J. & González-Maya, J.F. 2020. Bassaricyon neblina (amended version of 2016 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T48637280A166523067. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T48637280A166523067.en. Accessed on 02 May 2025.
Lee, T. E., Tinoco, N., Allred, F. G., Hennecke, A., Camacho, M. A., & Burneo, S. F. (2022). Small mammals of Otonga Forest Reserve, Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador. The Southwestern Naturalist, 66(1), 48–53. https://doi.org/10.1894/0038-4909-66.1.48
NBC News. (2013, August 16). ‘Cutest new animal’ discovered: It’s an olinguito! https://www.nbcnews.com/sciencemain/cutest-new-animal-discovered-its-olinguito-6C10925572
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Olinguito. Wikipedia. Retrieved 2 May 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olinguito
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 3,180 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Read moreMel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Read moreAnthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Read moreHealth Physician Dr Evan Allen
Read moreThe World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
Read moreHow do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
Read more3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your supportLearn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture
Global South America S.E. Asia India Africa West Papua & PNGSanta Catarina’s Guinea Pig Cavia intermedia
Keep readingKeel-billed Toucan Ramphastos sulfuratus
Keep readingAsian Small-clawed Otter Aonyx cinereus
Keep readingMarsupials thought extinct for 6,000 years found in West Papua
Keep readingGursky’s Spectral Tarsier Tarsius spectrumgurskyae
Keep readingSunda Flying Lemur Galeopterus variegatus
Keep readingLearn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing
Read more about RSPO greenwashing
Lying Fake labels Indigenous Land-grabbing Human rights abuses Deforestation Human health hazardsA 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)
Read more #animals #Bear #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottMeat #BoycottPalmOil #carnivores #coffee #Colombia #deforestation #Ecuador #ForgottenAnimals #goldMining #goldmining #hunting #infrastructure #Mammal #mammals #meat #meatAgriculture #meatDeforestation #NearThreatenedSpecies #NearThreatened #nocturnal #OlinguitoBassaricyonNeblina #Olinguitos #omnivore #omnivores #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #palmoilfree #poaching #roads #SeedDispersers #seeddispersal #vegan #VulnerableSpecies -
Owncloud Vs Nextcloud. The Latest!!
The world of self-hosted cloud storage has long been something of a niche interest—like owning a bread maker or becoming unexpectedly passionate about composting—but in recent years it has found a more mainstream audience. Whether due to privacy concerns, legal compliance, cost savings, or simply a desire to be master of one’s own digital destiny, more individuals and organisations are deciding that surrendering every document to some giant Silicon Valley server farm may not be the only way forward. In this landscape, two names stand out as the most popular choices for running one’s own personal or professional cloud: OwnCloud and Nextcloud.
At first glance, they seem almost identical—like two siblings who shop at the same clothing store, have similar haircuts, and insist they are “totally different”. In truth, they share the same technical roots, the same general philosophy, and, for a good while, even shared a large chunk of their code. Yet over time, the two have evolved in rather different directions. One has grown steadily more enterprise-focused, structured, and traditional. The other has become community-driven, fast-moving, and occasionally prone to enthusiastic feature binges. Put simply: OwnCloud is the reliable, buttoned-up elder sibling, while Nextcloud is the energetic, multitasking younger one who has already tried three new hobbies before breakfast.
This essay offers a detailed, critical, and gently humorous comparison between the two platforms. We will explore their origins, features, performance, security models, user experience, community ecosystem, extensibility, and suitability for different use cases. Along the way, we’ll also address some of the politics behind the fork—because nothing spices up a discussion about file synchronisation quite like a bit of open-source drama.
Let us begin at the beginning.
1. A Brief Origin Story (Without the Soap Opera—Well, Not Too Much)
OwnCloud was founded over a decade ago with a simple yet ambitious mission: to give individuals and companies a way to host their own cloud storage and collaboration tools, rather than relying on third-party services. Structured as an open-source project with a commercial arm, OwnCloud quickly became popular due to its relative ease of deployment and its compatibility across platforms. For several years, it was the name in the self-hosted cloud world.
Then came 2016, a year memorable for many things (not least a few surprising geopolitical outcomes), but also for a significant schism in the OwnCloud development team. Several core contributors disagreed with the company’s direction, organisational decisions, and approach to open-source governance. They left OwnCloud Inc. and created Nextcloud, a fork of the OwnCloud codebase, promising a more community-driven and transparent future.
The situation was, to use formal terminology, “a bit awkward”. Think of it as a band split where the lead guitarist storms off, forms a new group, and somehow manages to take half the album with him. OwnCloud continued on its path, while Nextcloud immediately began introducing new features, integrations, and workflow improvements at great speed.
The result? Two platforms that started from the same foundation but have become increasingly distinct. One stayed its original course. The other overtook, upgraded, occasionally reinvented itself, and once or twice seemed to be actively sprinting to see how many new features it could add before lunch.
Today both are mature, powerful, and widely deployed solutions—but they appeal to somewhat different audiences.
2. Philosophy and Governance: Enterprise Structure vs Community Zeal
OwnCloud has leaned into a more traditional software vendor model. It offers a community edition and a commercial version with paid support, enterprise-grade features, and long-term stability guarantees. Its release cadence tends to be steady rather than frantic, and its decision-making structure is tightly aligned with its commercial priorities. This is not to say that OwnCloud does not value open-source—far from it—but it has clearly prioritised predictable, stable product development and long-standing enterprise relationships.
Nextcloud, meanwhile, is unapologetically community-centred. It maintains a more open governance model, rapidly integrates feedback, and often pushes out new features before the community has even decided what to do with them. This is both a blessing and, occasionally, a mild headache. The project’s pace of development can feel exhilarating—or overwhelming, depending on your tolerance for frequent updates. Nextcloud’s transparency and responsiveness have drawn a large and loyal user base, especially among technically minded home users, privacy advocates, and small organisations.
If OwnCloud is a carefully run professional kitchen, Nextcloud is a bustling food market: colourful, lively, full of options, and sometimes offering three new dishes before you’ve even finished the last one.
3. Feature Comparison: The Essentials and the Flourishes
3.1 Core File Synchronisation and Sharing
At the heart of both platforms is file sync and share functionality—the ability to store files on your own server and access them via desktop clients, mobile apps, or the web interface. Both support:
- File synchronisation across devices
- Sharing via links, groups, or users
- Versioning
- Deleted file recovery
- Encryption options
- Web-based file management
For the core experience, the two are broadly comparable. Both are stable, performant, and flexible. Where differences emerge is in the surrounding ecosystem of features.
3.2 Collaboration Tools
This is where Nextcloud has truly sprinted ahead.
Nextcloud now includes:
- A fully fledged office suite integration (via partnerships with open-source editors)
- Built-in video conferencing
- Chat/messaging tools
- Email integration
- Calendar and contacts management
- Project management boards
- Deck (like Trello but without the urge to charge you monthly for adding stickers)
- Unified search across multiple data sources
- And much more
If there is a collaborative feature that someone, somewhere, thought might be useful, there is a decent chance Nextcloud has integrated it already.
OwnCloud, in contrast, has taken a more modular, stripped-back approach. It focuses strongly on file management while providing optional integrations for collaborative tools, particularly with commercial offerings. This leads to a cleaner, less cluttered interface and is arguably easier to optimise.
Nextcloud sometimes feels like a Swiss Army knife that keeps insisting on adding one more tool; OwnCloud feels more like a high-quality pocket knife designed specifically for cutting things, not opening wine bottles or removing bicycle tyres.
3.3 Extensibility and Apps
Both platforms have app ecosystems, but Nextcloud’s App Store is significantly larger and more diverse. This comes down to its strong community engagement and willingness to integrate new ideas.
OwnCloud’s marketplace is more curated and conservative, prioritising stable, enterprise-ready extensions over experimental ones.
If you like being able to add new capabilities with reckless abandon, Nextcloud will feel like a candy shop. If you prefer your extensions to be vetted, steady, and unlikely to set fire to anything, OwnCloud’s more measured approach might be preferable.
4. Performance and Efficiency: Who Runs Faster, Who Runs Cooler
Performance comparisons between the two must be taken with context. Both depend heavily on server configuration, caching layers, database tuning, and deployment architecture.
However, general observations can be made:
OwnCloud Performance
OwnCloud tends to be slightly more resource-efficient, especially in large enterprise deployments. Its focus on core file services means it often carries less overhead. It also offers a commercial “infinite scale” platform designed for extremely large installations with high availability requirements. This makes OwnCloud especially appealing to institutions needing predictable performance under heavy load.
Nextcloud Performance
Nextcloud’s rapid expansions sometimes introduce resource overhead. The more apps you enable, the more CPU and memory you will need. However, the project has significantly improved performance over the years and continues to optimise aggressively.
For small-to-medium deployments, Nextcloud performs superbly. For extremely large deployments with tens or hundreds of thousands of users, it can still perform very well—but OwnCloud’s enterprise stack remains attractive for organisations wanting iron-clad predictability.
In short:
- Home users: You’ll never notice the difference.
- SMEs: Both work well; Nextcloud offers more features.
- Huge corporations: OwnCloud may deliver slightly more predictable scaling.
5. Security: Two Approaches, Both Strong
Security is a crucial selling point for both platforms. They share many best practices, including:
- Support for end-to-end encryption
- Strong server-side encryption options
- Multi-factor authentication
- Audit logs
- Access controls
- File integrity checking
The key difference lies in approach:
Nextcloud
Nextcloud emphasises rapid integration of new security technologies. It has introduced several innovative features, including machine-learning-driven login anomaly detection. It also tends to respond quickly to vulnerabilities thanks to its active community.
OwnCloud
OwnCloud, being more traditional and enterprise-oriented, emphasises consistency and long-term stability. Its commercial edition offers Enterprise Security Hardening tools designed for regulated industries.
Both platforms meet high security standards. If forced to choose:
- Nextcloud offers more cutting-edge tools
- OwnCloud offers stricter, more controlled security pathways
6. User Experience and Interface Design
Interfaces in open-source software can sometimes range from “pleasant and modern” to “constructed by electrical engineers after a long lunch”. Fortunately, both OwnCloud and Nextcloud offer polished, attractive, user-friendly web interfaces.
Nextcloud UI
Nextcloud’s interface is bustling but well organised. It emphasises modern design, easy navigation, and integrated workflows. Some might call it feature-rich; others might call it “a bit busy”, especially once multiple apps are enabled.
OwnCloud UI
OwnCloud opts for a more minimalistic, streamlined experience. It feels cleaner, more focused, and less cluttered. One might even say it is “calmer”, as if it has been on a digital mindfulness retreat.
Overall:
- Nextcloud is great for users who want everything at their fingertips.
- OwnCloud is great for users who want the cloud equivalent of a tidy desk.
7. Client Applications: Desktop, Mobile, and Interoperability
Both platforms provide:
- Desktop sync clients for Windows, macOS, and Linux
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android
- Good WebDAV support
- API access for integration
Nextcloud’s clients tend to receive more frequent feature updates, reflecting its rapid development model. OwnCloud’s clients emphasise stability and long-term reliability.
There are edge cases where one may outperform the other, but for everyday usage they are comparable.
8. Community and Ecosystem: A Tale of Two Crowds
Nextcloud Community
Nextcloud boasts one of the most active and enthusiastic communities in the self-hosted software world. It has:
- Frequent contributions
- A large volunteer base
- Active forums
- Numerous third-party integrations
- Strong engagement between developers and users
This community energy has driven much of Nextcloud’s innovation.
OwnCloud Community
OwnCloud still maintains a solid community, but its commercial structure means much development happens internally at the company. This results in a more predictable but less frenetic ecosystem.
If you want access to a large community culture full of ideas, Nextcloud wins. If you prefer a quieter, more predictable ecosystem that feels less like a festival and more like a professional conference, OwnCloud is your platform.
9. Enterprise Support and Commercial Offerings
OwnCloud Enterprise
OwnCloud positions itself strongly in the enterprise space. Its commercial offerings include:
- High-availability architecture
- Professional support
- Enterprise-grade security enhancements
- Long-term maintenance guarantees
- Tools for extremely large distributed installs
Large companies, government agencies, and regulated institutions may find OwnCloud’s approach reassuring.
Nextcloud Enterprise
Nextcloud also offers enterprise subscriptions, but its commercial model is more tightly integrated with its community edition. Many organisations find this appealing because they can easily scale from hobbyist deployments to professionally supported ones without major architectural changes.
Where OwnCloud goes for strict structure and specialisation, Nextcloud emphasises flexibility and open development.
10. Stability vs Innovation: The Essence of the Difference
The heart of the comparison may be summarised thus:
- OwnCloud is the platform you choose when you want predictability, stability, and a strong enterprise backbone.
- Nextcloud is the platform you choose when you want innovation, collaboration tools, rapid feature evolution, and a vibrant ecosystem.
Both are strong. Both work well. But they serve subtly different philosophical markets.
11. Use Case Recommendations
Choose Nextcloud if you want:
- A highly integrated digital workspace (files, chat, video, email, and more)
- Rapid feature updates and wide third-party extensions
- A large, lively community
- Collaboration and productivity tools beyond simple storage
- A system that feels like your own private alternative to big tech platforms
Ideal for: home users, privacy enthusiasts, small to mid-sized organisations, educational institutions, and anyone who wants rich collaborative functionality.
Choose OwnCloud if you want:
- A stable, enterprise-focused platform
- High performance at large scale
- Predictable commercial support and long-term maintenance
- A cleaner, simpler user environment
- A strong focus on core file synchronisation without dozens of extra modules
Ideal for: large enterprises, government departments, regulated industries, and environments where uptime and consistency outweigh rapid innovation.
12. Conclusion: Two Platforms, One Mission, Different Attitudes
OwnCloud and Nextcloud share a common ancestry and a common goal: giving users control over their digital assets. Yet their evolution has produced two distinct personalities.
OwnCloud has become the disciplined, reliable, enterprise-ready elder sibling—focused, efficient, and unlikely to surprise you.
Nextcloud, meanwhile, is the enthusiastic, feature-packed younger sibling who constantly explores new ideas, integrates new tools, and occasionally delivers so much functionality that you find yourself wondering whether you truly needed a Kanban board integrated into your cloud storage (but then you use it anyway and realise you quite enjoy it).
Both platforms deserve their place in the modern self-hosted cloud ecosystem. The “better” choice depends not on which is objectively superior, but on what you value:
- Predictability or innovation?
- Minimalism or everything-in-one-place?
- Strict enterprise architecture or community-driven evolution?
Whatever your preference, the real winner is the user—who now has two powerful, open, flexible alternatives to the increasingly centralised, data-harvesting world of corporate cloud services. And that, in an age when everything from your toaster to your trainer socks wants to connect to the internet, is something truly worth celebrating.
-
"Over the weekend, I spent about 10 hours working with Claude to manually validate 578 coding patterns across a range of languages and coding tasks for my Agent Skill Report. We had to deep dive into standard library docs, package-specific documentation, large enterprise docs, and personal blogs. My goal was to ensure that every API and configuration pattern I was using in a behavioral evaluation experiment reflected the current guidance from official sources. My learnings about agent docs access patterns were secondary to this project, but the results are a rich treasure trove of data that may inform how I use agents with docs in the future. As a technical writer who has worked on SaaS and developer docs for the last decade, honestly, my findings made me a little sad.
(...)
My high-level takeaway was this: I expected an agent to try to use docs like I do, and was very surprised when it didn’t.
(...)
Over the course of validating 578 patterns across 20 different skills, my agent and I built up a pretty comprehensive picture of what documentation access patterns actually work for agents, and which ones don’t. I had my agent keep a running reference doc of its learnings, and by the end of the project, the patterns were clear enough to categorize."https://dacharycarey.com/2026/02/18/agent-friendly-docs/
#TechnicalWriting #TechnicalCommunication #AI #AIAgents #LLMs #Chatbots #AgenticAI #SoftwareDocumentation #APIs #Docs #Documentation
-
BURGER - A Bottom-Up Regionalization Approach for Global Sub-Daily Intensity-Duration-Frequency Data
--
https://doi.org/10.1029/2024WR039773 <-- shared paper
--
https://zenodo.org/records/15473689 <-- shared dataset
--
"KEY POINTS
• BURGER is the first global IDF data set derived from observations of sub-daily rainfall
• Sub-daily rainfall intensities are computed with the Simplified Metastatistical Extreme Value (SMEV) approach for a range of return periods
• BURGER intensities compare well with expected intensities, indicated by an interquartile range of the percentage bias between −5% and 5%..”
#GIS #spatial #data #mapping #global #exteremeweather #precipitation #rainfall #gauge #intensity #model #modeling #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #BURGER #geostatistics #spatialstatistics # statistics #GSDR #IDF #remotesensing #earthobservation #machinelearning #AI #weather #climate #prediction #usecase #flood #risk #hazard #SMEV #accuracy #metrology -
Come and work with us - job opening at the Molenaar research group in the Princess Máxima Center for pediatric oncology, looking for a #bioinformatician / #DataScientist.
Together with my colleagues and me you will research #neuroblastoma, with a focus on #tumour #microenvironment and the #immune compartment using a range of #sequencing data and other high-throughput data.
#CancerResearch #scRNAseq
#FediJobs #JobOfferFor further information, see the vacancy below:
https://werkenbijprinsesmaximacentrum.nl/en/vacancy/bioinformatics-research-scientist/ -
Lifehacker: Google Photos Now Lets You Convert Standard Photos to Ultra HDR. “Ultra HDR is a cool image format. Like traditional HDR, this format packs more image data into each media file, which translates into brighter highlights, darker shadows, and more vibrant colors. However, Ultra HDR files also contain the standard dynamic range (SDR) version of the image as well. That way, you can […]
-
ok so re-reading #IPFS paper and there are a few things I think in retrospect are undesirable about the #MerkelDAG spec. it's hard to parse them out as separable ideas because they depend on one another, but the main thing I think is how it conflates the structure of a metadata graph, the content of the graph, and the notion of authorship/identity.
In (basic) IPFS, each node contains some data and some links. the data is some unspecified binary blob, the links are all references to hashes of other nodes, and then the hash of all that identifies the node. There are some abstractions like flattened trees that can represent n-depth links, but that's the gist. I'm refreshing myself, so correct me where I'm wrong.
This makes traversing the graph expensive from a naive (cacheless) state- you have to fetch each node and parse its links serially, and since there isn't a notion of authorship except when used to sign a node, you might have to do the resolution process across a lot of the network instead of being able to say "ah ok this is from this identity so I should ask their neighborhood first"
Since the links are untyped, and because of the need for serial resolution, you can't really "plan" queries and move the query logic to the "edges" (in a networking, rather than graph parlance) of the network - the network resolution logic handles all that.
This structure also makes it so you can't "talk about" a node. A node contains its links. The links are directional, so I could make some statement about a node by pointing to it, but I can't, as a third party make a link under my identity, separate from the author and content of the node, that points from some object to another. That makes the network more like a hard drive than a social space.
Further, since links aren't typed, you have to move that metadata inside the node. This makes you need to re-hash each node more than you need to, and since "keys" for identifying different fields in the node aren't themselves links, you can't have any notion of "schema" where a term can be reused. So there isn't really a facility for being able to do graph queries like "find me this type of data whose field has this value" which restricts a whole huge range of possibilities too long to list here. This also makes knowing what the binary data inside a node is potentially impossible without out of band info, depending on how it's encoded. #IPLD and #Multiformats are intended to solve this, post-hoc.
I'll stop there for now, and save what I think could be a different model for later, but I am thinking along the lines of merging with #LinkedData #Triplets , encoding the notion of authorship into links (so that links can have an "utterance" rather than "fact" ontological status), a notion of container/contained for explicit block formation and metadata separation, and formalizing the notion of orthogonal Merkel DAGs to change the points where the content addressing happens to be able to have "graph subunits" that allow for cycles at a "complete" scope but for the purposes of hashing have no cycles. very much #WIP, still at conceptual stage haven't started writing spec yet.
-
🛠️ Tool
Opening: AmCache-EvilHunter is a command-line utility designed to parse offline Windows Amcache.hve registry hives and extract artifacts that indicate program execution and potentially suspicious executables. The tool targets forensic triage and incident-response workflows where rapid identification of executed binaries is required.
Key Features:
• Parse offline Amcache.hve and enumerate recorded executable artifacts
• Filter records by date range and keyword search
• Flag executables that match known suspicious patterns or lack a Publisher field
• Integrate hash lookups with VirusTotal (VT_API_KEY) and Kaspersky OpenTIP (OPENTIP_API_KEY)
• Export results to JSON or CSV for downstream analysisTechnical Implementation:
• The tool is implemented in Python 3.7+, relying on python-registry to read the Amcache hive and requests for API lookups.
• Detection logic includes pattern matching on file paths, executable names, and metadata fields such as Publisher and Company.
• Hash-based enrichment uses file SHA hashes extracted from Amcache records and submits them to configured external APIs, optionally filtering to only show files with detections.Use Cases:
• Triage of a suspected host image to quickly identify recently executed binaries
• Enrichment of forensic timelines with hash-based reputation data from VirusTotal and OpenTIP
• Support for SOC workflows by exporting normalized CSV/JSON for SIEM ingestion or case managementInstallation / Setup:
• Clone the repository and install Python dependencies from requirements.txt with pip3 install -r requirements.txt.
• Configure VT_API_KEY and/or OPENTIP_API_KEY as environment variables to enable remote lookups.Limitations:
• Accuracy depends on the completeness of the Amcache.hve file and the presence of stored hashes.
• Remote API lookups are rate-limited and require valid keys; offline-only use still provides metadata-based detections.
• Detection of “suspicious” files relies on pattern lists that may need tuning per environment.References:
• Runtime requirements: Python 3.7+, requests, python-registry, rich🔹 amcache #amcache_evilhunter #forensics #incident_response #tool
-
Secret Phone #Surveillance Tech Was Likely Deployed at 2024 #DNC
Data WIRED collected during the 2024 #DemocraticNationalConvention strongly suggests the use of a cell-site simulator, a controversial #spy device that intercepts sensitive data from every phone in its range.
#privacy #stingray #cellsitesimulator #DNC2024 #politicshttps://www.wired.com/story/2024-dnc-cell-site-simulator-phone-surveillance/
-
CW: research review
M. Gross et al., "CPU to FPGA Power Covert Channel in FPGA-SoCs"¹
FPGA-SoCs are a popular platform for accelerating a wide
range of applications due to their performance and flexibility. From a
security point of view, these systems have been shown to be vulnerable
to various attacks, especially side-channel attacks where an attacker can
obtain the secret key of a cryptographic algorithm via laboratory mea-
surement equipment or even remotely with sensors implemented inside
the FPGA logic itself. Fortunately, a variety of countermeasures on the
algorithmic level have been proposed to mitigate this threat. Beyond side-
channel attacks, covert channels constitute another threat which enables
communication through a hidden channel. In this work, we demonstrate
the possibility of implementing a covert channel between the CPU and
an FPGA by modulating the usage of the Power Distribution Network.
We show that this resource is especially vulnerable since it can be easily
controlled and observed, resulting in a stealthy communication and a
high transmission data rate. The power usage is modulated using simple
and inconspicuous instructions executed on the CPU. Additionally, we
use Time-to-Digital Converter sensors to observe these power variations.
The sensor circuits are programmed into the FPGA fabric using only
standard logic components. Our covert channel achieves a transmission
rate of up to 16.7 kbit/s combined with an error rate of 2.3%. Besides
a good transmission quality, our covert channel is also stealthy and can
be used as an activation function for a hardware trojan.#IACR #ResearchPapers #FPGA-SoCs #CovertChannels #PowerDistributionNetwork #OnChipPowerSensors #HardwareTrojan
__
¹ https://eprint.iacr.org/2023/429 -
#weeklyreview 07/2026
February 8th – 14th, 2026
Summary
Somehow super hectic week. That’s why I only got to post last weeks review yesterday. Struggling with project management or the lack thereof in the office. More AI fiddling that I’m rather happy with. Good progress on #project25 and the China vacation plan. Also still enjoying the book about the Vienna Circle a lot.
AI, AI and more AI
This is a big topic for me right now. At the office of course but also in personal experiments.
Fediverse journaling plugin
With help of AI coding I’m getting to realise many small ideas I had but would never have had the time to realise. This week I’ve create a little WordPress plugin to use the fediverse as a journaling assistant.
I spent a lot of time in my fediverse clients (mostly Mona, IceCubes or the Mastodon web interface). So why not use that as an input channel for my weekly blogging. I tried different other approaches over the last few months to recollect what I was busy with during the week. Having scripts collecting my Mastodon posts over the weeks and compiling them into a weekly overview page for instance. So I thought it might be useful to just sent message in the Fediverse to my blog for journaling.
I’ve got the ActivityPub plugin installed and thus my Blog is just a normal account in the fediverse that I can mention or sent messages to. I’ve wrote a plugin in which I can authorise specific fediverse users in a WordPress author profile. If these fediverse users mention the WordPress author profile, that post gets appended to a weekly draft post on the Blog.
Now whenever I have something noteworthy, I’ll mention my blog account in my fediverse post and it gets automatically appended to a weekly review draft. At the end of the week I already have a list of things that bothered me during the week.
The code can be found here.
Some snippets from this weeks journal:
2026-02-11 17:37:06
I’d call it “vibe project management” where you just pretend to have a project plan. It visually looks like project plan. But factually it doesn’t make any sense because it has been created with Photoshop for Powerpoint …@falko2026-02-12 12:59:10
@Nico prinzipiell läuft es. Genutzt wird das Modell jetzt von einem Pi Coding Agent der in einer Debian VM läuft 🙈 @falkoI’ve tried my luck with an open weight coding model and the Pi Coding agent. Downloaded the qwen3-coder-next:latest model for Ollama. That’s a whopping 51GB in size as barely fits into my physical memory. The Pi coding agent was running inside a virtual machine. It works in principle… but is so slow that a reasonable test wasn’t really practical for the moment. Have to play a bit more with it. With that setup one could theoretically realise a fully offline coding agent. But I guess some more beefy hardware is needed. Although an Apple Silicon M2 Max isn’t really a slow machine.
Project Management in the age of vibe everything
To be honest, this has started much before AI and vibe coding became popular. The tendency to make up project plans with tools that are not meant for project planning. Most notorious in this field are Project Plans in Excel, Powerpoint or JIRA.
Why am I so upset about it? In my eyes a project plan helps you prioritise and visualise work by listing the tasks and milestones and putting them in chronological order. You define dependencies between tasks and maybe even resources. Once that has been established (and I don’t say this is trivial to collect) you can use proper project management software to identify the critical path of your project. That is the one sequence of events that you have to focus on. All the others will not move you necessarily closer to your project end (because they’re not on the critical path) until the items on the critical path are not finished.
It will also help you assess the effects of time lines slippage. How does that the affect to overall project timing? Or you can identify bottlenecks in your plan due to resources overload. So all good things that you management usually wants to see and from you as a project manager.
Yet, many project plans are just vibe fiddled with the likes of office software. So it just looks similar to a project plan visually. But these tools don’t help you actually manage your project. They just visualise what you think your project plan is. Not backed by hard data.
The most hilarious experience in this context was my conversation with the Atlassian Rovo AI assistant on the topic this week. Asked whether JIRA can be used for project management it of course answered that JIRA is actually best for this. Then probed how chronological order and critical path can then be managed it needed to back off and admit that you can’t do that in JIRA without lots of add-ons and/or paid extensions.
What puzzles me is, that this kind of “let’s just wing it” project management is accepted in many companies. My theory is, that management knows precisely that their demand for speed, quality and resource usage is completely unrealistic. Too much work get’s committed with too little resources. Milestone be set before the actually planning happened because it was promised to a customer or C-suite guy. Proper project management would proof with hard data that the timeline is totally unrealistic.
But with just vibe coded project plans they can just press and demand. And people obey with over-hours and compromises in quality and features.
Rural restaurants
On Sunday we’ve been at the lovely Kastanienhof in Flieth. A traditional village restaurant with traditional German food. It was really delicious and at a very affordable price range. For the three of us we payed something around 60 EUR in total including drinks and my starter. That’s about as much as I pay for me alone in Berlin when having BBQ ribs at Chicago Williams 😉
That Sunday morning I was helping a friend to put a new hard disk into his laptop. I needed more space and fortunately bought the new NVMe SSD already back in November. The same 4 TB disks now costs more than 100 EUR more thanks to the AI hype.
It had to be a Windows 11 installation as that’s what he had to use for his work. I’m not judging. It went surprisingly smooth. We’ve created a bootstick from the existing installation with the Windows 11 installer. He had already looked up a video on how to disassemble the laptop. That was a huge timesaver as the HP Laptop had 5 hidden screws that we had to uncover under the rubber feet.
New disk in, booted from USB and started the installation. After about 15 min the new OS was running and could start to install the needed software from scratch. He knew all his accounts and password and so we were done in a few hours with the whole setup. I honestly expected more fiddling needed.
China here we come
The planning of the upcoming China trip progresses. I’ve contacted a few friends in Beijing and established communication via WeChat with them now. We had stayed in contact loosely via Facebook and LinkedIN. Both services are just bad … for various reasons. But we switched to Chinas most popular chat app. They immediately offered pick up service and are generally excited to meet again. We’ve also got the rest of the schedule mostly sorted and now need to book the hotels and tours. It’s getting real.
#project25 update
This week the insulation material for the attic arrived and work is supposed to start next week. We quickly unloaded the stuff and placed partially into the attic and living room for convenience.
Unfortunately I noticed that the heating seemed to have stopped. It’s hopefully “just” because of low fuel level in the oil tanks. I had initially only bought 1000L back in June 2025 expecting this to last about a year.
I really have no experience with this kind of heating system. We didn’t spent much time in the house yet so the heating was set to winter mode most of the time. But then we also had a pretty cold winter so far and not insulated attic is kind of open to the lower floor norw. I’ve tried to seal it as good as possible with styrofoam plates. Still the heating seems to guzzle a lot of oil… that soon needs to be replace by a proper heat pump system.
still ice on the lake14 at last
Kiddo turned 14 this week … of course they grow up so fast 🙂
Learning
Learned (rather got it confirmed) this week from our doctor that ADS & depression is much harder noticed in women because they’re much better at blending in and make an effort to just play along to expectations. That of course is taxing and taking lots of energy which makes their symptoms even worse.
Reading
no changes over last week
#activitypub #coffee #enEN #project25 #tasskaff #Uckermark #weekly #weeklyreview #wordpress -
Are AI-Restricted 3D Printers Killing Innovation?
5,595 words, 30 minutes read time.
Introduction: The Unintended Consequences of AI Restrictions in 3D Printing
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being integrated into the world of 3D printing, offering unprecedented capabilities for efficiency, precision, and speed. The implementation of AI-driven controls aims to enhance safety, protect intellectual property, and help manufacturers comply with various legal standards. However, while these restrictions represent a major step forward in terms of security and compliance, they also introduce a host of challenges that could significantly hinder innovation, alienate users, and even open the door to new types of security breaches.
AI systems are now capable of making decisions about what can and cannot be printed, often based on political, corporate, or social biases. This has created an environment where makers, hobbyists, and small businesses could feel increasingly restricted in what they are able to design and produce. For many in the 3D printing community, AI controls have begun to resemble the types of moderation systems seen on social media platforms—deciding what is permissible without much transparency or accountability. The concerns about AI-driven controls not only reflect broader debates about technology and freedom but also raise important questions about the balance between safety and innovation.
The challenge is that, while these systems are designed to help prevent illegal activity, protect proprietary information, and adhere to regulatory standards, they could unintentionally stifle creativity and block access to technologies that have been empowering makers and manufacturers. As companies impose more AI restrictions, especially in areas like aerospace, healthcare, and consumer electronics, some worry that it will push innovation and production into an underground, unregulated market. This could ultimately lead to a fragmented industry where legitimate businesses and individuals lose access to vital tools, and hackers or rogue elements dominate.
Furthermore, AI systems themselves are not foolproof. As we’ve seen in other contexts, AI-driven technologies can be susceptible to errors, biases, and vulnerabilities. The same applies to AI in 3D printing. As printers increasingly rely on cloud-based systems for decision-making, there are more points of attack for hackers looking to exploit these AI controls, either by bypassing restrictions or stealing sensitive data. This creates a real and pressing risk, not just for individuals but for industries that depend on 3D printing for their operations.
Ultimately, the ongoing debate about AI restrictions in 3D printing will require finding a balance between maintaining security and promoting openness. While AI systems offer unprecedented advantages for safety and efficiency, their overreach could stifle the very innovation and creativity that the technology was designed to support. The challenge for policymakers, manufacturers, and the 3D printing community will be to strike the right balance between regulation and freedom, ensuring that AI systems help protect valuable assets while also preserving access to the tools and possibilities that have made 3D printing such a game-changing technology.
The Growing Role of AI in Restricting 3D Printing
AI-powered 3D printers are now capable of scanning digital files to identify “restricted” items—such as firearms, controversial designs, or intellectual property violations—before they are printed. These systems use cloud-based monitoring to flag files that don’t meet pre-determined guidelines, ensuring compliance with safety regulations or copyright laws. On paper, it seems like a good solution for mitigating risks associated with the proliferation of dangerous or illegal items.
However, the growing reliance on these AI systems to enforce restrictions could have serious unintended consequences. One of the most concerning issues is the way in which these restrictions curtail the freedom that defines the 3D printing community. Much like how social media platforms have been accused of overreach when moderating content, 3D printer manufacturers are now assuming the role of gatekeepers over what can and cannot be made, potentially based on political or corporate interests rather than public safety or legality.
How Political Agendas Could Limit 3D Printing Freedom
Just like social media platforms selectively censor content they find objectionable, AI-restricted 3D printers could enforce ideological or corporate biases. Companies that produce 3D printers might block certain designs based on their own policies or external pressures, such as lobbying from interest groups or government agencies. For instance, the debate surrounding 3D-printed firearms has raised concerns that manufacturers might restrict designs that could be used to create guns, even when such printing is legal.
While these restrictions may be framed as a safety measure, many in the 3D printing community see them as an overreach—an attempt to control what people can create. This mirrors the challenges social media platforms face when they moderate speech, leading to concerns over who gets to decide what is “acceptable” and what is not. By restricting certain prints, manufacturers could inadvertently limit the potential of 3D printing to foster creativity, innovation, and collaboration.
Security Risks: Hacking AI-Driven Restrictions in 3D Printing
Despite manufacturers’ efforts to safeguard against misuse, AI-restricted 3D printers are not immune to hacking. As the technology becomes more integrated with cloud-based monitoring systems, the potential for breaches grows significantly. These cloud systems are often responsible for processing and storing design files, which means that if a hacker gains access to them, they could alter the files, bypass restrictions, or steal valuable data. In the worst-case scenario, this could lead to intellectual property theft, damaging the reputation and financial stability of businesses. Hackers may exploit vulnerabilities in cloud platforms, taking advantage of weak security measures or misconfigurations, enabling them to manipulate design files or disable the AI algorithms that govern the printing process.
Additionally, as 3D printers become more connected to the internet and rely on IoT systems, they become more susceptible to remote attacks. A hacker could gain unauthorized access to these devices, controlling the printing process without the need for physical access to the printer itself. By exploiting security loopholes, attackers can manipulate or completely disable the AI-driven restrictions, allowing them to print illegal or restricted items. This has significant implications for businesses that depend on these systems for secure production of sensitive products. Furthermore, such breaches could lead to the theft of proprietary designs, which could be copied or sold on the black market, undermining the integrity of the entire 3D printing industry. The risks of hacking underscore the need for stronger security measures and proactive defense mechanisms in the evolving landscape of 3D printing.
Examples of Hardware Being Hacked
There have already been notable instances of hardware vulnerabilities being exploited in the 3D printing world, highlighting the risks inherent in these systems:
- Stealing Intellectual Property in Aerospace: Hackers have exploited vulnerabilities in 3D printers used by aerospace companies. In one case, hackers accessed industrial 3D printers to steal design files of aircraft components, leading to the production of counterfeit parts that could be sold at cheaper prices, endangering safety standards.
- 3D Printer Firmware Hacks: In one incident, a researcher spent months cracking encrypted firmware of a 3D printer to fix software issues, discovering that such vulnerabilities could also be exploited to steal design files and bypass security measures. This vulnerability is particularly concerning in industrial settings where proprietary designs are crucial.
- Acoustic Hacking: At the University of California, Irvine, researchers demonstrated that the sounds a 3D printer makes during operation could be used to reverse-engineer parts. By recording these sounds, hackers could gain enough detail to reproduce parts with high accuracy, circumventing security that encrypts design files.
- Unauthorized Access to Cloud Storage: Hackers have targeted cloud-based storage platforms linked to 3D printers, stealing valuable design files and intellectual property. Once inside the cloud storage, attackers can alter files, bypass restrictions, and even inject malicious code into designs, potentially compromising the integrity of the printer’s output.
- Jailbreaking the Printer Software: Hackers have also used jailbreaking techniques to break into the software of 3D printers. This enables them to disable restrictions and gain unrestricted access to the printer’s functionality, allowing them to print illegal or unauthorized items.
These examples emphasize the growing threat of hacking in the 3D printing world. As AI-driven systems become more common, so do the opportunities for hackers to exploit weaknesses in these technologies. Stronger security measures and vigilance will be essential to maintaining the integrity of the industry and protecting against misuse.
Ways Hackers Could Bypass Restrictions
As AI-driven restrictions on 3D printers become more common, the potential for hackers to exploit vulnerabilities in these systems grows. While manufacturers are working to tighten security, the evolving nature of both AI and hacking techniques means these systems may not be as foolproof as intended. Let’s explore in more detail how unauthorized individuals could bypass these restrictions and what that could mean for the future of 3D printing.
Manipulating Printer Firmware and AI Controls
One of the most immediate ways hackers could circumvent AI-driven restrictions is by targeting the printer’s firmware. The firmware acts as the core software that controls the printer’s operations, including the AI algorithms that detect and prevent restricted items from being printed. If a hacker gains access to this firmware—perhaps by exploiting weak security protocols or gaining physical access to the printer—they could disable or alter the AI controls.
By modifying or removing the AI’s scanning algorithm, hackers could effectively allow printers to produce prohibited or restricted items. This opens the door for individuals to create dangerous weapons, counterfeit products, or other items that would otherwise be flagged. These exploits could be performed for personal use, or worse, sold on the black market to those with malicious intent. The potential scale of misuse here is significant, as once AI controls are disabled, the possibility for unethical or illegal prints becomes almost limitless. Additionally, such modifications might not be easily detectable, allowing hackers to operate without raising red flags for long periods.
Moreover, altering the printer’s firmware doesn’t just allow hackers to bypass restrictions; it could also be used to hide the origin of illicit designs. Hackers could reprogram the printer to generate “clean” print logs, erasing any trace of the banned content that was produced. Such sophisticated methods would make it harder for authorities or manufacturers to trace the misuse back to the culprit.
Exploiting Cloud-Based Vulnerabilities
Another major vulnerability in AI-restricted 3D printing systems is the reliance on cloud-based platforms for analyzing and storing designs. When 3D printers scan digital files for compliance with AI rules, these files are often uploaded to cloud servers for real-time processing. This centralized storage method simplifies the process for both users and manufacturers but also creates an attractive target for hackers.
If an attacker can gain access to the cloud platform, they could alter the design files being analyzed, bypass the AI’s detection system, or even upload malicious files designed to exploit flaws in the printer’s security. For example, an attacker could inject code into the digital files to override the AI’s scanning protocol or remove the identification markers that trigger the restrictions. This would allow users to print restricted items, all while bypassing the safety measures put in place.
Moreover, cloud breaches also expose the risk of intellectual property theft. Companies that rely on proprietary designs for their products or processes store valuable data in these cloud systems. If a hacker successfully infiltrates the cloud storage, they could steal these designs, leading to significant financial losses and even potential lawsuits if the stolen designs are used or sold without authorization. Not only does this undermine the trust users place in these platforms, but it could discourage businesses from using AI-restricted printers at all, fearing the security risks involved.
Jailbreaking and Unlocking 3D Printers
Similar to the techniques used to jailbreak smartphones or gaming consoles, 3D printers can also be “jailbroken” to remove restrictions imposed by the manufacturer. Jailbreaking typically involves altering or replacing the device’s operating system, allowing it to bypass the intended limitations. In the case of AI-restricted 3D printers, jailbreaking could involve unlocking the printer’s software to allow for unrestricted printing.
Once jailbroken, the printer would no longer follow the manufacturer’s rules or restrictions, making it possible for users to print anything they wish—whether legal or not. This could range from creating counterfeit goods to producing dangerous, banned items like firearms or drug-related paraphernalia. Since the software is no longer locked down, hackers can also install their own modified versions of the software, opening even more doors for malicious activity.
This type of hacking is particularly concerning because it’s a relatively accessible way for non-expert users to disable AI-driven restrictions. It’s not just large-scale hackers or criminals who can exploit this; everyday users with basic knowledge of software modifications could potentially gain full control over their printers. Once the system is compromised, the potential for misuse skyrockets, as the technology becomes as free to operate as the maker’s imagination allows.
Remote Hacking and Data Theft
While many 3D printing systems rely on local firmware or cloud-based processing, the growing trend toward Internet of Things (IoT)-connected devices introduces new risks. 3D printers that are connected to the internet for easier file transfers or remote monitoring could be targeted by hackers from anywhere in the world. These remote attacks could exploit known vulnerabilities in the printer’s software or its internet connection to bypass AI restrictions without the need for physical access.
Such remote hacking attempts can involve manipulating the printer’s communication protocols, gaining unauthorized access to the design data, or even installing malware that forces the printer to follow illicit instructions. For instance, hackers could inject a piece of code into the printer that causes it to ignore specific restrictions or print files that are flagged as dangerous.
This remote access could also lead to serious data theft. If a business is using a 3D printer to prototype products or create sensitive designs, remote hacking could expose these assets to theft. With cloud-based storage or IoT connectivity, valuable company data—ranging from trade secrets to new product designs—could be stolen, copied, or sold on the black market. This threat has been growing across all IoT-connected industries, and 3D printing could quickly become a prime target for cybercriminals looking to exploit weaknesses in these technologies.
The Future of Hacking 3D Printing Systems
As 3D printing technology continues to evolve, so too will the methods used by hackers to exploit vulnerabilities in AI-driven systems. The sophistication of attacks will likely increase, with hackers utilizing a combination of firmware manipulation, cloud exploits, jailbreaking, and remote hacking to circumvent restrictions. The challenge for manufacturers will be to stay one step ahead of these threats by continuously upgrading security measures and ensuring that AI-driven restrictions cannot be easily bypassed.
For users, the best defense against these risks is vigilance and understanding the potential dangers associated with AI-restricted 3D printers. By staying informed about the latest threats and adopting best practices for security, individuals and businesses can help mitigate the risks posed by hackers. However, the larger issue remains: if AI restrictions are too easily bypassed or manipulated, the value of these systems in securing 3D printing will diminish, ultimately forcing the industry to rethink its approach to safety and control.
The Risk of a Black Market for Unrestricted Printers
As 3D printing technology becomes more integrated with AI-driven restrictions, the potential for a black market offering unrestricted printers grows. These underground networks would cater to those who want to bypass the AI controls placed on commercial 3D printers. People willing to break the law or avoid the ethical considerations of printing restricted items could easily find access to machines that enable them to do so. This could lead to an increase in demand for hacked, modified, or counterfeit 3D printers capable of bypassing these built-in security measures. With the technology becoming more widespread and accessible, these black market operations would likely continue to grow in size and scope, potentially undermining the legitimacy of the entire 3D printing industry.
The presence of such a black market would complicate regulatory and legal efforts to control the technology. Governments and businesses would face challenges in identifying and controlling the use of unregulated machines, especially as these systems may not be traceable to a legitimate manufacturer. As these illegal printers spread, they could lead to the production of harmful or dangerous items, such as weapons, counterfeit parts for vehicles, or even hazardous products. With no oversight or accountability, the risk of unsafe printing practices would rise, putting the general public at risk. As more people gain access to these unrestricted printers, the scale of unethical or dangerous printing could increase rapidly, becoming a significant public safety concern.
The creation of a black market for printers could also negatively impact legitimate manufacturers, who already face significant pressure to maintain strict quality controls and security measures. As people turn to hacked or modified machines, manufacturers who maintain high standards may see a drop in sales, especially as consumers opt for cheaper, unregulated alternatives. This could reduce innovation in the market, as companies may fear that any advancements they make could be undermined by widespread hacking or the growth of the black market. Additionally, the legitimacy of the 3D printing industry as a whole could be questioned, as it becomes increasingly associated with illegal activity, overshadowing its legitimate uses in medical, engineering, and manufacturing fields.
Furthermore, the black market could foster a host of other criminal activities. As hackers gain expertise in modifying 3D printers, they may find new ways to exploit these systems for personal gain. This could include selling stolen designs, creating fake products to trick consumers, or even developing new ways to use printers for illegal or dangerous purposes. The combination of these illegal operations could lead to further degradation of trust in the 3D printing industry. If the public perceives 3D printing as a tool for illicit activity, rather than innovation and progress, the entire field could suffer reputational damage that would take years to recover from.
The Economic and Ethical Impact of Restrictions
AI-driven restrictions on 3D printing are not only a technical and security issue but also pose significant economic challenges, especially for industries that depend on 3D printing for innovation, production, and prototyping. Sectors like aerospace, automotive, and healthcare have made tremendous strides using 3D printing to create complex prototypes and functional parts, often in short runs that would otherwise be too costly or time-consuming to produce with traditional manufacturing. If manufacturers restrict certain designs or types of printing based on vague or politically motivated criteria, it could drastically limit these industries’ ability to innovate and push the boundaries of what’s possible. Companies that rely on the flexibility and customization that 3D printing offers may find themselves stifled by these limitations, hindering their competitiveness in an increasingly fast-paced global market.
For small businesses and independent creators, the financial impact of compliance with AI-driven systems could be prohibitively high. Many independent makers, startups, and entrepreneurs rely on 3D printing technology to prototype products quickly and affordably or to create unique, limited-edition items. If AI restrictions are introduced to prevent them from printing certain designs or products, they may face increased costs due to the need to invest in specialized printers or software to comply with these rules. Additionally, many of these businesses may not have the capital or resources to adhere to the rigid restrictions imposed by large manufacturers, leaving them at a significant disadvantage. As a result, small-scale creators may abandon official, regulated 3D printing systems altogether, turning to open-source, DIY, or unregulated alternatives in an attempt to remain competitive. This trend could contribute to an underground, fragmented marketplace that lacks security, oversight, and accountability.
This shift toward unregulated or underground 3D printing has far-reaching consequences for both innovation and security. By moving away from the official channels that support regulated designs, creators could inadvertently compromise the integrity of their products. Unrestricted printers, while cheaper, may not be subject to the same safety standards or quality control processes that legitimate systems undergo, leading to the proliferation of substandard or dangerous products. This trend could undermine the efforts of companies working to bring high-quality, safe, and reliable 3D-printed items to market, creating a more chaotic and potentially harmful environment. Moreover, as creators abandon ethical standards, the reputation of the entire 3D printing industry could be damaged, as consumers might associate the technology with unreliable or unsafe products.
Another major issue that could arise from these restrictions is the exacerbation of the digital divide. 3D printing has the potential to democratize manufacturing, allowing small creators, individuals, and developing nations to access tools for production that were once exclusive to larger companies with significant resources. However, with AI-driven restrictions forcing smaller creators to either adopt expensive, restricted models or use unregulated alternatives, the technology may become less accessible to those who need it the most. This could lock out innovators from lower-income areas or startups that lack the funds to purchase restricted machines or pay for compliance. At the same time, it would create a widening gap between major corporations and independent creators, potentially stifling competition and reducing the diversity of ideas within the market.
In addition to these economic concerns, the ethical implications of restricting 3D printing are profound. As the technology becomes more powerful and accessible, it has the potential to revolutionize fields ranging from medicine (e.g., printing custom prosthetics or organs) to sustainability (e.g., creating eco-friendly products with reduced waste). However, limiting certain designs based on political or arbitrary criteria could create a dangerous precedent for censorship and control over technology. If the criteria for restricting 3D printing become influenced by political pressure, corporate interests, or fear of misuse, it could stifle creativity, innovation, and even suppress access to life-changing technologies. The ethical debate will only continue to intensify as 3D printing becomes an integral part of more industries and personal projects, and it will be critical for society to find a balance that allows for innovation while protecting public safety.
What Can Be Done to Protect Innovation Without Sacrificing Security?
While the goal of keeping 3D printing safe and secure is understandable, it’s clear that imposing broad, restrictive controls on all users is not the solution. The future of 3D printing hinges on finding a balance between safety and freedom.
One possible solution is to offer optional restrictions rather than mandating them across the board. By allowing users to opt into more rigorous security features, manufacturers can cater to both those who want additional protections and those who prefer greater autonomy. Additionally, decentralizing AI systems—processing design files locally rather than relying on cloud storage—could reduce privacy concerns and increase trust within the 3D printing community.
Another way forward could be the introduction of educational initiatives that focus on ethical 3D printing practices. By empowering users with knowledge about safety and legality, manufacturers can encourage responsible use without resorting to heavy-handed enforcement.
3D Printing Without Internet: Challenges and Workarounds
One of the primary concerns with AI-driven restrictions in 3D printers is their reliance on cloud-based servers and internet connectivity to enforce limitations. These systems analyze and verify print files to determine if they meet predefined criteria, such as whether they contain restricted designs. But what happens when the printer is air-gapped—disconnected from the internet—either due to security concerns or in remote areas where connectivity is unreliable? In this scenario, the printer would likely still operate, but the AI restrictions may become ineffective or unable to function properly.
Functionality Without Cloud Access
When a 3D printer is offline, many of the cloud-based AI-driven controls that enforce restrictions become inaccessible. In such cases, the printer could default to more basic or local file verification methods. However, without the continuous data stream from the manufacturer’s servers, the printer might lack access to the most up-to-date restriction protocols, leading to a situation where restricted or unauthorized designs could be printed without AI interference. This is a potential vulnerability, as users could bypass controls simply by working offline. For instance, in military or high-security environments where printers are air-gapped to prevent hacking, the devices would still function, but there would be a greater risk of misuse or unauthorized printing.
Functionality Without Cloud Access: The Cost of Internet Outages
When a 3D printer is offline due to an internet outage or is deliberately air-gapped for security reasons, the cloud-based AI-driven controls that regulate what can and cannot be printed become inaccessible. Typically, these AI systems help to ensure that designs adhere to specific legal or safety protocols by verifying files before they’re printed. Without access to the continuous data stream from the manufacturer’s cloud servers, the printer may default to more basic, local file verification methods, which lack the sophistication and updates provided by the online system. In the absence of real-time validation, printers may either fail to operate altogether or operate without the necessary safeguards, potentially allowing restricted or unauthorized designs to be printed.
The financial and productivity costs of this type of disruption can be significant. In industries that rely on 3D printing for just-in-time manufacturing, prototyping, or rapid product development, the inability to access updated cloud protocols means the printer might print designs that are outdated, flawed, or even illegal. If such printing activities are discovered, companies could face fines, lawsuits, or damaged reputations, all of which result in considerable costs. For example, in sectors like aerospace or automotive, where strict regulatory compliance is mandatory, printing unauthorized parts could lead to product recalls, safety violations, or even regulatory sanctions. Beyond the legal ramifications, a delay in production due to a printer being offline or working with outdated guidelines could lead to missed deadlines, delayed product launches, and supply chain disruptions.
Additionally, the absence of AI-driven cloud protocols can also result in downtime and inefficiency in high-stakes environments. For instance, industries like healthcare or electronics manufacturing rely on 3D printing for precision and time-sensitive outputs. A single outage, whether due to internet failure or a more systemic issue with the cloud infrastructure, could halt an entire production line, causing a bottleneck that affects downstream operations. The resulting downtime is expensive, not only in terms of lost productivity but also in terms of the costs associated with reprogramming machines, verifying compliance with updated standards, or potentially reprinting faulty items.
Moreover, the productivity losses are compounded by the resources needed to troubleshoot offline systems. Without access to online customer support, updates, or remote diagnostics, manufacturers and businesses may need to invest in in-house technical expertise to ensure that the machines are still functioning properly. This is particularly costly for smaller companies that lack dedicated IT departments. The reliance on manual intervention to ensure compliance and system functionality leads to increased labor costs and can shift the focus away from more productive tasks like innovation and scaling.
Lastly, the long-term impact of frequent internet outages or air-gapping can damage the overall reliability of 3D printing as a core manufacturing tool. When companies face consistent disruptions in cloud access, they may begin to reconsider their reliance on cloud-connected printers, potentially turning to traditional, non-AI-driven 3D printers that do not have the same capabilities but are less susceptible to such interruptions. While this may mitigate some risks, it also eliminates the advantages of AI-driven innovation and efficiency, leading to slower production times, reduced quality, and ultimately higher operational costs. This shift could lead to a greater fragmentation of the market, as companies may turn to less sophisticated or outdated technologies that can handle production independently of cloud-based services, but at a much higher cost to long-term business agility and growth.
In conclusion, while air-gapping or offline modes may offer temporary relief from AI restrictions, they present considerable economic and productivity challenges. These disruptions can lead to delays, security vulnerabilities, and increased operational costs, all of which add up over time. The 3D printing industry must balance the need for secure, AI-driven systems with strategies that ensure functionality, minimize downtime, and maintain compliance, even in the event of an internet outage or cloud disruption.
The Risk of Hacking in Air-Gapped Environments
While being offline may seem like a secure solution, it does not make the 3D printer immune to hacking. Air-gapping a printer simply means that it is not directly connected to the internet, but it can still be accessed via physical means, such as USB drives or external storage devices. Hackers could exploit this by inserting compromised files into the printer via physical media, allowing them to bypass the AI restrictions that would otherwise prevent printing. As a result, even in isolated environments, there is a risk that unauthorized users could inject malicious code or print illicit designs. This is similar to how cybersecurity experts worry about air-gapped systems in other industries—while these systems are harder to hack remotely, they are still vulnerable to local breaches.
Workarounds and Countermeasures
To mitigate these risks, some manufacturers and organizations have implemented their own local verification systems. Instead of relying solely on cloud servers, these printers may include a local database of acceptable design files, print patterns, and encryption keys that the AI can check against before allowing the print job to proceed. In such cases, even though the printer is air-gapped, the security checks would still be based on predefined and vetted files, reducing the likelihood of printing unauthorized designs. Additionally, some air-gapped environments may use encrypted flash drives or other secure methods of transferring files to ensure that no malicious designs are introduced.
However, the trade-off with offline printing is that the printer would no longer receive real-time updates, meaning that security protocols could become outdated. As 3D printing technology rapidly advances, keeping these systems up-to-date with the latest security measures is crucial. Without internet access to push these updates, the risk of a security gap increases, and manufacturers may need to develop offline solutions that allow for periodic, secure updates to ensure that restrictions remain current.
The Future of Offline 3D Printing
As the 3D printing industry continues to evolve, the question of how printers will operate offline, while still adhering to legal and ethical standards, becomes even more pressing. Manufacturers may look into hybrid solutions, where printers can work offline for routine operations but also have periodic connectivity for updates and verifications. This could ensure that users can still print within the boundaries of the law while maintaining a level of security and functionality that prevents abuse. Ultimately, whether air-gapped or online, it will be essential to find the right balance between security and convenience for 3D printers in both commercial and industrial sectors.
In conclusion, while AI-driven restrictions on 3D printers may rely heavily on cloud access, printers operating without internet access still present challenges for both security and functionality. Hackers can exploit offline systems through local interventions, and manufacturers will need to devise creative ways to ensure these systems remain secure and compliant, regardless of their connectivity status.
Conclusion: Innovation Versus Control—The Future of 3D Printing
The debate surrounding AI-restricted 3D printing is a reflection of the broader conversation about technology, control, and freedom in our modern world. As the 3D printing industry matures, it faces increasing pressure from manufacturers and governments to impose stricter regulations—often under the guise of safety, security, or preventing illegal activity. However, this tightening of control runs the risk of stifling the very innovation that has made 3D printing one of the most transformative technologies of the 21st century.
Security is undeniably crucial in a world where the potential for misuse is real. Yet, overregulation—especially when driven by political or corporate interests—could severely damage the open, experimental culture that has allowed individuals, startups, and small businesses to thrive in the 3D printing space. The strength of 3D printing lies in its accessibility and flexibility. It has empowered hobbyists, engineers, and creators to push boundaries, experiment, and iterate rapidly on ideas. If manufacturers continue to act as gatekeepers, limiting access to certain designs or types of printing through AI-driven restrictions, they risk creating a more closed ecosystem. This would not only limit the ability to innovate but also create a fragmented market where underground, unregulated printing systems become the only viable option for those seeking to bypass the restrictions.
Moreover, the introduction of AI restrictions, while intended to prevent harmful designs, could inadvertently force entire industries, including aerospace, healthcare, and automotive, to abandon the very tools that have allowed them to thrive. These industries rely on 3D printing not just for prototyping but also for highly specialized, low-volume manufacturing, where flexibility and the ability to work with diverse designs are paramount. Restricting access to certain designs based on political or subjective criteria could lead to significant delays, inefficiencies, and innovation roadblocks.
The real question is whether we are willing to sacrifice the autonomy of makers, small businesses, and individuals for the sake of control. A growing body of evidence suggests that when access to innovation is curtailed, it doesn’t stop people from creating—it drives those creations underground, where they are far less safe, less regulated, and far more prone to exploitation. The advent of the black market for restricted 3D printers and modified machines only further complicates the issue, as it forces legitimate businesses to either adapt to an increasingly closed ecosystem or risk being left behind in a rapidly changing world.
In the end, the future of 3D printing will hinge on finding a balance between innovation and regulation. If manufacturers, lawmakers, and industry leaders take a heavy-handed approach to control, they will risk not only harming the creators and businesses that make the 3D printing revolution possible but also undermining the very principles of freedom, creativity, and accessibility that have driven its success. Instead, we must create a framework that allows for safety and security while ensuring that innovation is not quashed in the process.
D. Bryan King
Related Posts
Rate this:
#3DPrinterAccessibility #3DPrinterAutonomy #3DPrinterBlackMarket #3DPrinterDesignTheft #3DPrinterDowntime #3DPrinterHacking #3DPrinterInnovation #3DPrinterSecurity #3DPrinting #3DPrintingAILimitations #3DPrintingBusinessRisks #3DPrintingCommunity #3DPrintingCompliance #3DPrintingDisruptions #3DPrintingForBusinesses #3DPrintingFuture #3DPrintingPrivacyConcerns #3DPrintingRegulations #3DPrintingRisks #3DPrintingSafety #3DPrintingSecurityIssues #3DPrintingSoftwareManipulation #3DPrintingTechnology #AIAndIntellectualProperty #AIBiasIn3DPrinting #AIControls #AIModerationIn3DPrinting #AIRestrictions #AIDrivenDesignRestrictions #AIDrivenPrinting #airGapped3DPrinters #blackMarketFor3DPrinters #cloud3DPrintingRisks #cloudBased3DPrinting #DIY3DPrinting #futureOf3DPrintingIndustry #hacking3DPrinters #illegal3DPrintingDesigns #impactOfAIOn3DPrinting #innovationAndAIIn3DPrinting #innovationIn3DPrinting #internetOutageImpactOn3DPrinting #makersAnd3DPrinting #openSource3DPrinting #politicalControlIn3DPrinting #printerRestrictions #printerVulnerabilities #securityBreachesIn3DPrinting #securityIn3DPrinting #techRegulationIn3DPrinting #technologyAndFreedom #underground3DPrinting #unregulated3DPrinters
-
For #genuary10 "polar coordinates", I wanted to take the prompt quite literally and draw a map of the poles.
The sketch shows Antarctic sea-ice extent in September for the years 2005 (pink), 2011 (purple), 2018 (blue) and 2025 (black), in a radius range ~2500 to 4000 km from the pole.
The data is from #NOAA #NSIDC and its continuation is threatened by US administration budget cuts on climate research.#genuary #genuary2026 #genuary10 #antarctic #climate #dataviz #plotter
-
My server was REALLY sluggish on Wednesday. Finally looking at the load logs and… yeah, load up at 5-15 on a quad-core Raspberry Pi, with transmitted data an order of magnitude higher than usual.
Looking into IPs now to find more bot host ranges to block. One of the top groups is LOTS of different IPs from Digital Ocean's 137.184.0.0/16 range 🧐
-
If you set limits for a scale (e.g. x-axis) in ggplot, how would you like data outside of that range be handled? There is the oob parameter for that and a set of functions to use with it: https://scales.r-lib.org/reference/oob.html #rstats #ggplot #dataviz
-
If you set limits for a scale (e.g. x-axis) in ggplot, how would you like data outside of that range be handled? There is the oob parameter for that and a set of functions to use with it: https://scales.r-lib.org/reference/oob.html #rstats #ggplot #dataviz
-
How Salesforce Will Secure Your Org Against Hackers
Security and convenience are almost always inversely correlated. Making something more secure inherently makes it harder to access, which creates real friction for everyday users. This tension is nothing new. Hackers have always sought unauthorized access to systems, but historically, the barriers were high: computers were expensive and internet access was scarce. This is no longer true.
This battle front has always favored attackers. Security teams must successfully defend against every single intrusion attempt, while hackers only need to succeed once. A single breach can cause significant damage.
What’s changed is the scale and speed of attacks. AI has dramatically lowered the barrier to entry, enabling hackers to probe far more systems, far more frequently than ever before.
Recently, several Salesforce customers experienced significant system breaches involving their Salesforce instances, most notably those tied to the ShinyHunters cybercriminal group. What made these incidents particularly damaging was that the compromised accounts belonged to users with elevated access, including admins and developers. Salesforce denied responsibility and took limited action, largely confining its response to informing and educating the ecosystem about the risks of phishing and vishing attacks.
It seems like that is about to change. Big time.
Salesforce decided to enforce multiple security controls starting June-August 2026 to prevent credential theft, data exfiltration, and account takeovers. IP range restrictions originally planned are no longer being mandated, but MFA for all employee users, phishing-resistant MFA for admins, auto-containment for high-risk connections, and step-up authentication for reports will be enforced.
This means your life is about to get more difficult, especially if you have elevated access typically used by admins, developers and architects.
The New Security Direction by Salesforce
- MFA exemption permission restricted: The “Waive Multifactor Authentication for Exempt Users” permission will be removed except for justified cases (automation/testing users) requiring support approval.
- New permission set required: “Modify Transaction Security Policy” permission set introduced. Users need both the new “Modify Transaction Security Policy” permission AND the existing “Customize Application” permission to manage TSPs. Users with only the Customize Application permission will be downgraded to read-only access for TSPs.
- IP range restriction enforcement removed: The requirement to use IP ranges on profiles and the “enforce login ranges on every request” setting will not be mandated, though strongly recommended for customers who can implement them.
- Staggered rollout approach: Enforcement timelines extended and staggered by instance to minimize customer disruption.
Security Controls Being Enforced
Auto-Containment Measures
High-risk IP blocking was expanded April 24th to include all connected app and API traffic from anonymizing VPNs, proxies, and high-risk IP addresses; users are contained automatically with admin notifications. Extended login anomaly containment applies to all internal user login behavior (excluding external/community users) and focuses on detecting suspicious login patterns. There is no allow-list override, meaning even allow-listed IP addresses will be contained if classified as high-risk at connection time. There are also AWS integration issues under active investigation, with some AWS IP addresses being incorrectly flagged and the issue currently being resolved.
MFA Requirements
All Employee Users:
MFA is required for all employee license users, excluding Experience Cloud and external users. Enforcement is handled via locked settings, so admins cannot disable it. API-only logins are exempt, as the requirement applies exclusively to UI logins. For SSO, providers must pass AMR/ACR signals indicating strong or phishing-resistant MFA.
Timeline: Sandboxes June 22-29; Production July 20-August 17
Admins and Privileged Users:
Phishing-resistant MFA is required for users with elevated privileges, specifically those on the default Sys Admin profile or holding Modify All Data, View All Data, Customize Application, or Author Apex permissions. This standard is stricter than standard MFA, and mobile authenticator apps do not meet the threshold. Only security keys and built-in authenticators or passkeys qualify.
Timeline: Sandboxes June 22-29; Production July 1-27
Email Domain Verification
DKIM or authorized email domain verification is required for all email sending domains (this was previously announced). Enforcement is being rolled out on a staggered timeline; check the timeline knowledge article for the latest dates. A tool is also available to verify compliance status.
Step-Up Authentication for Reports
Time-Based Session Policy:
- Additional authentication required when users spend considerable time on reports.
- Admins can configure the “Require step-up authentication within cool-down period” session-level policy to an exact cadence between 2 and 120 minutes (with 120 minutes being the default); logging in with MFA does not reset timer.
- Verification methods: Users can use any supported MFA method, including Passkeys, Security Keys, Salesforce Authenticator, and third-party TOTP apps. The email and SMS One-Time Password (OTP) options are specifically fallback challenges for Single Sign-On (SSO) users who do not have a Salesforce MFA method registered.
- Report access blocked if authentication fails (UI only, not API).
- Timeline: Available May 27 (sandbox/production); Enforced June 3 (sandbox), June 10-July 4 (production).
Anomalous Behavior Detection:
- ML-based detection triggers authentication when unusual report viewing/downloading behavior detected.
- Users must configure at least one verification method (authenticator app, phone, email) or report access blocked.
- Timeline: Enforced June 22 (sandbox), July 13 (production).
Transaction Security Policy Enhancements (Shield/Event Monitoring customers only):
- Step-up authentication required when downloading >10,000 records from reports.
- Required for any create/update/delete/enable/disable operations on transaction security policies.
- Timeline: Available June 1 (sandbox), June 15 (production); Enforced June 22 (sandbox), July 13 (production).
Additional Considerations
Mobile SDK Lockout Risk for Admins: Warning for admins using the Salesforce Mobile App or custom Mobile SDK apps. Mobile SDK version 13.2.0 and earlier does not support phishing-resistant MFA. Admins using these older versions will be blocked from logging in unless their org pre-configures advanced authentication in My Domain, or until they utilize the new “Login for Admins” browser-based flow arriving in Mobile SDK 13.2.1
Impact on “Waive MFA” Permission: Please note the exact behavior of the “Waive Multi-Factor Authentication for Exempt Users” permission. After enforcement, this permission will no longer automatically waive the MFA requirement; users with this permission will actually be prompted to enroll in MFA in the UI. To restore this exemption for valid testing/automation tools, admins must proactively contact Salesforce Support for approval.
Passwordless Login Recommendation: Please note the best-practice recommendation of enabling “Allow passwordless login with passkeys”. This allows users (especially privileged admins) to meet the strict phishing-resistant MFA requirement by simply logging in with their username and a biometric passkey or security key, bypassing the need for a password and streamlining their experience.
Trial Org Grace Period: Note that Trial Orgs converted to a paid subscription will no longer receive a 30-day grace period to comply with the MFA requirement.
MFA Edge Cases and Exceptions
Experience Cloud and Community users are completely exempt from this specific MFA login mandate. API-only users with the API-only permission assigned are exempt from MFA, as the requirement applies exclusively to UI logins. For Windows SSO, check the AMR field in login history for OIDC, or use the SAML Validator tool for SAML; ignore the strong/weak classification and only verify that the signal is present. Free scratch orgs are not in scope, as MFA enforcement applies only to paid sandbox orgs. When it comes to device activation, MFA takes precedence, and completing MFA exempts users from device activation prompts. Finally, custom IDPs must follow SAML/OIDC industry standards for passing AMR/ACR signals; contact your account team or support for provider-specific nuances.
Customer Communication Plan
Knowledge articles were published, you will find the links in this post. System administrators and security contacts received email notifications on the 6th of May, 2026. Product managers will be hosting webinars on Wednesday, May 13th, with both early and late US time slots available. For the early webinar time, click here. For the later time, click here.
Action Items
- Partners: Review client orgs for current VPN usage and MFA exemption permission assignments; prepare clients for June-August enforcement timelines.
- Admins: Test MFA configurations in sandboxes starting June 22; ensure users have at least one verification method configured (email/SMS/authenticator).
- SSO administrators: Verify AMR/ACR signals are being passed correctly using login history (OIDC) or SAML Validator tool (SAML).
- Shield customers: Review transaction security policies and prepare for step-up authentication on report downloads >10,000 records and policy modifications.
- All customers: Set up DKIM keys or authorized email domains; use in-app verification tool to check compliance.
Don’t Wait for Enforcement to Find Your Gaps
Salesforce’s upcoming security enforcement represents a meaningful shift in how the platform approaches user protection. For years, the responsibility fell almost entirely on customers to configure and maintain their own security posture. That’s changing. Whether you’re an admin, developer, architect, or partner, the June through August enforcement windows are closer than they appear. Audit your orgs, test your configurations in sandbox, and make sure your users are set up with the right verification methods before enforcement kicks in. The friction is real, but so is the risk it’s designed to address. See the official Salesforce documentation here.
Explore related content:
Setup with Agentforce: What Salesforce Admins Need to Know
The Salesforce DKIM Sandbox Problem, and How to Fix It
Clean Data, Smart Flows: Automating Data Cleanup in Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud
Salesforce Is Tightening Security Across Every Org
#DomainVerification #MFA #Salesforce #SalesforceTutorial #Secutiry #Tutorial -
ggplot2 is the gold standard when it comes to data visualization.
The image in this post showcases examples of ggplot2 visualizations, demonstrating its versatility to create a wide range of plots with nearly limitless customization options.
Check out my online course, "Data Visualization in R Using ggplot2 & Friends," for a deeper dive into creating stunning plots with ggplot2.
More info: https://statisticsglobe.com/online-course-data-visualization-ggplot2-r
#package #dataviz #statistical #tidyverse #pythondeveloperjobs
-
In Bayesian inference, a credible interval is a range of values within which a parameter lies with a certain probability, given the observed data and prior beliefs. The image of this post (based on this Wikipedia image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credible_interval#/media/File:Highest_posterior_density_interval.svg) represents a 90% highest-density credible interval of a posterior probability distribution.
More details: http://eepurl.com/gH6myT
#statistical #datasciencecourse #datascience #rprogramming #datastructure
-
TechXplore: Third-party data annotators often fail to accurately read the emotions of others, study finds. “Machine learning algorithms and large language models (LLMs), such as the model underpinning the functioning of the platform ChatGPT, have proved to be effective in tackling a wide range of tasks. These models are trained on various types of data (e.g., texts, images, videos, and/or […]
