#Interoperability Standards

[healthtechsolutions]

Healthcare Interoperability Standards: What Providers Must Know

Healthcare interoperability aims to provide a secure way for numerous systems to access, exchange, and cooperatively use patient information. Thus, interoperability in healthcare allows public health administrators, providers, payers, and patients to quickly and easily view information. 

Crucial interoperability elements include open data schemes and standards. Therefore, using healthcare interoperability systems, providers can share data. In addition, patients can use a variety of channels to access their information, including kiosks and mobile devices. 

Understanding Interoperability Standards 

Health Information Exchange (HIE) refers to the capacity of systems on a network to communicate with one another. With HIE healthcare communication, clinicians should be able to consolidate, share, and use data. 

In addition, HIE systems must be able to exchange data in a way that makes it easily accessible, but secure, and accurate. Furthermore, throughout this process, there should be very little need for human interaction. 

Using interoperability, clinicians can access patient information despite their location or which type of Electronic Health Records (EHR) software they’re using. 

With healthcare interoperability, clinicians and patients enjoy a seamless exchange of information. In addition, patient care and health outcomes will improve, and healthcare will become more cost-effective. 

Read More: https://prognocis.com/healthcare-interoperability-standards-what-you-should-know/

[hk-1989]

The Backbone of Healthcare: Understanding Hospital Information Management

Hospital Information Management serves as the foundation of modern healthcare systems, facilitating efficient operations and ensuring the delivery of quality patient care. In this blog post, we'll delve into the intricacies of Hospital Information Management, exploring its critical components and the pivotal role it plays in the healthcare ecosystem.

At the heart of Hospital Information Management lies the safeguarding of patient information. Patient Data Security is paramount, requiring robust measures to protect sensitive medical records from unauthorized access or breaches. Hospitals must employ state-of-the-art encryption protocols and access controls to safeguard patient confidentiality and maintain trust in healthcare services.

Interoperability is another key aspect of effective Hospital Information Management. Interoperability Standards establish guidelines for seamless communication and data exchange between different healthcare systems and providers. By adhering to interoperability standards, hospitals can ensure the smooth flow of information across various platforms, enhancing care coordination and patient outcomes.

Workflow Optimization is essential for maximizing efficiency and productivity within healthcare settings. Hospital Information Management systems streamline administrative processes and clinical workflows, minimizing redundancies and delays. Through the implementation of automated scheduling, billing, and documentation tools, hospitals can optimize resource utilization and enhance overall operational efficiency.

Effective Resource Allocation is a fundamental aspect of Hospital Information Management. Hospitals must strategically allocate resources, including personnel, equipment, and facilities, to meet the diverse needs of patients while minimizing waste and inefficiencies. Data-driven decision-making plays a crucial role in resource allocation, enabling hospitals to allocate resources based on patient demographics, acuity levels, and service demands.

Regulatory Compliance is a top priority for healthcare organizations, with strict guidelines governing data privacy, security, and ethical practices. Hospital Information Management systems must adhere to regulatory requirements, ensuring compliance with laws such as HIPAA and GDPR. By implementing robust compliance frameworks and conducting regular audits, hospitals can mitigate risks and uphold ethical standards in patient care delivery.

In conclusion, Hospital Information Management serves as the backbone of modern healthcare, encompassing various elements such as Patient Data Security, Interoperability Standards, Workflow Optimization, Resource Allocation, and Regulatory Compliance. By embracing these components and leveraging advanced technologies, hospitals can optimize operations, enhance patient care, and drive positive outcomes in the ever-evolving healthcare landscape.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Shifting $677m from the banks to the people, every year, forever

I'll be in TUCSON, AZ from November 8-10: I'm the GUEST OF HONOR at the TUSCON SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION.

"Switching costs" are one of the great underappreciated evils in our world: the more it costs you to change from one product or service to another, the worse the vendor, provider, or service you're using today can treat you without risking your business.

Businesses set out to keep switching costs as high as possible. Literally. Mark Zuckerberg's capos send him memos chortling about how Facebook's new photos feature will punish anyone who leaves for a rival service with the loss of all their family photos – meaning Zuck can torment those users for profit and they'll still stick around so long as the abuse is less bad than the loss of all their cherished memories:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/08/facebooks-secret-war-switching-costs

It's often hard to quantify switching costs. We can tell when they're high, say, if your landlord ties your internet service to your lease (splitting the profits with a shitty ISP that overcharges and underdelivers), the switching cost of getting a new internet provider is the cost of moving house. We can tell when they're low, too: you can switch from one podcatcher program to another just by exporting your list of subscriptions from the old one and importing it into the new one:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/10/16/keep-it-really-simple-stupid/#read-receipts-are-you-kidding-me-seriously-fuck-that-noise

But sometimes, economists can get a rough idea of the dollar value of high switching costs. For example, a group of economists working for the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau calculated that the hassle of changing banks is costing Americans at least $677m per year (see page 526):

https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_personal-financial-data-rights-final-rule_2024-10.pdf

The CFPB economists used a very conservative methodology, so the number is likely higher, but let's stick with that figure for now. The switching costs of changing banks – determining which bank has the best deal for you, then transfering over your account histories, cards, payees, and automated bill payments – are costing everyday Americans more than half a billion dollars, every year.

Now, the CFPB wasn't gathering this data just to make you mad. They wanted to do something about all this money – to find a way to lower switching costs, and, in so doing, transfer all that money from bank shareholders and executives to the American public.

And that's just what they did. A newly finalized Personal Financial Data Rights rule will allow you to authorize third parties – other banks, comparison shopping sites, brokers, anyone who offers you a better deal, or help you find one – to request your account data from your bank. Your bank will be required to provide that data.

I loved this rule when they first proposed it:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/10/getting-things-done/#deliverism

And I like the final rule even better. They've really nailed this one, even down to the fine-grained details where interop wonks like me get very deep into the weeds. For example, a thorny problem with interop rules like this one is "who gets to decide how the interoperability works?" Where will the data-formats come from? How will we know they're fit for purpose?

This is a super-hard problem. If we put the monopolies whose power we're trying to undermine in charge of this, they can easily cheat by delivering data in uselessly obfuscated formats. For example, when I used California's privacy law to force Mailchimp to provide list of all the mailing lists I've been signed up for without my permission, they sent me thousands of folders containing more than 5,900 spreadsheets listing their internal serial numbers for the lists I'm on, with no way to find out what these lists are called or how to get off of them:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/07/22/degoogled/#kafka-as-a-service

So if we're not going to let the companies decide on data formats, who should be in charge of this? One possibility is to require the use of a standard, but again, which standard? We can ask a standards body to make a new standard, which they're often very good at, but not when the stakes are high like this. Standards bodies are very weak institutions that large companies are very good at capturing:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/30/weak-institutions/

Here's how the CFPB solved this: they listed out the characteristics of a good standards body, listed out the data types that the standard would have to encompass, and then told banks that so long as they used a standard from a good standards body that covered all the data-types, they'd be in the clear.

Once the rule is in effect, you'll be able to go to a comparison shopping site and authorize it to go to your bank for your transaction history, and then tell you which bank – out of all the banks in America – will pay you the most for your deposits and charge you the least for your debts. Then, after you open a new account, you can authorize the new bank to go back to your old bank and get all your data: payees, scheduled payments, payment history, all of it. Switching banks will be as easy as switching mobile phone carriers – just a few clicks and a few minutes' work to get your old number working on a phone with a new provider.

This will save Americans at least $677 million, every year. Which is to say, it will cost the banks at least $670 million every year.

Naturally, America's largest banks are suing to block the rule:

https://www.americanbanker.com/news/cfpbs-open-banking-rule-faces-suit-from-bank-policy-institute

Of course, the banks claim that they're only suing to protect you, and the $677m annual transfer from their investors to the public has nothing to do with it. The banks claim to be worried about bank-fraud, which is a real thing that we should be worried about. They say that an interoperability rule could make it easier for scammers to get at your data and even transfer your account to a sleazy fly-by-night operation without your consent. This is also true!

It is obviously true that a bad interop rule would be bad. But it doesn't follow that every interop rule is bad, or that it's impossible to make a good one. The CFPB has made a very good one.

For starters, you can't just authorize anyone to get your data. Eligible third parties have to meet stringent criteria and vetting. These third parties are only allowed to ask for the narrowest slice of your data needed to perform the task you've set for them. They aren't allowed to use that data for anything else, and as soon as they've finished, they must delete your data. You can also revoke their access to your data at any time, for any reason, with one click – none of this "call a customer service rep and wait on hold" nonsense.

What's more, if your bank has any doubts about a request for your data, they are empowered to (temporarily) refuse to provide it, until they confirm with you that everything is on the up-and-up.

I wrote about the lawsuit this week for @eff@mastodon.social's Deeplinks blog:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/10/no-matter-what-bank-says-its-your-money-your-data-and-your-choice

In that article, I point out the tedious, obvious ruses of securitywashing and privacywashing, where a company insists that its most abusive, exploitative, invasive conduct can't be challenged because that would expose their customers to security and privacy risks. This is such bullshit.

It's bullshit when printer companies say they can't let you use third party ink – for your own good:

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/01/hp-ceo-blocking-third-party-ink-from-printers-fights-viruses/

It's bullshit when car companies say they can't let you use third party mechanics – for your own good:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/09/03/rip-david-graeber/#rolling-surveillance-platforms

It's bullshit when Apple says they can't let you use third party app stores – for your own good:

https://www.eff.org/document/letter-bruce-schneier-senate-judiciary-regarding-app-store-security

It's bullshit when Facebook says you can't independently monitor the paid disinformation in your feed – for your own good:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/08/05/comprehensive-sex-ed/#quis-custodiet-ipsos-zuck

And it's bullshit when the banks say you can't change to a bank that charges you less, and pays you more – for your own good.

CFPB boss Rohit Chopra is part of a cohort of Biden enforcers who've hit upon a devastatingly effective tactic for fighting corporate power: they read the law and found out what they're allowed to do, and then did it:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/23/getting-stuff-done/#praxis

The CFPB was created in 2010 with the passage of the Consumer Financial Protection Act, which specifically empowers the CFPB to make this kind of data-sharing rule. Back when the CFPA was in Congress, the banks howled about this rule, whining that they were being forced to share their data with their competitors.

But your account data isn't your bank's data. It's your data. And the CFPB is gonna let you have it, and they're gonna save you and your fellow Americans at least $677m/year – forever.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/11/01/bankshot/#personal-financial-data-rights

[notbecauseofvictories]

cute thing I have learned during this conference: a couple different players are working in the quantum computing space, and specifically working on encryption protection algorithms to defend against attacks---these algorithms are called "kyber" and "dilithium" respectively.

nerds.

[archivlibrarianist]

"We commit to publishing and purchasing decisions that affirm the reading choices of all individuals and support choice in the academic marketplace through the use of standards and best practices for academic publishing, library infrastructure and library lending.

"Open, interoperable standards enable libraries to provide the kind of aggregation and ownership rights that have historically been integral to print library collections..."

[kevinpshanblog]

Tired of AI Silos? Meet the Protocol That Connects LLMs to the Real World (and Each Other)

We're living in an exciting time for AI, with powerful models like Claude, ChatGPT, and others excelling at different tasks. You might find one is better at creative writing, another at coding, and a third at summarizing complex documents. But accessing the right data or using a specific tool with the best model for the job can feel clunky, often requiring manual copy-pasting or complex, one-off integrations.

What if your favorite AI assistant could seamlessly access your personal notes, query your company database, or even control a smart device, passing that real-world context to whichever AI model is best equipped to handle the next step?

Enter the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

Think of MCP as the "USB-C" for AI applications. Just as USB-C provides a single, standard port for connecting various hardware devices (displays, storage, power) to your computer, MCP provides a standard way for AI models to connect to and interact with external data sources, tools, and systems.

Developed by Anthropic, MCP isn't about building new AI models; it's about standardizing how existing ones get context and take action. It works through a simple client-server model:

An MCP Server is built to expose the capabilities of a specific external system – whether it's a database, a cloud storage service, an API, or even a device like a "Bee AI device" if someone builds a connector for it. An AI Application (like Claude, ChatGPT, or any tool using an LLM) acts as an MCP Client. It can discover and utilize the capabilities exposed by the MCP servers it's connected to. This capability directly addresses a key challenge: enabling different LLMs to access and work with the same external data. With MCP, the data source (via its MCP server) becomes a shared resource that various LLM clients can access through a standardized interface. Access can be authenticated once for the source, allowing multiple LLMs to then potentially query or interact with that data, leveraging each model's unique strengths.

The future potential is vast:

Truly Agentic AI: Models can perform multi-step tasks involving different tools and data sources seamlessly. Personalized Assistants: AI can safely access and manage your personal data and devices with your explicit consent. Interoperable AI Ecosystem: Different models and AI applications can work together more effectively by accessing shared resources through a common protocol. MCP is still growing, but it represents a crucial step towards breaking down AI silos, making models more useful by giving them safe, standardized access to the rich context of the real world, and paving the way for smarter, more integrated AI experiences.

[johniac]

SciTech Chronicles. . . . . . . . .Jan 29, 2025

[lightarts]

Portals across worlds, one of our last talks on portal interoperability across worlds

[featuredblogs]

Unlocking the Future: Exploring the Wonders of KNX in Home Automation

In the realm of home automation, where technology seamlessly intertwines with our daily lives, KNX stands out as a beacon of innovation. This article will unravel the mysteries of KNX, a standardized communication protocol that has revolutionized the way we control and interact with smart devices in our homes. Let's embark on a journey to understand the essence of KNX and its transformative role in shaping the future of home automation.

What is KNX?

At its core, KNX is more than just a set of letters; it's a powerhouse in the world of home automation. KNX, which stands for Konnex, is a standardized communication protocol that enables smart devices in a home to communicate with each other. Imagine a home where lighting, heating, security systems, and more work together seamlessly. That's the magic of KNX.

Advantages of Using KNX

The beauty of KNX lies in its versatility and compatibility. Unlike proprietary systems, KNX is an open standard, allowing devices from different manufacturers to communicate effortlessly. This interoperability ensures that your smart home system can evolve and expand without being confined to a specific brand or technology.

Components of a KNX System

To understand KNX fully, we need to peek behind the curtain. KNX systems consist of actuators and sensors, forming the backbone of the smart home. The KNX bus system facilitates communication between devices, while programming tools and software provide users with the flexibility to customize their automation setup.

The Role of KNX in Home Automation

Imagine arriving home, and the lights automatically adjust to your preferred ambiance, the thermostat adjusts to the perfect temperature, and your security system is armed—all triggered by a single command. KNX makes this scenario a reality, offering a centralized and streamlined control hub for various aspects of home automation.

Installation and Setup

While the wonders of KNX are vast, the installation process is surprisingly straightforward. Professional installation ensures optimal performance, and once set up, users can easily configure and adapt their smart home to suit their changing needs.

KNX vs. Other Home Automation Protocols

In a world of competing protocols like Zigbee and Z-Wave, KNX holds its ground. Its unique features, including wired communication and broader compatibility, make it a standout choice for those seeking a reliable and scalable home automation solution.

Applications of KNX in Different Settings

KNX isn't limited to residential spaces. Its adaptability extends to commercial and industrial settings, where precise control and automation play a crucial role in enhancing efficiency and reducing energy consumption.

Challenges and Solutions in Implementing KNX

While the benefits of KNX are evident, users may encounter challenges during implementation. This section will guide you through common hurdles and provide strategies to overcome them, ensuring a smooth transition to a KNX-powered home.

KNX and the Future of Home Automation

The journey doesn't end here. The future holds exciting prospects for KNX, with ongoing developments and emerging trends promising to elevate home automation to new heights. Stay tuned as we explore what's on the horizon for this innovative technology.

User Experiences with KNX

Real-world stories often speak louder than technical specifications. Discover how individuals and businesses have transformed their spaces with KNX, turning their homes and offices into intelligent, responsive environments.

Cost Considerations for KNX Systems

Investing in a KNX system may raise questions about costs. This section will break down the initial investment and highlight the long-term benefits, showcasing why KNX is a worthwhile investment for homeowners and businesses alike.

Security and Privacy Concerns with KNX

As with any connected system, security and privacy are paramount. Learn about the measures in place to address potential risks, ensuring that your KNX-powered home is secure and your privacy is protected.

KNX Certification and Standards

To guarantee the reliability of your KNX system, certification is key. This section explores the importance of KNX certification and the adherence to industry standards, providing peace of mind for users.

Conclusion                      

In conclusion, KNX is the key to unlocking the full potential of home automation. Its open standard, interoperability, and adaptability make it a frontrunner in the race to create smart, connected homes. As technology continues to evolve, embracing KNX opens doors to a future where our living spaces are not just smart but truly intelligent.

FAQs                    ��   

Is KNX only for residential use?

No, KNX is versatile and finds applications in both residential and commercial settings, offering tailored solutions for diverse needs.

How often do KNX systems need updates?

Updates depend on technological advancements and individual preferences. However, KNX systems are designed to be future-proof, minimizing the need for frequent updates.

Can I integrate non-KNX devices into a KNX system?

KNX's open standard allows integration with devices from different manufacturers,

[mbta-unofficial]

I might be asking the wrong person here, but why is the Acela so expensive? I need to travel from Boston to DC for a week for work so I compared costs and convenience of driving, flying, and taking the Acela and was surprised to find that the Acela costs more than flying (I was able to find round trip flights BOS-DCA for about $170, the Acela starts at about $140 each way) despite being significantly slower. Why does it cost so much?

I will concede that the Northeast Regional is cheaper than flying (about $60 each way), but it's also even slower than the Acela.

The Acela has several problems compared to analogous systems in other countries, and as a business problems mean costs and costs means prices.

Making a direct comparison to air travel also requires talking a little bit about the economics of air travel, since there are surprising number of weird things about that business compared to rail.

Part 1. Amtrak doesn’t own most of its own tracks. While it does own most of the North East Corridor, it leases track rights for the boston-providence leg from ME MOTHERFUCKER I’M THE PROBLEM and also the states of NY and CT own a section between NYC and New Haven. Now, when you are trying to have trains at up to 160mph, you need maintenance to be done within extremely tight tolerances, you need signaling to be extremely precise and consistent, and small mistakes can be deadly. Signaling and Maintenance on rented tracks are not literally impossible but they are a huge pain in the ass. These sections are slower and make the whole network much more expensive.

Part Two! Electification: this is one of the oldest rail corridors in the world and that means there’s a lot of old DNA in the network that it would not have if there was a full rebuild. One of these design “features” is that when the line was built, electricity wasn’t standardized and different plants would churn out different voltages and AC frequencies.

Between NYC and Washington there is a catenary system that operates at 11kv, 25hz that was built in 1905. This is insane. The modern grid runs at 60hz, and transforming power from a modern plant into 11kv, 25hz is a huge project in and of itself. But of course, the Boston to Providence section, electrified in 1990, has only the most cutting edge technology. It’s electrified with 60hz, 12.5kv, 10 years ahead of its time which was 35 years ago. And, when the Acela was first planned and operated in 2000, it was planned and operated with the now modern standard of 60hz, 25kv. So there are three different electrification systems and, to not have to switch trains, each train needs to be able to run with all 3 of them.

This is deeply stupid and only something you would have to deal with if you were hacking together increasingly expensive short term repairs onto a system that would be cheaper in 20-50 years to completely overhaul but in the present would cost 10s of billions to meaningfully bring up to 20th century operating standards. It’s a good thing we did the smart thing in the 1970s when Amtrak nationalized the collapsing private passenger rail companies and Conrail nationalized the collapsing freight rail companies and we recognized that running these crucial services with public money could generate huge amounts of economic activity and benefit society even if they ran at a fiscal loss, and properly funded the systems to build reliable and interoperable infrastructure for the next generation. Hold on I have to take this phone call.

………….

Yep.

…………..

Yeah ok.

…………..

They did WHAT?

Part Three: Ronald reagan is not dead enough

So yeah the main reason that none of this shit got fixed in the last 50 years is that for 4 successive administrations between Reagan and Bush 2 electric boogaloo the government has been slobbing on that Neoliberal knob like its subsidized corn on a subsidized cob. Private operators immediately saw the potential for infinitely lucrative federal contracts when the US seized the assets of Erie Lackawanna and Penn Central during their bankruptcy and formed Conrail. This was mainly Norfolk southern and CSX, former competitors who pushed hard for the reagan, bush, and clinton organizations to refurbish the lines at taxpayer expense before selling them to absolute corporate bottomfeeders so they could snap up lines that had been the main sources of revenue for these defunct companies at kleptocratic rates. But we’re not done. Freight companies hate two things more than even paying taxes, and these are OSHA and Passenger rail.

You see, it’s actually very hard to run freight and passenger on the same tracks. Freight is slow with long trains, long sidings, and loose schedules. Freight is optimized to get there, you know, sometime as cheap as possible. However, if you have passenger rail, those people have places to be. They need things like advanced signaling to move faster than 15 miles an hour, sidings long enough to pass at speed, and even, gasp, rails that don’t have holes in them so they don’t derail on corners. It’s not hard for a freight train to move along a track that is 85% rust, they just go slow and if they derail you’re only looking at maybe 2 superfund sites. But passenger rail, there will be bumps and passengers will complain. Customers are so unreasonable.

So when the federal government acquired all the tracks that became conrail, what did they do? Cut sidings, cut double tracks down to single tracks, cut maintenance, sold land. None of these bothered their future freight owner-operators. But they did undermine American passenger rail, on purpose, for 50 years. As soon as the work was done, the tracks were unfit for anything other than 400 box trucks of nitroglycerin pulled by two locomotives with one operator. How do you run passenger rail on that? Well, you play by CSX and Norfolk Bastard’s rules. Fuck your schedule. Fuck it slow. Fuck it for so long that it hurts. And, when you’ve bled enough revenue, complain to the federal government that you can’t possibly keep going and need to be sold off to private equity for parts.

So yeah. Freight rail in the 70s, the ruthless march of neoliberal capitalism, a frankenstein’s monster of a network, and a complete lack of revenue from either public subsidy or ridership to fix either problem.

Oh and there’s the fact that every single Major airline operates their flights at a loss and use credit cards as their primary source of income. The scheme is you take out a credit card, they run like a normal credit card company, except whereas most banks give you cash back they give you “miles” or “points” the vast majority of which will never get spent. It’s almost a license to print money as long as you have enough people you can convince will someday be able to afford to go on vacation with that fancy credit card they paid for. Budget Airlines who don’t run this scheme are folding both in the sense that they are going under financially and also in the sense that you better hope that your spine lets you compress into the overhead compartment if you want to get to your destination.

[petrichor-musings]

Imagine cars that you don't need car insurance to repair because it's so cheap and easy. Imagine unified standards for civilian vehicle frames and engine bays and interoperability like you have with PC cases, parts, and motherboards. Imagine an economy of scale from having the same rubber gaskets for EVERY sedan, how cheap that'd be. Imagine (the utterly impossible pipe dream) of bringing manufacturing jobs back to the US by making lines of generic government vehicles. The US Truck, US Sedan, whatever.

It's an utterly stupid idea and it would never work, but one could dream.

-Lily

[transgenderer]

The name Wi-Fi, commercially used at least as early as August 1999, was coined by the brand-consulting firm Interbrand. The Wi-Fi Alliance had hired Interbrand to create a name that was "a little catchier than 'IEEE 802.11b Direct Sequence'." According to Phil Belanger, a founding member of the Wi-Fi Alliance, the term Wi-Fi was chosen from a list of ten names that Interbrand proposed. Interbrand also created the Wi-Fi logo. The yin-yang Wi-Fi logo indicates the certification of a product for interoperability. The name is often written as WiFi, Wifi, or wifi, but these are not approved by the Wi-Fi Alliance.

The name Wi-Fi is not short-form for 'Wireless Fidelity', although the Wi-Fi Alliance did use the advertising slogan "The Standard for Wireless Fidelity" for a short time after the brand name was created, and the Wi-Fi Alliance was also called the "Wireless Fidelity Alliance Inc." in some publications. IEEE is a separate, but related, organization and their website has stated "WiFi is a short name for Wireless Fidelity". The name Wi-Fi was partly chosen because it sounds similar to Hi-Fi, which consumers take to mean high fidelity or high quality. Interbrand hoped consumers would find the name catchy, and that they would assume this wireless protocol has high fidelity because of its name.

I think it should stand for wigh fidelity

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Lina Khan’s future is the future of the Democratic Party — and America

On OCTOBER 23 at 7PM, I'll be in DECATUR, presenting my novel THE BEZZLE at EAGLE EYE BOOKS.

On the one hand, the anti-monopoly movement has a future no matter who wins the 2024 election – that's true even if Kamala Harris wins but heeds the calls from billionaire donors to fire Lina Khan and her fellow trustbusters.

In part, that's because US antitrust laws have broad "private rights of action" that allow individuals and companies to sue one another for monopolistic conduct, even if top government officials are turning a blind eye. It's true that from the Reagan era to the Biden era, these private suits were few and far between, and the cases that were brought often died in a federal courtroom. But the past four years has seen a resurgence of antitrust rage that runs from left to right, and from individuals to the C-suites of big companies, driving a wave of private cases that are prevailing in the courts, upending the pro-monopoly precedents that billionaires procured by offering free "continuing education" antitrust training to 40% of the Federal judiciary:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/08/13/post-bork-era/#manne-down

It's amazing to see the DoJ racking up huge wins against Google's monopolistic conduct, sure, but first blood went to Epic, who won a historic victory over Google in federal court six months before the DoJ's win, which led to the court ordering Google to open up its app store:

https://www.theverge.com/policy/2024/10/7/24243316/epic-google-permanent-injunction-ruling-third-party-stores

Google's 30% App Tax is a giant drag on all kinds of sectors, as is its veto over which software Android users get to see, so Epic's win is going to dramatically alter the situation for all kinds of activities, from beleaguered indie game devs:

https://antiidlereborn.com/news/

To the entire news sector:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/06/save-news-we-must-open-app-stores

Private antitrust cases have attracted some very surprising plaintiffs, like Michael Jordan, whose long policy of apoliticism crumbled once he bought a NASCAR team and lived through the monopoly abuses of sports leagues as an owner, not a player:

https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/michael-jordan-anti-monopolist

A much weirder and more unlikely antitrust plaintiff than Michael Jordan is Google, the perennial antitrust defendant. Google has brought a complaint against Microsoft in the EU, based on Microsoft's extremely ugly monopolistic cloud business:

https://www.reuters.com/technology/google-files-complaint-eu-over-microsoft-cloud-practices-2024-09-25/

Google's choice of venue here highlights another reason to think that the antitrust surge will continue irrespective of US politics: antitrust is global. Antitrust fervor has seized governments from the UK to the EU to South Korea to Japan. All of those countries have extremely similar antitrust laws, because they all had their statute books overhauled by US technocrats as part of the Marshall Plan, so they have the same statutory tools as the American trustbusters who dismantled Standard Oil and AT&T, and who are making ready to shatter Google into several competing businesses:

https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/8/24265832/google-search-antitrust-remedies-framework-android-chrome-play

Antitrust fever has spread to Canada, Australia, and even China, where the Cyberspace Directive bans Chinese tech giants from breaking interoperability to freeze out Chinese startups. Anything that can't go on forever eventually stops, and the cost of 40 years of pro-monopoly can't be ignored. Monopolies make the whole world more brittle, even as the cost of that brittleness mounts. It's hard to pretend monopolies are fine when a single hurricane can wipe out the entire country's supply of IV fluid – again:

https://prospect.org/health/2024-10-11-cant-believe-im-writing-about-iv-fluid-again/

What's more, the conduct of global monopolists is the same in every country where they have taken hold, which means that trustbusters in the EU can use the UK Digital Markets Unit's report on the mobile app market as a roadmap for their enforcement actions against Apple:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/63f61bc0d3bf7f62e8c34a02/Mobile_Ecosystems_Final_Report_amended_2.pdf

And then the South Korean and Japanese trustbusters can translate the court documents from the EU's enforcement action and use them to score victories over Apple in their own courts:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/10/an-injury-to-one/#is-an-injury-to-all

So on the one hand, the trustbusting wave will continue erode the foundations of global monopolies, no matter what happens after this election. But on the other hand, if Harris wins and then fires Biden's top trustbusters to appease her billionaire donors, things are going to get ugly.

A new, excellent long-form Bloomberg article by Josh Eidelson and Max Chafkin gives a sense of the battle raging just below the surface of the Democratic Power, built around a superb interview with Khan herself:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-10-09/lina-khan-on-a-second-ftc-term-ai-price-gouging-data-privacy

The article begins with a litany of tech billionaires who've gone an all-out, public assault on Khan's leadership – billionaires who stand to personally lose hundreds of millions of dollars from her agency's principled, vital antitrust work, but who cloak their objection to Khan in rhetoric about defending the American economy. In public, some of these billionaires are icily polite, but many of them degenerate into frothing, toddler-grade name-calling, like IAB's Barry Diller, who called her a "dope" and Musk lickspittle Jason Calacanis, who called her an all-caps COMMUNIST and a LUNATIC.

The overall vibe from these wreckers? "How dare the FTC do things?!"

And you know, they have a point. For decades, the FTC was – in the quoted words of Tim Wu – "a very hardworking agency that did nothing." This was the period when the FTC targeted low-level scammers while turning a blind eye to the monsters that were devouring the US economy. In part, that was because the FTC had been starved of budget, trapping them in a cycle of racking up easy, largely pointless "wins" against penny-ante grifters to justify their existence, but never to the extent that Congress would apportion them the funds to tackle the really serious cases (if this sounds familiar, it's also the what happened during the long period when the IRS chased middle class taxpayers over minor filing errors, while ignoring the billionaires and giant corporations that engaged in 7- and 8-figure tax scams).

But the FTC wasn't merely underfunded: it was timid. The FTC has extremely broad enforcement and rulemaking powers, which most sat dormant during the neoliberal era:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/10/the-courage-to-govern/#whos-in-charge

The Biden administration didn't merely increase the FTC's funding: in choosing Khan to helm the organization, they brought onboard a skilled technician, who was both well-versed in the extensive but unused powers of the agency and determined to use them:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/18/administrative-competence/#i-know-stuff

But Khan's didn't just rely on technical chops and resources to begin the de-olicharchification of the US economy: she built a three-legged stool, whose third leg is narrative. Khan's signature is her in-person and remote "listening tours," where workers who've been harmed by corporate power get to tell their stories. Bloomberg recounts the story of Deborah Brantley, who was sexually harassed and threatened by her bosses at Kavasutra North Palm Beach. Brantley's bosses touched her inappropriately and "joked" about drugging her and raping her so she "won’t be such a bitch and then maybe people would like you more."

When Brantley finally quit and took a job bartending at a different business, Kavasutra sued her over her noncompete clause, alleging an "irreparable injury" sustained by having one of their former employees working at another business, seeking damages and fees.

The vast majority of the 30 million American workers who labor under noncompetes are like Brantley, low-waged service workers, especially at fast-food restaurants (so Wendy's franchisees can stop minimum wage cashiers from earning $0.25/hour more flipping burgers at a nearby McDonald's). The donor-class indenturers who defend noncompetes claim that noncompetes are necessary to protect "innovative" businesses from losing their "IP." But of course, the one state where no workers are subject to noncompetes is California, which bans them outright – the state that is also home to Silicon Valley, an IP-heave industry that the same billionaires laud for its innovations.

After that listening tour, Khan's FTC banned noncompetes nationwide:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/25/capri-v-tapestry/#aiming-at-dollars-not-men

Only to have a federal judge in Texas throw out their ban, a move that will see $300b/year transfered from workers to shareholders, and block the formation of 8,500 new US businesses every year:

https://www.npr.org/2024/08/21/g-s1-18376/federal-judge-tosses-ftc-noncompetes-ban

Notwithstanding court victories like Epic v Google and DoJ v Google, America's oligarchs have the courts on their side, thanks to decades of court-packing planned by the Federalist Society and executed by Senate Republicans and Reagan, Bush I, Bush II, and Trump. Khan understands this; she told Bloomberg that she's a "close student" of the tactics Reagan used to transform American society, admiring his effectiveness while hating his results. Like other transformative presidents, good and bad, Reagan had to fight the judiciary and entrenched institutions (as did FDR and Lincoln). Erasing Reagan's legacy is a long-term project, a battle of inches that will involve mustering broad political support for the cause of a freer, more equal America.

Neither Biden nor Khan are responsible for the groundswell of US – and global – movement to euthanize our rentier overlords. This is a moment whose time has come; a fact demonstrated by the tens of thousands of working Americans who filled the FTC's noncompete docket with outraged comments. People understand that corporate looters – not "the economy" or "the forces of history" – are the reason that the businesses where they worked and shopped were destroyed by private equity goons who amassed intergenerational, dynastic fortunes by strip-mining the real economy and leaving behind rubble.

Like the billionaires publicly demanding that Harris fire Khan, private equity bosses can't stop making tone-deaf, guillotine-conjuring pronouncements about their own virtue and the righteousness of their businesses. They don't just want to destroy the world - they want to be praised for it:/p>

"Private equity’s been a great thing for America" -Stephen Pagliuca, co-chairman of Bain Capital;

"We are taught to judge the success of a society by how it deals with the least able, most vulnerable members of that society. Shouldn’t we judge a society by how they treat the most successful? Do we vilify, tax, expropriate and condemn those who have succeeded, or do we celebrate economic success as the engine that propels our society toward greater collective well-being?" -Marc Rowan, CEO of Apollo

"Achieve life-changing money and power," -Sachin Khajuria, former partner at Apollo

Meanwhile, the "buy, strip and flip" model continues to chew its way through America. When PE buys up all the treatment centers for kids with behavioral problems, they hack away at staffing and oversight, turning them into nightmares where kids are routinely abused, raped and murdered:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/they-told-me-it-was-going-be-good-place-allega-tions-n987176

When PE buys up nursing homes, the same thing happens, with elderly residents left to sit in their own excrement and then die:

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/12/24/nursing-homes-private-equity-fraud-00132001

Writing in The Guardian, Alex Blasdel lays out the case for private equity as a kind of virus that infects economies, parasitically draining them of not just the capacity to provide goods and services, but also of the ability to govern themselves, as politicians and regulators are captured by the unfathomable sums that PE flushes into the political process:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/oct/10/slash-and-burn-is-private-equity-out-of-control

Now, the average worker who's just lost their job may not understand "divi recaps" or "2-and-20" or "carried interest tax loopholes," but they do understand that something is deeply rotten in the world today.

What happens to that understanding is a matter of politics. The Republicans – firmly affiliated with, and beloved of, the wreckers – have chosen an easy path to capitalizing on the rising rage. All they need to do is convince the public that the system is irredeemably corrupt and that the government can't possibly fix anything (hence Reagan's asinine "joke": "the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help'").

This is a very canny strategy. If you are the party of "governments are intrinsically corrupt and incompetent," then governing corruptly and incompetently proves your point. The GOP strategy is to create a nation of enraged nihilists who don't even imagine that the government could do something to hold their bosses to account – not for labor abuses, not for pollution, not for wage theft or bribery.

The fact that successive neoliberal governments – including Democratic administrations – acted time and again to bear out this hypothesis makes it easy for this kind of nihilism to take hold.

Far-right conspiracies about pharma bosses colluding with corrupt FDA officials to poison us with vaccines for profit owe their success to the lived experience of millions of Americans who lost loved ones to a conspiracy between pharma bosses and corrupt officials to poison us with opioids.

Unhinged beliefs that "they" caused the hurricanes tearing through Florida and Georgia and that Kamala Harris is capping compensation to people who lost their homes are only credible because of murderous Republican fumble during Katrina; and the larcenous collusion of Democrats to help banks steal Americans' homes during the foreclosure crisis, when Obama took Tim Geithner's advice to "foam the runway" with the mortgages of everyday Americans who'd been cheated by their banks:

https://www.salon.com/2014/05/14/this_man_made_millions_suffer_tim_geithners_sorry_legacy_on_housing/

If Harris gives in to billionaire donors and fires Khan and her fellow trustbusters, paving the way for more looting and scamming, the result will be more nihilism, which is to say, more electoral victories for the GOP. The "government can't do anything" party already exists. There are no votes to be gained by billing yourself as the "we also think governments can't do anything" party.

In other words, a world where Khan doesn't run the FTC is a world where antitrust continues to gain ground, but without taking Democrats with it. It's a world where nihilism wins.

There's factions of the Democratic Party who understand this. AOC warned party leaders that, "Anyone goes near Lina Khan and there will be an out and out brawl":

https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1844034727935988155

And Bernie Sanders called her "the best FTC Chair in modern history":

https://twitter.com/SenSanders/status/1843733298960576652

In other words: Lina Khan as a posse.

Tor Books as just published two new, free LITTLE BROTHER stories: VIGILANT, about creepy surveillance in distance education; and SPILL, about oil pipelines and indigenous landback.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/10/11/democracys-antitrust-paradox/#there-will-be-an-out-and-out-brawl

[mariacallous]

Trans-Atlantic relations as we know them are over. The Trump administration in the United States has made it clear that it prefers striking a deal with Russia or other autocrats over maintaining long-term commitments with its Western partners. These threats have united Europeans, who are ramping up their support for Ukraine, investing heavily in their own defense, and striving to build a stronger and more resilient economy. Meanwhile, U.S. institutions that once supported international cooperation and American soft power are getting dismantled.

These developments amount to a trans-Atlantic divorce—and also an opportunity to shape a new trans-Atlantic future by investing in the human capital that the Trump administration has made newly available. At the same time that Europe is trying to build its military capacity, stand on its own feet in intelligence, and make its data and energy infrastructure more resilient, the United States is bleeding talent across the board. U.S. human capital can help build Europe’s future and lay the foundation for a potential renewed trans-Atlantic partnership sometime in the future.

The Trump administration has frozen vast federal funds and announced the elimination of as many as 100,000 jobs, including senior military and security personnel. It has also threatened to push aside military officers who support diversity, equity, and inclusion. The treatment of U.S. intelligence agencies has been even harsher. The CIA has offered buyouts to numerous staff members and initiated the termination of an undisclosed number of contracts for junior officials and probationers.

While the exact numbers of those who have retired or resigned from U.S. intelligence agencies and the military are classified, it is evident that this action resembles a purge of thousands of competent employees. This has led to numerous debates within the United States, with the most prominent being about potential threats to U.S. security and the loss of top talent.

While this talent may potentially compromise U.S. security and military capabilities, it could also present unexpected opportunities for the European defense and intelligence sectors. Suddenly, thousands of competent military and security personnel are seeking new employment. While many would likely consider positions within the U.S. private defense and security sectors, the sheer number indicates that some may be interested in pursuing careers in other regions. Given the evident discontent with their dismissal, as well as their disagreement with U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies on basic human and political levels, it is conceivable that some would consider offering their services to another NATO army or agency in another Western country.

The transfer of personnel who have worked on highly sensitive matters or are trained in one military doctrine to another country is not a straightforward process. However, it is not impossible. Such a move would be more than opportunistic; it would also have practical and symbolic political benefits.

While direct transfers of officers between NATO members’ armed forces are rare, mechanisms like exchange programs and NATO assignments exist to promote interoperability. These arrangements, supplemented by targeted training and professional development, ensure that officers can effectively integrate and operate within different national military frameworks.

It is fair to assume that some of the U.S. military personnel who have been laid off, or are now dissatisfied and considering leaving, have participated in such exchange programs in the past, which would make it easy for them to engage again with those NATO member units in Europe. There should no obligation for U.S. military personnel to join regular European units in a standard service contact; they could be hired as advisors instead, which would be politically and administratively more palatable for the hiring militaries.

Clearly, for intelligence professionals, such a transition may be more challenging due to laws over nondisclosure and state secrecy. But by employing some creativity—within schemes championed by philanthropic foundations, for example—it could be possible. One could think of fellowship programs, for example, that would allow senior officials to maintain their income and independence, while providing consultation and support for European public administrations at the same time. Although not directly comparable, consider the effort that George Soros made after the end of the Cold War to sponsor scientists from the former Soviet Union in order to preserve nuclear and scientific expertise from falling into the hands of rogue states.

Such trans-Atlantic connections could also be a significant political statement. By welcoming competent and able U.S. personnel into their own agencies, Europeans would demonstrate that Euro-Atlantic ties extend beyond mere government relations—a message that resonates not only with the Democratic Party but also with the many Americans who disagree with Trump. It would also underscore Europe’s commitment to continue working together for mutual benefit, strengthening the trans-Atlantic relationship and demonstrating solidarity with those Americans who have been recently laid off.

This sort of hiring spree by Europe may not require extensive publicity, but it will certainly diverge from the Trump administration’s narrative and strategic approach. This could potentially cause some diplomatic friction, but it could also be of some broader diplomatic benefit. Europe can demonstrate its ability to act as an unpredictable and potentially influential independent entity, capable of identifying and acting on material opportunities that become available. It’s an ability that demands to be taken seriously.

What is possible in military and intelligence domains is even easier in the broader economy, where Europe can gain valuable insight from public officials who have experience in the oversight of sectors like energy and data, or other domains marked by integrated platforms and collaborative work such as public health and science.

It’s likely that European governments will be slow to provide the necessary support for hiring former U.S. officials, given various legal and bureaucratic obstacles. Legally, it may be much easier for personnel with U.S. security clearances to receive a fellowship or contract from a U.S.-based foundation rather than one from a foreign government. Therefore, philanthropists on both sides of the Atlantic, shocked by the dismantling of the institutions and tools of American soft power and geopolitical leadership, could act before governments step in by providing seed capital. Starting fellowships programs and imagining short-term affiliations or consultancy contracts would allow senior leadership from the United States to be included in Europe’s construction.

In these turbulent times, such links would create an alternative integration of the Western world that is focused on networked human capital. All this would have both short- and long-term positive effects. It would immediately speed up the improvement of European security and intelligence. In the long term, it would safeguard the basis for a future trans-Atlantic alliance through interpersonal connections and a shared culture.

However, it is urgent to think about how trans-Atlantic relations will look after the current divorce. It is not only because the investment in Europe’s defense and intelligence capacities needs to start immediately with full speed, but also because U.S. talent is already on the job market.

Time is of the essence. As with all good ideas, Europeans will not be the only ones pursuing an investment in U.S. human capital to strengthen their own interests. American employers will inevitably be among those competing for this talent. And U.S. intelligence has produced evidence that Russia and China are already scouting disgruntled federal workers. Europeans would be well advised to focus on helping the many competent officials currently in distress, if only for the sake of giving the West a chance to survive its current turmoil.

[erc20tokengenerator]

ERC20 token generator

Ever wanted to create your own cryptocurrency? Thanks to the ERC20 Token Generator, it’s more accessible than ever. Dive into the world of blockchain and see how simple it can be.

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These tokens offer various features that make them attractive for both developers and investors:

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FAQs

1. What is an ERC20 Token Generator?

An ERC20 Token Generator is a tool that simplifies the creation of custom tokens on the Ethereum blockchain.

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Basic blockchain understanding is helpful, but many generators offer user-friendly interfaces.

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Yes, you can list them on cryptocurrency exchanges or sell directly to users.

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5. How do I ensure my token is secure?

Regular code audits and following best practices can enhance security.

Source : https://www.altcoinator.com/

[tanadrin]

Major high-speed passenger rail routes on Qefre, colored by operator. Even with modern teleporter operating techniques, the daily throughput of a teleporter working at maximum capacity is tightly constrained; one teleporter trip costs, in relative terms, about as much as a first-class plane ticket might on Earth, so if you're not flush with cash or in a huge hurry, the train is usually the better option.

All high-speed rail operators are members of the General Railway Council, a sort of weird hybrid public-private agency that was created to encourage interoperability, provide common safety standards, and to support investment in underfunded regions. Some of the present operators have their origin in private ventures, but all are now operated mostly through public funding, with fiscal responsibility being divvied up according to sub-region by a complicated formula that is a terrific pain in the ass to administer. Railway funding on Qefre is a long-standing issue, with everybody having a reason why their town or city should pay less and their neighbors pay more for the railroads' upkeep; at the same time, the idea of cutting services to reduce costs is a surefire way to piss off everybody who lives outside of a major city, and even, according to some political paranoiacs, part of a plot by urban-dwellers to oppress the rural population.

Because Qefre has no abundant source of fossil fuels, airliners are rather more impractical than they are on Earth. Traveling across large bodies of water depends on passenger ships or mixed passenger/cargo carriers. But travel by train is the preferable option where it's available--passenger rail is comfortable, stylish, and enjoys generous public subsidies, and it's usually a lot more scenic to boot.