I'm putting together a provisional (cheap & quick) studio setup, to get on with photographing ceramics & sculpture in the first instance but the option to reuse for portrait work would be a plus.

What should I look at in terms of backdrops? Are the cheap ones from amazon viable? There is a good haberdashery locally who have rolls of fabric - what should I look for if I enquire there?

I'm a competent DIYer but want to avoid false economies and, if poss, too much redundant kit when I upgrade. I also need to crack on with it asap!

What is your advice?

::: spoiler Comments
- Reddit;
- Hacker News.
:::

Report.

The new Social Security War Room investigation found that, in addition to gutting the Social Security workforce and degrading key functions of the agency, Trump’s Social Security Administration(SSA) has removed 48 benchmarks of critical information and data from its website, including: (1) disability benefits processing data; (2) retirement, survivor, and Medicare claims processing data; (3) key phone metrics; (4) information on staff reductions; and (5) information that helps Americans understand or modify their Social Security. The dashboard changes have occurred — without notice — while Social Security Administration(SSA)’s leadership has continued to peddle false claims about wait time data.

In June, reports revealed that Social Security Administration(SSA)’s online performance dashboard had been removed from the agency’s website shortly after Commissioner Bisignano took office. The dashboard had displayed key information including metrics on processing times for benefits and live wait time data for the agency’s 800 number. When Social Security Administration(SSA) relaunched the dashboard in mid-June, the site was significantly pared down.

Warren Investigation Reveals Trump’s Social Security Administration Removed Key Metrics, Information from Website | U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts

The Official U.S. Senate website of Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts

^{www.warren.senate.gov}

This is a "crônica", a uniquely Brazilian format that emerged in Brazilian newspapers in the 19th century. The crônica is very short. It is characterized by a mix of fact, subjectivity, and often fiction that is supposed to reflect or say something about reality (this one has no fiction). Oddly enough, I wrote this crônica directly in English. It was an interesting experience to write something so profoundly Brazilian in English.

Crônicas are often slice-of-life.

Ben-Hur on a computer screen

^{Davi Ramos}

E: apparently it needs to be said that I am not suggesting you switch to Linux on your phone today; just that development needs to accelerate.

Android has always been a fairly open platform, especially if you were deliberate about getting it that way, but we've seen in recent months an extremely rapid devolution of the Android ecosystem:

1. The closing of development of an increasing number of components in AOSP.
2. Samsung, Xiaomi and OnePlus have removed the option of bootloader unlocking on all of their devices. I suspect Google is not far behind.
3. Google implementing Play Integrity API and encouraging developers to implement it. Notably the EU's own identity verification wallet requires this, in stark contrast to their own laws and policies, despite the protest of hundreds on Github.
4. And finally, the mandatory implementation of developer verification across Android systems. Yes, if you're running a 3rd-party OS like GOS you won't be directly affected by this, but it will impact 99.9% of devices, and I foresee many open source developers just opting out of developing apps for Android entirely as a result. We've already seen SyncThing simply discontinue development for this reason, citing issues with Google Play Store. They've also repeatedly denied updates for NextCloud with no explanation, only restoring it after mass outcry. And we've already seen Google targeting any software intended to circumvent ads, labeling them in the system as "dangerous" and "untrusted". This will most certainly carry into their new "verification" system.

Google once competed with Apple for customers. But in a world where Google walks away from the biggest antitrust trial since 1998 with yet another slap on the wrist, competition is dead, and Google is taking notes from Apple about what they can legally get away with.

> Android as we know it is dead. And/or will be dead very soon. We need an open replacement.

It truly can't be overstated how important this will be in the coming years, given the current trends of Android towards being a closed ecosystem.

Samsung One UI Removed Bootloader Unlock – What It Means for Users in 2025

Samsung One UI removed bootloader unlock officially in latest update. Learn what this change means for custom ROM users, developers, and how it affects Android enthusiasts.

^{Pavithran (TrendsLife)}

Amid reports the Justice Department is weighing banning transgender people from owning firearms in response to last month’s mass shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic church, the National Rifle Association said Friday it will oppose any blanket rule that limits Second Amendment rights.

Their declaration comes after CNN and other outlets reported that Justice Department leadership is considering whether it can use its rulemaking authority declare that people who are transgender are mentally ill and can lose their rights to possess firearms.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/05/politics/nra-transgender-gun-control

Is AI's hype cycle leading us into a trough of disillusionment? Dive into the reality behind GPT-5's launch and its impact on the tech world.

A recent MIT report on AI in business found that 95 percent of all generative-AI deployments in business settings generated “zero return.”

GPT 5's Rocky Launch Highlights AI Disillusionment

^{Matthew S. Smith (IEEE Spectrum)}