Apple removed ICEBlock reportedly after direct pressure from Department of Justice officials. “I am incredibly disappointed by Apple's actions today. Capitulating to an authoritarian regime is never the right move,” the developer said.
Apple removed ICEBlock reportedly after direct pressure from Department of Justice officials. “I am incredibly disappointed by Applex27;s actions today. Capitulating to an authoritarian regime is never the right move,” the developer said.#News
ICEBlock Owner After Apple Removes App: ‘We Are Determined to Fight This’
The developer of ICEBlock, an app that lets people crowdsource sightings of ICE officials, has said he is determined to fight back after Apple removed the app from its App Store on Thursday. The removal came after pressure from Department of Justice officials acting at the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi, according to Fox which first reported the removal. Apple told 404 Media it has removed other similar apps too.“I am incredibly disappointed by Apple's actions today. Capitulating to an authoritarian regime is never the right move,” Joshua Aaron told 404 Media. “ICEBlock is no different from crowd sourcing speed traps, which every notable mapping application, including Apple's own Maps app, implements as part of its core services. This is protected speech under the first amendment of the United States Constitution.”
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Do you know anything else about this removal? Do you work at Apple or ICE? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at joseph.404 or send me an email at joseph@404media.co.This post is for subscribers only
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Subscribe nowICEBlock Owner After Apple Removes App: ‘We Are Determined to Fight This’
Apple removed ICEBlock reportedly after direct pressure from Department of Justice officials. “I am incredibly disappointed by Apple's actions today. Capitulating to an authoritarian regime is never the right move,” the developer said.Joseph Cox (404 Media)
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Implementing a Kalman Filter in PostgreSQL to Smooth GPS Data
Usually databases are treated primarily as fairly dumb data storage systems, but they can be capable of much more. Case in point the PostgreSQL database and its – Ada-based – PL/pgSQL programming language, which allows you to perform significantly more complex operations than would be realistically possible with raw SQL. Case in point the implementation of a Kalman Filter by the folk over at Traconiq, which thus removes the necessity for an external filtering pipeline.
Using a Kalman Filter is highly desirable when you’re doing something like vehicle tracking using both dead-reckoning and GPS coordinates, as it filters out noise that can be the result of e.g. GPS reception issues. As noted in the article, transferring state from one row to the next requires a bit of lateral thinking, but is doable with some creative SQL usage. As PL/pgSQL is very similar to Oracle’s PL/SQL, this same code should work there too without too much porting required.
The code for the different implementations and associated benchmarks can be found on GitHub, though the benchmark results make it abundantly clear that the most efficient approach is to run an offline aggregate processing routine. This coincides with the other batch processing tasks that are typically performed by a database server to e.g. optimize storage, so this isn’t entirely unsurprising.
Kei Truck Becomes Tiny RV
Tent camping lets you explore places on foot you could never reach another way, but sometimes you want to camp with a bit more luxury. [Levi Kelly] decided to see how small you could make an RV. [via Autopian]
While we won’t argue one way or another on his claim to world’s smallest, as that likely depends on your definition of an RV, starting with a kei truck certainly puts you in a more compact format than something built on a bus chassis. With four wheel drive and a small footprint, this could be better for overlanding than the Rivian bed camper we featured recently.
The 21 sq. ft. (1.95 m2) camper portion itself is framed in 2 x 2s (38 x 38 mm) to save weight and uses foam board insulation. A working faucet uses a pump to draw drinking water from a 5 gallon (19L) refillable jug and empties into a 7 gallon (26L) grey water tank. A solar panel on the roof charges the battery that drives the pump, ventilation fan, and can also be used to run other devices like a hot plate for cooking.
A teeny tiny wood stove can be used for heat, although [Kelly] is using a different fuel source to reduce unpredictability from a wood fire in such a small space. A faucet-mounted sprayer can be routed to the outside of the camper to create a makeshift shower and is run from the sink water system. There’s even a small cabinet above the foot area of the bed to house a portable toilet and a bubble window to observe your surroundings while you do your business.
We’ve seen some even smaller campers, like this vintage-inspired bike camper, or this more streamlined version. If you want the most efficient RV ever then check out this solar-powered one.
youtube.com/embed/t_HjSaoo_CY?…
Mario Guevara to be deported for reporting the truth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Atlanta-area journalist Mario Guevara’s family announced today that he will be deported to El Salvador tomorrow, after spending more than 100 days in detention.
Guevara was initially arrested on June 14 while reporting on a“No Kings” protest near Atlanta. Although the charges against him were dropped, the government argued during deportation proceedings that his filming of law enforcement activities — a constitutionally protected activity — created a threat to public safety.
The following statement can be attributed to Seth Stern, director of advocacy of Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF):
“Mario Guevara was ripped from his family and community because the Trump administration punishes journalists to protect its own power.“The only thing that journalists like Guevara threaten is the government’s chokehold on information it doesn’t want the public to know. That’s why he’s being deported and why federal agents are assaulting and arresting journalists around the country.
“The full impact on our freedom of speech may never be known. But what is certain is that Guevara’s deportation sends a chilling message to other journalists: Tell the truth, and the state will come for you.
“This is unconstitutional, un-American, and wrong. It’s an assault on the First Amendment, and it won’t stop until we all fight back by speaking out.”
Before today’s news, more than 100 writers, journalists, and scholars signed a letter calling for his immediate release. For more about Guevara’s case, visit freedomformario.com/.
Please contact us if you would like further comment.
Building A Desk Display For Time And Weather Data
Just about every laptop, desktop, and smartphone in your life can tell you the date, time, and current weather predictions. However, sometimes it’s nice to have simple data displayed on a bespoke device. That’s what inspired [Mario] to create ESPTimeCast.
As you might have guessed by the name, the project is designed around the ESP32 and ESP8266 microcontrollers; either one is up to the task of running the show here. Both come with Wi-Fi connectivity out of the box, which makes it easy for them to hook up to the Internet to query NTP servers for the time and weather data from OpenWeatherMap. The data is then displayed on an LED matrix display, made up of four 8×8 LED modules and driven with the aid of the MAX7219 IC. Configuration is handled over a simple web interface hosted on the device itself. All the parts are wrapped up in a 3D-printed housing that would be very fitting in any home that appreciates the magic of late 60s/early 70s decor.
Hackers love building clocks, weather stations, and other useful information displays. We’ve seen a great many examples over the years. If you’re cooking up your own neat project in this area, don’t hesitate to let us know!
ROCCA DICE BENE: INCENERITORE = PIETRA TOMBALE DELLA DIFFERENZIATA
Le odierne dichiarazioni di Rocca sull'inceneritore come pietra tombale della differenziata a Roma esprimono alla perfezione le scelte politiche sulla gestione dei rifiuti della Capitale. I rifiuti che bruceranno saranno interamente composti da tal quale, non solo una parte, ovvero 600 mila tonnellate per oltre 30 anni.
Dopo tre anni, la raccolta differenziata è ancora ferma al palo. Le proiezioni al 2035 evidenziano un 20% di scarto: rifiuti che, pur raccolti come differenziati, finiscono comunque nell’indifferenziato.
Uno spreco enorme che potrebbe essere evitato con una efficace raccolta porta a porta, aprendo anche la strada a una futura tariffa puntuale. Invece la giunta Gualtieri certifica il fallimento del suo piano rifiuti, continuando a puntare sui cassonetti stradali, ormai trasformati in parte integrante dell'arredo urbano.
La preoccupazione espressa dal presidente Rocca si trasformi in un concreto ripensamento sulla gestione dei rifiuti a Roma favorendo il rilancio del recupero di materia possibile solo attraverso una raccolta differenziata di qualità in linea con gli ambiziosi obiettivi ambientali europei.
Martedì scorso abbiamo presentato 24mila firme alla Camera che dicono no ai poteri speciali: siamo ancora in tempo per evitare che nella Capitale si compia il crimine ambientale di bruciare rifiuti tal quale per i prossimi 30 anni.
Unione dei Comitati contro l'inceneritore a Santa Palomba
2 ottobre 2025
