A suspected Chinese state-sponsored hacking group has stepped up its targeting of Taiwanese organizations, particularly those in sectors such as government, education, technology and diplomacy.

The post Chinese Hackers Have Stepped Up Attacks on Taiwanese Organizations, Cybersecurity Firm Says appeared first on SecurityWeek.

Ilid Kaolo is a singer-songwriter and Outlet Drift is a three piece rock band. Both acts draw on their roots as Indigenous Taiwanese people to create wonderful fusions.

Indigenous Taiwanese people belong to the family of austronesian peoples. Even if you don't know much about the Indigenous Taiwanese, there's a good chance you've listened to a traditional melody of the Amis tribe. In 1994, German electronic group Enigma sampled a recording of a traditional chant in their song Return to Innocence (the original performers, Difang and Igay Duana sued Enigma and Virgen records for unauthorized use, and the case was settled out of court). Ilid Kaolo writes in both Chinese and the Amis language, and is influenced by bossa nova and jazz music. I'm fascinated by the songs that blend Amis melodies with jazz-influenced arrangements. (The post title is the name of a song on Ilid's album My Carefree life.)

• My Carefree Life
• 以莉高露 Ilid Kaolo《尋找你 Longing》-女人島 (客廳音樂會Live)
• 餵奶歌 —以莉高露教你唱(feat. Stacey Wei) ｜2018台北演唱會即將開演

Outlet Drift is a grunge-influenced rock band. With their last album, Lady of the Ocean, they say they wanted to use their music to express the breath and power of the Ami marine culture.

• 搭寮 Patireg to Talo'an｜漂流出口 Outlet Drift x 蔡子安 TZU-AN, TSAI｜LUC UP ! 10 x 10 [合拍]
• 漂流出口(Outlet Drift)海女(Lady of the Ocean)
• # 漂流出口 Outlet Drift – 仙人掌的花 Cactus Flower (Live from YuChen Studio)

I originally learned of both of these acts via the Taiwan Beats article 5 Taiwanese Indigenous Artists that You Should Know. These were my favorites from the article, but maybe you'll vibe more with one of the other groups mentioned.

Kuo Chiu, known as KC to his friends, teaches urban design at Tunghai University in Taiwan. He’s also one of many of the country's citizens who practises rifle skills in his spare time, in case of a Chinese invasion.

The population of Taiwan has long grown familiar with Beijing’s pledge to one day ‘unify’ what it claims is a breakaway province. But recently, there has been a significant increase in aggressive and intimidatory acts.

Taiwan’s 160,000 active military personnel are vastly outnumbered by China’s 2 million-member armed forces, leading many civilians to turn to voluntary medical and combat training to protect themselves.

The Guardian's video team spent time with KC to see how he is preparing

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© Photograph: The Guardian

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© Photograph: The Guardian

The island democracy was early to ban TikTok on government phones, and the ruling party refuses to use it. But a U.S.-style ban is not under consideration.

© An Rong Xu for The New York Times