Infosec.Pub

There are plenty of travel brewing options, the aeropress, pipamoka, espro, and an eruption of practical portable espresso options lately. Unless you are either traveling a lot or using these regularly at home, they can be difficult to dial in to the brews you might be used to if you are a primarily pour-over brewer. There have been a number of foldable, portable, optimized pour-over brewers, but these tend to do best with a gooseneck kettle which is a deal-breaker for me when selecting a travel companion. Immersion options like the clever dripper have been touted for their travel-friendly simplicity, but it’s a notably different brew profile if you are used to pour-over. Two recent zero-bypass brewers have caught my fancy as work / travel options, the Ceado Hoop and the Orea Z1. Neither is really touted as a primarily travel brewer, but they are both super simple to use, do not require a gooseneck, and they are durable with high quality simple construction. In brief, either one of these is worthy of its space in your luggage, but which is the best?

Brief Rundown of devices

I’ve described the Hoop a bit briefly but only in reference to its filters. It’s a unique radial infusion brewer where the coffee grounds sit in a central chamber and water flow into the chamber and over the grounds is determined by a series of small holes that connect to a larger outer water reservoir.

The Z1 is basically a spinoff of the tricolate zero-bypass brewer but utilizes a fast Sibarist filter and has a built-in melo drip disperser which allows for a clumsier water source than a gooseneck kettle since it converts any pour into a diffuse uniform drip.

Packing

Let’s look at portability and practicality for travel first. Both are high quality food grade, high heat tolerant plastic. The z1 is Tritan and the Hoop is BPA free plastic but the resin type is not published. Both fit pretty practically in luggage, and while you can’t do that cute thing like you can with the aeropress where you slide a grinder inside of it, they certainly aren’t space hogs. The Hoop has a little bigger footprint, but if you are willing to stuff a clean pair of socks or something in it, I think it actually takes up a bit less space.
Winner: this one’s a tie

Brewing

I’ll lead with saying both can brew an excellent cup. They are very simple to brew with, but the Hoop takes the cake for simplicity if that’s what you crave when being out of the comfort of your kitchen coffee lab. The Z1 on the other hand is going to require a few pours and does offer some variables you can play with a little to tweak your brews. Both brew best on the coarser end of the pour-over range which is good news if you want to have a separate travel grinder – a middle of the road grinder will do very well with these. The Hoop is extremely flexible with how you pour the water in. You could take a large pot and just dump the water into the reservoir and you’d be fine. The z1 is fairly forgiving too, but you do need something with at least a bit of a spout. I usually use a collapsible travel kettle or a hotel kettle and these work fine, but you can’t pour too quickly or the Melodrip will overflow and slower pour rates can lead to dribbling and dripping with conventional spout kettles. I do usually make a little bit of a mess with the z1, but nothing terrible. Of note, I’ve learned that since I bought my Z1 (very early adopter), Orea sells a travel kit which includes a little cup with a pour spout. I remain skeptical about how usable this is, as I imagine this must be very hot to hold when filled with near-boiling water. The big issue with both of these is their big bottoms. That’s right, they both have weirdly large back-sides and it’s a frustrating design attribute that can really leave you stuck on the road. Neither fits on my Hario 02 carafe at home, nor do they fit with most standard sized coffee mugs. The Hoop is the bigger offender here requiring a 7cm diameter opening on the vessel below it. The Z1 isn’t much better, but enough so that I can typically find a large mug at an Airbnb or thankfully the wide mouths of the hotel paper cups typically fit. I’ve traveled with the z1 a lot and have always lucked-out with this, but I can imagine a situation that leaves me stuck with hotel coffee and it does give me some anxiety. I’ve found a nice 3D printed adapter that I’ve previously plugged for the Hoop – it’s durable and easy to travel with, but still – it’s another thing.

The Coffee Soldier's typical hotel room setup =)

With a filter in place the z1 doubles nicely as a dosing cup and fits nicely onto some grinders.

I do like how the Comandante grind cup fits perfectly onto the z1 as well for a no-mess transfer.

Winner: it’s close, but the z1 has an edge here.

Cleanup

Both are easy to clean and have just two parts that need washing off. The perforated bottom grate of the Z1 does require a little agitation to get residue fully off it, and I find the Hoop rinses off a little faster.
Winner: Hoop by a margin

Cost/Value

Orea seeks helpless coffee gear heads like online betting websites seek gambling addicts, and I think even those that like their products resent them a bit for it. At over 80 USD for the z1 not including any of the growing list of accessories for this, it is obscenely overpriced for a small plastic cup with some holes on the top and bottom. You’ll also be quite locked in to the special Sibarist filters which perform well but are hard to come by and also very expensive. The Hoop is reasonably priced, and you can in theory use Aeropress filters, but in reality, the experience and cup are only worthwhile with either Sibarist filters or Scott Rao 62mm filters currently. The Rao filters are more reasonably priced when comparing them to the Sibarist options. Winner: Hoop by a longshot

Wrap up/TLDR

Either of these makes for an excellent travel brewer. These are worth considering if you don’t have a travel solution yet or if you are looking to switch your travel brewing to a pour over method. If you’re not traveling all that often and want to keep things as simple as possible, I would recommend the Hoop but do recommend the 3d-printed step down adapter to make sure you can fit it on your cup/mug. If you travel frequently or for longer durations and want to have some options to tweak your travel brew a bit, the Z1 offers some flexibility that is a little closer to more traditional pour over methods. If you haven’t quite gotten to the point where TSA is pulling coffee gear out of your luggage and giving you WTF looks, I would lean towards starting with the more reasonable price point and simplicity of the Hoop. What am I up to these days? I travel with the Z1 and I’ve parked my Hoop at work as a perfect yeah I have enough bandwidth to pay some attention to this Zoom meeting and brew a pour-over at the same time solution.

-- I already have a recommended HOOP brewing recipe and hope to have my Z1 recipe available by next week.

Do you already have a travel favorite brewer? Do you have another pour-over on the go solution?

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A FORMER foreign secretary claimed the so-called special relationship with the US was “damaged” and that Donald Trump does not respect Sir Keir Starmer.

Sir James Cleverly branded the Prime Minister “indecisive” today as he travelled to the Gulf to join discussions for a ceasefire between the US and Iran.

“It’s quite clear now that President Trump does not respect Keir Starmer at all,” the Conservative shadow housing secretary said.

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A new study reveals that most fatal landslides occur in human-transformed environments. Conducted by an international team of researchers from the University of Vienna, Ankara University, Istanbul Technical University, Bursa Uludag University, and the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, the study provides a global overview of how human pressure modulates landslide occurrences. The paper is published in the journal Science Advances.

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“Total and complete victory. 100 percent. No question about it.” With these words, Donald Trump described the two-week ceasefire with Iran announced last night.

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"i can make you like sex" (i'm asexual)

"i can make you like men" (i'm a lesbian)

i hate when people assume they can make me like sex, men, or sex with men. i'm an asexual lesbian, i hardly want sex. i feel little to no attraction, and especially not to these creeps!!!

A surge in futures activity minutes before news of US–Iran talks has led to questions about insider trading and oversight gaps, writes CJ ATKINS

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It's made of cherry because that's what I have a lot of now.
The shape is based on an Atkins Perfection template I have, but I had to cut it up and move things around to account for the unusual hole pattern.

The Anti War Action Network (AWAN) called for a national day of action on Tax Day, April 15, to protest Trump’s costly war on Iran. President Trump has asked Congress to authorize an additional $200 billion for his war on Iran while at the same time cutting funding to scientific research, environmental protection, and various social programs including housing assistance, Medicaid and SNAP.

From the AWAN post on their Instagram @antiwaractionnetwork, “Organize an action in your community for Tax Day – April 15th – to show that we want our tax dollars spent on human needs like education and healthcare instead of bombing schools and destroying hospitals in Iran!”

Rae Minji, an organizer with Seattle Against War (SAW), said, “Mainstream media constantly lies to Americans the extent to which their tax dollars have been used for purposes that have nothing to do with national security and everything to do with the interests of the billionaires. We have a right to have a say in how our taxes are invested, and in order to make that a reality, we need to expose the actors responsible for the constant flow of our taxes dollars to bombs and genocide.”

Minji continued, “In SAW, we are flyering commuters in Washington Congressional District 9, which is the seat of Representative Adam Smith, one of the politicians who has been saying a lot about stopping Trump’s war on Iran, but hasn’t done anything meaningful. And no wonder: he personally benefits from war. His campaign funding almost entirely comes from AIPAC, Palantir, and other war-profiteering companies, and he operates the U.S. Military and Defense PAC. The hypocrisy is laughable.”

Cities participating include New York City, Chicago, Minneapolis, Tucson, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, Washington D.C., Seattle, Dallas/Fort Worth, Tulsa, New Orleans, Jacksonville and Grand Rapids.

#AWAN #AntiWarMovement #TaxDay #Iran #NationalDayofAction #Featured

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The urban monkeys in New Delhi are so bold they'll steal the lunch right off your plate. If you've spent time in New York, you've probably seen squirrels try to do the same. Sydney's white ibises got the nickname "bin chickens" for stealing trash and sandwiches.

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Liberals on the Wisconsin Supreme Court strengthened their majority on Tuesday when Democratic-backed candidate Chris Taylor romped to victory over her conservative opponent by more than 20 percentage points.

With the win, liberals hold a 5-2 majority on what's been described as "one of the most important courts in America" and are guaranteed control through at least 2030.

As reported by the Associated Press, Taylor centered her campaign on protecting reproductive freedoms, which have come under threat across the country after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

In her victory speech, Taylor also spoke out against billionaires using their vast wealth to buy influence in politics.

“Once again, Wisconsin showed the entire nation that we believe that the people should be at the center of government and the priority of our judiciary," said Taylor, "not the billionaires, not the most powerful and privileged, but the people."

In addition to protecting access to reproductive care, Taylor's win also gives liberals a bulwark to stand against any efforts by President Donald Trump and his allies to suppress voting in future elections.

As Bolts staffer writer Alex Burness explained in a post-election analysis, the Wisconsin Supreme Court "may soon be asked to weigh in on congressional redistricting... and could see any number of lawsuits during the coming midterms and 2028 presidential election, as it did in 2020."

Burness pointed to an interview Taylor gave to Bolts in February in which she emphasized her determination to protect voting rights, saying that "we cannot be fatigued when it comes to democracy... it's just something we have to keep working on."

Progressive research and communications organization A Better Wisconsin celebrated Taylor's win as "a major victory for democracy, reproductive freedom, and the constitutional rights of all Wisconsinites."

Melinda Brennan, executive director of ACLU Wisconsin, said Taylor's win showed "resounding support for protecting abortion access and defending voting rights in our state."

Ben Wikler, former chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, said Taylor's victory was a tribute to Wisconsin progressives who have not stopped fighting after Trump's 2024 victory.

Wikler added that the result is further evidence that "the overall environment is toxic for anyone aligned with Trump."

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A crab named for mangrove forests is leaving them behind. New research from William & Mary's Batten School & VIMS shows that the Atlantic mangrove fiddler crab (Leptuca thayeri) is settling into temperate salt marshes along the southeastern U.S. coast. Published in the Journal of Crustacean Biology, the study documents the species as far north as Beaufort, South Carolina, almost 200 miles north of its traditional range in Florida.

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Tokyo (AFP) – Japan is fighting back against online abuse of athletes and sports authorities have a warning for trolls planning to target competitors at this year's Asian Games: You are being watched.

Online abuse is felt by athletes all over the world, affecting their performances and mental health, leaving them fearing for their safety and even causing them to quit their sports.

Japan is no exception and efforts are belatedly being made to tackle the problem, from dedicated lawyers to teams monitoring social media for offensive posts.

"Even a single negative comment can cut deeply," Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) official Misa Chida told AFP.

"Athletes don't want to see things like that, so a lot of them choose not to look at social media at all, and that means they miss the 99 percent of messages that are supportive.

Chida was part of a dedicated team of JOC officials monitoring social media at the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February.

Six staff members in Milan and 22 in Tokyo checked around the clock for posts abusing Japanese athletes, using both manual and AI searches.

They worked in conjunction with Meta -- owner of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp -- and Japanese company LINE Yahoo.

The team asked social media companies to take down almost 2,000 posts, and succeeded in having nearly 600 removed.

Social media companies have often been accused of not doing enough to crack down on abuse on their platforms.

The JOC said they plan to repeat their monitoring activities at their home Asian Games, which are being held in Nagoya and the wider Aichi area on September 19-October 4.

On top of that, Asian Games organisers told AFP that they will run a wider monitoring programme aimed at protecting athletes from all competing countries.

"We now understand what kinds of comments appear on a daily basis and how they upset athletes," said JOC official Hirofumi Takeshita.

"We've learned how much energy we need to devote to this."

The JOC is not the first sporting organisation to carry out a social media monitoring programme.

The International Olympic Committee ran one in more than 35 languages at the 2024 Paris Games and there have also been initiatives in football and tennis.

"As awareness of these initiatives grows among athletes, staff and everyone working on the ground, that in itself contributes to a greater sense of psychological safety," said Chida.

Japan has been relatively late to the party, according to lawyer Shun Takahashi, who leads a seven-strong legal group dedicated to protecting athletes from online abuse.

Takahashi says his group, founded in 2024, is a "safe haven" for athletes, many of whom feel uncomfortable talking about the issue.

"They worry that showing vulnerability might lead a coach to bench them or that others will see them as weak," he said.

"Many athletes are raised with the idea that they must always be strong and they don't want to be perceived otherwise."

Takahashi offered support in the case of Taiki Sekine, a professional baseball player who last year took legal action against online abusers.

Sekine, who received messages such as "I hope your whole family dies in an accident", has won several settlements and lodged criminal complaints against the worst cases.

The domestic nature of Sekine's case made it easier to prosecute than social media abuse that crosses international borders.

Takahashi says legal action has "a deterrent effect" on online trolls, many of whom he says are in their teens or early 20s.

"It makes them realise the risk involved," he said.

But while Japan is now taking a proactive approach to online abuse, those involved say there is still a long way to go

Less than a third of the posts that the JOC's Olympic monitoring team requested be deleted were actually taken down by social media companies.

Takeshita said the tech firms were "very cooperative" but admitted their view of which posts were offensive did not always match up.

"Yes, there was a gap, but it was a gap that we were able to identify by actually doing this work," he said.

"That's better than having an unidentified gap that never gets bridged. Now that we know where the differences lie, we can work to close them."

A tropical forest can regrow quickly. What is harder to see is how long full ecological recovery takes. A pasture left to regenerate may, within a few decades, resemble a forest again. But resemblance can be misleading. Beneath the canopy, recovery proceeds at different rates across species, shaped by how species persist through disturbance and return afterward. A recent study of a lowland rainforest in Ecuador offers a detailed account of this process across a wide range of organisms. Drawing on data from 62 plots spanning active agriculture, secondary forest, and old-growth stands, the researchers examined how biodiversity recovers following land use. Their analysis extends beyond trees to animals and microbes, treating forests as systems of interaction rather than collections of species. The findings, published this week in Nature, point to a mixed picture. Secondary forests—those regrowing after clearance—now account for roughly 70% of tropical forest area. Their role in conservation has often been overlooked. The study finds that these landscapes can regain much of their biological richness within a few decades, provided they are allowed to recover. Measured in terms of abundance and species diversity, recovery is relatively fast. Many groups return to levels close to those found in old-growth forest within 30 years, and in some cases much sooner. Pollinators such as bees, along with birds and bats, show particularly rapid gains. These species move easily across fragmented landscapes, allowing them to recolonize regenerating areas early. Species composition changes more slowly. A forest may regain its numbers without…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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Author: Virginia Pietromarchi
Published on: 09/04/2026 | 00:00:00

AI Summary:
Iran agreed to a two-week truce, pausing more than five weeks of increasingly violent attacks and inflammatory rhetoric. Just hours earlier, US President Donald Trump threatened to wipe out an “entire civilization” and Tehran had warned of further attacks across the Gulf and beyond. Iranian state media say Tehran must continue controlling the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said passage over the two weeks will only be possible 'in coordination' with the Iranian military. Gulf nations remain wary that the US could agree to terms that grant Iran some control over the Straits of Horminz in exchange for a fragile truce. The alternative would be a nightmare scenario for the energy-rich Gulf countries, leaving them under constant threat of disruption and economic blackmail. The White House later said the US president has considered the idea but added his near-term priority is the reopening of the strait without any limitations. Another bad scenario for the Gulf states would be ending the war with Iran still capable of striking at will. Since the start of the war, the GCC countries have refrained from entering the conflict, maintaining a defensive posture against the Iranian salvoes fired towards their territory. Analysts say GCC countries stepped up diplomacy in the lead-up to the conflict. But officials across the region have repeatedly warned Iran should not mistake their inaction as a sign of weakness. Even if the GCC’s concerns are taken into account, there are no guarantees that Iran and the US will agree to a permanent ceasefire.

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While a US–Iran ceasefire has been announced, shipowners continue to delay Hormuz transit due to unclear terms and unresolved security risks

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Analysis of six extreme heatwaves found that when temperature and humidity were accounted for, all were potentially deadly for older people

The paper is here