The text discusses the process of reverse engineering a DOS word processor called QText from the 1990s to recover lost passwords for locked documents. Here are the key points:

1. Background: The authors were hired in 2020 to unlock old QText documents for a client who forgot the password. QText is a Hebrew-English word processor that uses a simple encryption method.

2. Initial Findings:

   • The password is short (4 characters) and limited to uppercase letters and numbers.
   • Locked documents have a specific header, and the same password yields the same header.
   • The encryption operates on a per-line and per-column basis, which is outdated by modern standards.

3. Reverse Engineering:

   • The authors used DOSBOX to run the QText program and analyze its binaries.
   • They discovered that the executable was packed using a method from PKZip, which required unpacking to access the code.

4. Key Derivation:

   • The password is processed through a key derivation function that involves a permutation step and some validity checks for each byte of the password.
   • They outlined how the decryption process could be reversed to find the original password.

5. Brute Force vs. Reverse Engineering:

   • Given the small number of possible passwords, brute-forcing the password was feasible, but understanding the key derivation allowed for a more efficient approach.

6. Implementation:

   • The authors developed a script to automate the recovery process, which involves generating possible passwords based on the derived key.

In summary, the authors successfully explored early cryptographic practices in software development by reverse engineering QText, ultimately creating a method to recover lost passwords.

Summary: Your Startup Doesn’t Need to Be a Unicorn

Matt Williamson, a first-time entrepreneur, shares insights about startup funding in his first Substack post. He discusses three main paths for startups:

1. Venture Capital (VC) Path: This approach encourages rapid growth through significant funding, but it often leaves founders with less equity and greater financial pressure.

2. Bootstrapping: This method involves building a business without external funding. While it can lead to sustainable growth, it often takes a long time to see results.

3. Missing Middle Path: This lesser-known approach suggests raising a smaller amount of capital (under $1M) while maintaining most equity. This path allows startups to focus on profitability and strong asset value without the intense pressure from VCs.

Matt emphasizes that many startups fail by raising too much money and ending up with little during a sale. He believes there’s a valuable opportunity for founders between Pre-Seed and Series A funding stages. Ultimately, he advises entrepreneurs to understand their goals and values before choosing a funding route.

Key Takeaways:

• You don't need to aim for a "unicorn" or bootstrap your way to success.
• There’s a beneficial middle ground for funding.
• Knowing your motivations is crucial for making informed decisions.

This post is a simpler version of our technical article. If you want detailed numbers and scientific information, check the technical post instead. We discuss something called the Linear Representation Hypothesis, which can be complex. To make it easier to understand, I'll use two-dimensional diagrams, even though we're actually dealing with high-dimensional spaces. We can also ask our probe about non-variable tokens, but the results are unclear because we only train on and label variable tokens.

Apple has replaced the old file transfer tool, rsync, with a new tool called openrsync in macOS Sequoia. The previous version of rsync, 2.6.9, was outdated (released in 2006) and limited due to licensing issues with the GNU General Public License. Apple could not upgrade to rsync 3.x because it did not comply with the newer GPLv3 license.

Openrsync uses a more permissive license (ISC), allowing Apple to update it freely in the future. However, it is important for Mac users to note that openrsync may not support all the features that the old rsync did, which could affect some functionalities that worked before. Users can still run openrsync using the same command as rsync, but with some limitations on command line arguments. For more details on its functionality, users can refer to the openrsync documentation.

The Elimination Game is a competitive tournament designed to evaluate language models (LLMs) on their social reasoning, strategy, and deception skills. Players engage in public and private discussions, form alliances, and vote to eliminate each other until only two players remain. The eliminated players then vote to decide the winner.

Key features of the game include:

1. Public vs. Private Dynamics: Players must balance open discussions with secretive strategies where hidden motives can change the game.
2. Strategic Voting: Players vote anonymously to eliminate others, with tie-breaks adding complexity.
3. Jury Persuasion: The last two players must convince the jury (eliminated players) to win, showcasing their persuasive skills under pressure.

The game consists of several rounds where players communicate publicly and privately, vote to eliminate others, and form alliances. The format encourages analysis of conversation logs and voting behaviors to understand how models manage shared knowledge and hidden intentions.

Visual materials, such as round replays and various charts, help illustrate the models' performance, including their voting patterns, betrayal rates, and communication styles.

The final results rank the models based on their performance, with metrics such as skill ratings and win rates. Notably, models like GPT-4.5 Preview and Claude 3.7 Sonnet performed particularly well.

Overall, the Elimination Game is a complex test of negotiation and social interaction among AI models, providing insights into their strategic capabilities.

The text seems to cover several topics related to "magic numbers," calendar systems, and possibly software tools like Google Sheets and Quadratic. Here’s a simplified summary:

1. Magic Numbers: This term refers to numbers that have special meanings in programming or data analysis. It’s suggested not to use them without explanation.

2. Calendar Systems: Different methods of organizing dates and times are discussed, highlighting their importance in planning and scheduling.

3. Google Sheets: This tool is mentioned, likely in the context of using or managing data, possibly in relation to calendar systems or magic numbers.

4. Quadratic: This could refer to a mathematical concept or a specific tool related to calculations or data analysis.

Overall, the text touches on important concepts in data handling and analysis, emphasizing clarity and understanding.

Glamorous Toolkit Summary

• What is Glamorous Toolkit? It's a free, open-source development environment for Mac, Linux, and Windows that helps make software systems easier to understand by using contextual micro tools.

• Key Features:

  • Moldable Development: It allows users to create tailored experiences for specific problems using small, interactive tools.
  • Versatile Use Cases: It can be used for API exploration, software analysis, data visualization, DevOps investigations, system documentation, and creating custom editors.

• Getting Started:

  • Download the toolkit and learn to program within the environment.
  • Start with a problem that interests you.

• Language and Technology Support:

  • Built in Pharo and Rust, it can analyze various programming languages like Java, Ruby, Python, and more, as well as work with different technologies like GraphQL.

• Moldable Development Concept:

  • This approach emphasizes that there are multiple valid perspectives on a system. Contextual tools help summarize and explain systems better, facilitating clearer communication and feedback.

• Community Engagement: Users can connect via GitHub and Discord for support and collaboration.

Camera companies use different RAW formats, leading to confusion and compatibility issues. While there is a universal open-source format called DNG (Digital Negative) that some smaller manufacturers adopt, most major brands stick to their proprietary formats (like Canon's CR3, Nikon's NEF, and Sony's ARW).

RAW files offer more data for editing compared to JPGs, but the lack of standardization means that photo editing software must support each unique format. This complicates the editing process and can frustrate users who want their favorite software to work seamlessly with new cameras.

Proprietary formats provide manufacturers with the ability to optimize performance and maintain control over image processing, but they can limit third-party software support. Smaller brands often prefer DNG for its flexibility and compatibility.

The current situation remains messy, with photographers hoping that software updates will support new camera RAW files promptly. Despite the preference for a common format, proprietary RAW formats are unlikely to disappear soon, leaving users to navigate compatibility challenges.

Summary:

A new AI system called Dreamer, developed by DeepMind, has successfully learned to collect diamonds in the video game Minecraft without being taught how to play. This achievement represents a significant advance in artificial intelligence, as Dreamer can understand its environment and improve itself through experience.

In Minecraft, players navigate a randomly generated 3D world to gather resources and build tools necessary to find diamonds, which is a complex task. Dreamer uses a method called reinforcement learning, where it learns from trial and error to identify actions that lead to rewards. Unlike previous AI attempts that relied on observing human players, Dreamer explores the game independently.

Key to Dreamer's success is its ability to create a 'world model,' which helps it imagine potential outcomes of its actions, allowing for more efficient decision-making. This ability could pave the way for future robots that learn to navigate and interact with the real world more effectively.

No summary available.

No summary available.

The article discusses the surprising connection between mathematics and crochet. It highlights how crochet patterns have a mathematical structure, similar to binary code, where a stitch represents a "1" and a missing stitch represents a "0." Crochet can also illustrate complex shapes, such as hyperbolic space, which mathematicians struggled to model until Dr. Daina Taimina successfully used crochet to create these forms in 1997.

The piece mentions notable figures like Alan Turing, who knitted geometric shapes, and artists like Lilian Boloney, who uses crochet to explore hyperbolic geometry. The article also touches on chaotic and fractal crochet, where crochet techniques can represent complex mathematical concepts like the Lorenz equations and fractals, which describe natural patterns.

Overall, the author expresses admiration for the intersection of creativity and mathematics in crochet and encourages readers to appreciate this unique blend.

The article discusses the dangers posed by flares from the star Proxima Centauri to any potentially habitable planets nearby. These red dwarf stars, like Proxima Centauri, have habitable zones close to them, which means planets there face intense radiation and particle outbursts that can strip away their atmospheres.

Researchers Meredith MacGregor and Kiana Burton conducted a study using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to investigate the flares from Proxima Centauri. They found that these flares happen more frequently at millimeter wavelengths than at optical wavelengths, indicating a need for more comprehensive multi-wavelength studies to understand flare activity better.

The study revealed that the flare activity is more complex and potentially more harmful than previously thought. Flares could chemically alter or even erode the atmospheres of rocky planets like Proxima b. The researchers hope that if Proxima b has a strong magnetic field, it may protect the planet from some of the harmful effects of these flares.

In summary, Proxima Centauri's flares present significant challenges for the habitability of its nearby planets, and ongoing research is crucial to understanding these effects.

Summary: Optimizing Cloudflare D1 Database Queries

Background The author has been working on server-side projects with Cloudflare Workers and the D1 database, facing various challenges related to database queries, which are often unfamiliar to frontend developers.

Identifying Problems To diagnose issues, the author used methods such as:

• Monitoring the D1 dashboard for unusual database activity.
• Checking query statements and the number of rows read/written.
• Using metadata to see how many rows were affected by each query.

Using Batch Requests Combining multiple database operations into a single request improves performance. Instead of running individual insert statements, the author recommends using:

await db.batch([
  db.insert(user).values({...}),
  db.insert(tweet).values({...})
]);

This reduces the number of requests to D1.

Excluding IDs from Updates When updating records, it’s crucial to exclude the ID field to minimize row reads. The author suggests using:

await db
  .update(user)
  .set(omit(userParam, ['id']))
  .where(eq(user.id, userParam.id));

This limits the number of rows accessed during the update.

Avoiding Full Table Scans To reduce the number of rows read in count operations, the author recommends using cursor-based pagination instead of counting all records, which can be inefficient.

Avoiding Multi-table Joins Complex joins can lead to excessive row reads. The author found that splitting queries and performing grouping in application logic can minimize the data processed:

await db.batch([
  db.select({...}).from(modListUser).where(...),
  db.select({...}).from(modListRule).where(...),
]);

Optimizing Multi-Record Inserts For inserting multiple records, it’s more efficient to do it in one statement rather than using multiple individual inserts. The author suggests:

await db.insert(user).values(users);

However, due to parameter limits in SQLite and D1, data may need to be split into chunks.

Conclusion Server-side issues can significantly impact performance and costs, unlike client-side errors. The author emphasizes the importance of careful monitoring, testing, and a systematic approach to problem-solving when optimizing database queries.

No summary available.

The text discusses the importance for software engineers to understand how their work connects to a company's profits. Many engineers mistakenly believe that their efforts, such as improving user experience or working on non-revenue-generating projects, will be valued by their employers. The reality is that tech companies prioritize work that directly contributes to making money.

Key points include:

1. Tech Company Goals: Tech companies aim to make money, and engineering work is valued based on its contribution to profits.

2. Profit Centers vs. Cost Centers: Engineers should strive to be involved in "profit centers" (areas that generate income) rather than "cost centers" (areas that don't), as this leads to better job stability and opportunities.

3. Understanding Business Models: Engineers need to know how their company makes money and how their work supports that model. This understanding is critical for job security.

4. Connecting Work to Profit: Whether working on a product or support functions like accessibility, engineers should articulate how their work adds value to the company.

5. Working for Profitable Companies: If engineers want to focus on projects that seem unprofitable (like accessibility), they should seek employment at large, successful tech companies that can afford such initiatives.

In summary, engineers must recognize that their job security is tied to their work's contribution to profit, rather than just the intrinsic value of the work itself.

A new engineering breakthrough from the University of Michigan could allow electric vehicles (EVs) to charge five times faster in freezing temperatures. By modifying the manufacturing process of lithium-ion battery electrodes, researchers created a coating and microscale channels that enable charging in just 10 minutes at temperatures as low as -10°C (14°F).

This innovation addresses a major concern for EV buyers: slow charging and reduced range in cold weather. Typically, cold temperatures slow down the movement of lithium ions in batteries, making them charge slower and lose power. The new design prevents lithium from building up on electrodes, which is a common problem during fast charging in cold conditions.

The team’s approach can be integrated into existing battery manufacturing processes without major changes, making it easier for manufacturers to adopt. This advancement aims to increase consumer confidence in EVs, especially as interest in buying them has dropped recently due to concerns about winter performance.

The project is supported by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the technology is being commercialized through Arbor Battery Innovations.

Summary of "Baby Steps into Genetic Programming"

This article details an introductory exploration into genetic programming (GP) using Common Lisp, inspired by a bot created for the Google AI Contest. The author discusses how GP mimics biological evolution to solve problems by generating and evolving computer programs within a specific environment.

Key Points:

1. Introduction: The author shares their experience with GP and expresses a desire to experiment with it after seeing a GP bot in action.

2. Generating Random Code:

   • The process begins with defining operators (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division).
   • Random code structures are created using functions like random-elt and random-form, which recursively generate mathematical expressions.

3. Running Generated Code:

   • Generated forms are executed using a lambda function that takes an input value.
   • An error handler is included to manage illegal code gracefully.

4. Population and Fitness:

   • An initial population of random forms is created.
   • A fitness function evaluates how close each generated form is to the desired output (in this case, the area of a circle).

5. Generation Functions:

   • The article describes how to traverse and manipulate nodes in the generated code.
   • It implements genetic operations such as crossover (combining two forms) and mutation (altering a form).

6. Advancing Generations:

   • The population is evaluated for fitness, and new generations are created through crossover and mutation, with a small chance of introducing new random forms to maintain diversity.

7. Finding Solutions:

   • The process is repeated over many generations, gradually improving the fitness of the population until a satisfactory solution (a formula for the area of a circle) is found.

8. Conclusion:

   • The author encourages experimentation with GP and acknowledges the challenges faced, such as code bloat and maintaining diversity in the population.

Overall, the article serves as a practical guide for beginners interested in genetic programming using Common Lisp, emphasizing hands-on experimentation with code.

CERN scientists have developed a new high-resolution detector using mobile phone camera sensors to study antihydrogen's behavior in gravity. This Optical Photon and Antimatter Imager (OPHANIM) features 3840 MPixels, allowing for real-time imaging and precise tracking of antihydrogen as it falls. The AEgIS experiment aims to determine if antihydrogen behaves like regular matter under Earth's gravity by measuring tiny vertical shifts in a horizontal beam of antihydrogen.

The innovative use of mobile camera sensors, which have pixels smaller than 1 micrometer, enhances the resolution of the detector compared to older photographic plates. This technology not only improves measurements in antimatter research but also has broader applications in physics experiments requiring high positional resolution. Overall, this advancement could significantly impact our understanding of antimatter and its properties.

No summary available.

This text explains how to use the Gemini API with OpenAI as a backup in TypeScript. Here are the main points:

1. Purpose: The guide is for integrating Gemini’s API into applications that need a fallback option when rate limits are hit, specifically for a chart-making app.

2. Rate Limits: The Gemini model is limited to 20 requests per minute, so a fallback to OpenAI is necessary for uninterrupted service.

3. Model Definition: You need to specify which AI models you want to use, such as 'gemini-2.5-pro-exp-03-25' or 'gemini-2.0-flash'.

4. Helper Function: A function called getCompletion is provided to make requests to either Gemini or OpenAI. It attempts to use the first model in the list and, if it fails, it tries the second model.

5. Example Usage: The function can be called with a set of messages, and it will return a completion response, which includes a joke in this example.

6. Structured Output: Another function, getJSONCompletion, is introduced for structured and type-safe responses using Zod for validation.

7. Error Handling: Both functions include error handling to log failures when trying to get a response from either model.

This summary simplifies the process of integrating Gemini API with OpenAI by outlining the purpose, how to set it up, and providing examples.

The article discusses recent trends in cartography, highlighting its evolution from an art form to a scientific discipline. Initially, map-making was considered more of an art until the 1950s when researchers, such as Robinson, began applying scientific methods. In the 1970s, cartographers shifted to a communications model, focusing on creating maps that effectively convey information with minimal distractions.

With advancements in computer technology, particularly in the last decade, maps have transformed from mere communication tools into instruments for data exploration. Researchers like Alan MacEachren have introduced the concept of "cartographic visualization," which allows for multiple representations of data to uncover hidden patterns. This approach combines insights from fields like computer graphics and cognitive science, expanding the potential for cartographic research and improving map-making practices.

Summary of MonkeysPaw: A Ruby Web Framework

MonkeysPaw is a new web framework in Ruby that generates web pages based on user prompts. Instead of coding with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, users simply describe what they want, and the framework creates the pages accordingly. This approach allows for:

• Content-First Development: Focus on what you want to express rather than how to structure it.
• Natural Language as Code: Your descriptions serve as the program.
• Lower Barriers to Implementation: You can sketch ideas in plain language instead of technical syntax.

MonkeysPaw aims to make web development more expressive and creative, though it may not always produce perfect results. It is available as a Ruby gem, with installation instructions on GitHub.

Be cautious: like the classic story "The Monkey's Paw," the outputs can be close but slightly off, and complex interactions may need precise wording. Future updates may include new features like caching and image generation.

Scott Werner, the creator, plans to share more projects in this series titled "Works on My Machine."

Summary of "Microcomputers – The First Wave: Responding to Altair"

In the late 1960s and 1970s, the personal computing landscape began to evolve significantly. Don Tarbell, an early enthusiast, started selling components for home-built computers and eventually created a working system by 1972. The launch of the Altair 8800 kit in 1975 made it possible for many hobbyists to own a personal computer, leading to the formation of communities like the Southern California Computer Society (SCCS).

However, the Altair had limitations, such as insufficient memory and inadequate input/output options. Tarbell addressed these issues by producing affordable storage solutions, like the Tarbell cassette interface, which allowed users to save data on standard cassette recorders. This innovation, along with others from various entrepreneurs, spurred the growth of a small industry around personal computing.

As competition increased, new companies emerged, creating improved models and accessories. Notable examples included Processor Technology, which offered reliable memory boards, and Cromemco, known for its graphics and ROM products. Other firms like IMSAI produced Altair clones that appealed to consumers looking for better features.

Software also became a significant aspect of personal computing. Paul Allen and Bill Gates recognized the need for software, developing a BASIC interpreter for the Altair, which led to the establishment of Microsoft. This marked a shift towards commercial software, breaking the tradition of free exchanges among hobbyists.

Gary Kildall created CP/M, an operating system that became the standard for personal computers, making software development easier. Meanwhile, IMSAI aimed to create reliable business machines, differentiating itself from hobbyist-focused companies.

Overall, the 1970s saw the transformation of personal computing from a niche hobby into a burgeoning industry, driven by innovation in both hardware and software.

The AEgIS collaboration, led by the Technical University of Munich, has created a new detector using smartphone camera sensors that can image antiproton annihilations in real time with exceptional clarity. This device achieves a resolution of about 0.6 micrometres, which is 35 times better than previous methods.

The team aims to measure how antihydrogen behaves in Earth's gravity using a technique that involves producing a beam of antihydrogen and tracking its movements. The new detector combines features of traditional photographic plates with the ability to provide real-time data, all while using 60 modified camera sensors that collectively offer an impressive pixel count.

To achieve high accuracy, the researchers relied on crowdsourcing, where colleagues manually identified annihilation points in thousands of images, proving to be more effective than automated methods. This technology enhances research on low-energy antiparticle annihilation and allows scientists to study the effects of gravity on antihydrogen more closely.

No summary available.

No summary available.

The author reflects on their journey into software engineering as they turn 30. This reflection is inspired by a metaphorical midpoint in a hike, prompting them to look back on the past 12 years.

Key points include:

1. Curiosity and Learning: The author’s fascination with computers began in childhood, supported by their mom's purchase of a computer and their grandpa's old laptops. They learned about computers through experimentation, often breaking things to understand how they worked.

2. Exploration through Forums: They discovered online forums where they learned programming languages like C++, Batch files, and Perl. These communities provided guidance and helped accelerate their learning.

3. Linux Experiences: The author shares their trials with Linux, where mistakes often led to system failures ("borking"). Each failure taught them valuable lessons about computer configurations.

4. Web Development Beginnings: Their first web development experience was creating a store on the interactive game Neopets, which introduced them to HTML and CSS. This gamified approach made learning enjoyable and effective.

Overall, these early experiences laid a strong foundation for their career in software engineering, highlighting the importance of curiosity, community, and practical challenges in learning technology.

Browser agents, which help automate tasks in web browsers, currently struggle to perform effectively, failing over 80% of the time and taking much longer than humans for simple tasks. Foundry aims to improve this by creating a specialized simulator and evaluation platform for browser agents, similar to what has been done for self-driving cars and language models. This will help identify failures, speed up improvements, and make browser agents more reliable for businesses.

As a Fullstack Engineer at Foundry, you will develop systems that simulate browser interactions and create user-friendly dashboards to track agent performance. You will work closely with machine learning (ML) and reinforcement learning (RL) experts to influence the product’s future.

Ideal candidates should have experience in building scalable products, knowledge of fullstack technologies (like React and Node.js), and skills in cloud infrastructure management. A passion for learning about AI and ML is also important.

Foundry offers a collaborative environment with experts, opportunities for professional growth in the expanding automation market, and a chance to make a significant impact on the development of intelligent automation solutions.

About nine months ago, I and three friends started a company to use AI for monitoring large codebases for security issues, aiming to replace some roles of human penetration testers. We launched our project in June 2024, and shortly after, we noticed significant improvements in our tool's performance with the release of Claude 3.5. However, despite testing newer AI models, we found little improvement in our internal benchmarks or our ability to identify new bugs.

Many in the AI startup community share similar experiences: despite promising announcements and benchmark scores, the actual performance of new models often falls short. We believe that while AI models may be better at specific tasks, they haven't significantly improved in their overall usefulness or ability to handle complex, real-world problems since August.

This raises concerns about the industry's ability to measure AI performance accurately. If current benchmarks are not effectively capturing the models' capabilities, it could lead to issues when AI is applied in more critical areas of society, like managing companies or public policy.

There’s speculation that AI labs may exaggerate their models' capabilities due to competitive pressures, and while some benchmarks show improvements, most public evaluations have been questionable. We argue that current benchmarks often resemble academic tests that may not reflect real-world tasks or the practical skills needed for jobs.

In our domain, AI models struggle to adapt to specific user requirements, often defaulting to general responses instead of addressing particular security concerns. This limitation highlights the need for a better understanding of AI's real capabilities and the development of more relevant benchmarks.

Ultimately, as AI becomes more integrated into society, it’s crucial to ensure these models are designed with transparency and virtue in mind, addressing their inherent limitations effectively.

Being a software engineer is challenging and requires a wide range of skills. Initially, you need to know programming languages and tools, but that’s just the start. Companies expect you to be familiar with specific frameworks (like Rails or Django) and CSS, which can be complex and frustrating.

JavaScript is often essential, especially with the rise of React, leading to the demand for full-stack engineers who must learn both front-end and back-end technologies. This includes additional tools like TypeScript and Redux, as well as configuration tools like webpack.

As the role evolves, engineers are now also expected to handle tasks traditionally managed by System Administrators, such as infrastructure management through DevOps practices. This means learning Docker, AWS, and infrastructure-as-code tools like Terraform.

If you get promoted to management, your responsibilities shift to overseeing projects and teams, which is a whole new skill set. Additionally, job requirements are becoming increasingly demanding, with some positions expecting expertise in multiple areas, making specialization harder to achieve.

The text suggests that the growing complexity in software development may lead to a future where simpler methods, like building apps with just a few prompts, could be more practical.

A Reddit user shared their experience with discovering unexpected signals from smartphones while exploring the NFC (Near Field Communication) frequency of 13.56 MHz using a software-defined radio. They noticed spikes in the spectrum when their phone screen was tapped, indicating that other iPhones were sending similar signals, likely in response to checking for alerts, even from a distance of 15-20 meters through walls.

They explained that when unlocked, a Google Pixel phone emits three NFC signals, while an iPhone sends out four signals just by waking the screen. These signals can be detected clearly even in noisy environments, suggesting NFC signals can travel farther than previously thought.

While not a security risk, these signals could reveal someone's presence and the type of phone they use, which could have implications for privacy and surveillance. The user noted that many people assume NFC works only at close range, but their findings show there’s more signal leakage than realized.

They encouraged others to experiment with more advanced equipment to explore these signals further, highlighting the potential for detecting phone activity in various contexts, such as on the battlefield.

Thomas Rattigan was the CEO of Commodore for a brief period from April 1, 1986, to April 23, 1987. He was fired unexpectedly upon arriving at work, which felt like a cruel joke. Despite his efforts to improve the company's finances, including turning a significant loss into a profit in one quarter, he was dismissed by Irving Gould, who felt Rattigan was too high-profile for his liking. Rattigan sued Commodore for $9 million due to breach of contract and won the case in 1991.

Rattigan, who had a successful background at PepsiCo, was hired by Commodore to stabilize the company but was let go before his new products launched. His tenure was part of a pattern of short-lived leadership at Commodore. After leaving Commodore, Rattigan became CEO of G. Heileman Brewing Co. in 1991 and later served on the board of RJR Nabisco.

No summary available.

To use LocalScore, you can download it and run it in two ways: with Official Models or your own .gguf models.

1. Choose Your Operating System: LocalScore works on MacOS/Linux and Windows.

2. Select a Benchmark:

   • Tiny (1B) - needs ~2GB memory
   • Small (8B) - needs ~6GB memory
   • Medium (14B) - needs ~10GB memory

3. Steps to Get Started:

   • Download LocalScore.
   • Download an Official Model, such as bartowski/Llama-3.2-1B-Instruct-GGUF.
   • Open cmd.exe and run the LocalScore command, replacing the model path as needed.

4. Troubleshooting: If you encounter issues with the command line interface, refer to the troubleshooting guide or the README for documentation.

5. Need Help?: There is a video available for additional assistance.

Mike Waltz, Donald Trump's national security adviser, accidentally included journalist Jeffrey Goldberg in a Signal group chat discussing US military strikes in Yemen. This mistake occurred when Waltz mistakenly saved Goldberg's phone number under a different contact months earlier. The internal investigation revealed a series of errors leading to this incident, which began during the 2024 campaign.

Trump considered firing Waltz but ultimately chose to keep him, partly to avoid giving the media satisfaction from his ousting. The investigation found that Goldberg's number was saved due to an iPhone feature that automatically suggests contacts. Waltz defended himself on Fox News, stating that he had never communicated with Goldberg.

The White House did not comment on the situation, and the investigation did not clarify the nature of Waltz's relationship with Goldberg. Despite the incident, Trump has publicly supported Waltz, and the use of Signal for communication was authorized due to a lack of alternatives.

Colossal, a genetics startup, has successfully created three dire wolf pups using ancient DNA from extinct ancestors. This development raises the possibility of bringing back other extinct species, like the woolly mammoth.

Throughout history, extinction has been a natural part of life on Earth, but human activities have accelerated the decline of many species, leading to efforts to reverse this trend. Ben Lamm, the founder of Colossal, is driven by a desire to make meaningful changes and has partnered with geneticist George Church to pursue de-extinction projects. Their company aims to leverage advanced genetic techniques, such as CRISPR, to revive “charismatic megafauna” like woolly mammoths, dodos, and thylacines.

Colossal's approach focuses on reintroducing these animals into ecosystems where they once thrived, potentially restoring ecological balance. This has sparked excitement and skepticism in the scientific community, with some experts questioning the ethical implications and the feasibility of such projects.

The dire wolf project began by extracting DNA from ancient fossils, which allowed scientists to sequence the genome and make precise genetic edits to create new pups resembling the extinct species. While the pups share traits with dire wolves, they are genetically modified gray wolves, and their behavior and characteristics may differ from their ancestors.

Colossal's work is not only about reviving extinct animals but also aims to create innovations in genetic engineering that could benefit human health and the environment. As the company continues to develop its projects, it remains to be seen how these creatures will fit into the larger ecosystem and what their eventual impact will be.

This text is a comprehensive exploration of Apple's Darwin operating system and its core component, the XNU kernel. Here’s a simplified summary:

Overview of XNU Kernel:

• XNU, which stands for "X is Not Unix," is a hybrid kernel that combines elements from the Mach microkernel and BSD Unix. It serves as the foundation for macOS, iOS, and other Apple operating systems.

History and Development:

• The origins of XNU trace back to the Mach microkernel, developed in the 1980s. It aimed to create a more modular and reliable operating system.
• NeXT Computer, founded by Steve Jobs, adopted Mach for its OS, NeXTSTEP, which later became the basis for macOS when Apple acquired NeXT in 1996.
• Over time, XNU evolved, incorporating features from both Mach and BSD, leading to better performance and modern capabilities.

Key Features of XNU:

• Hybrid Design: XNU merges Mach's microkernel approach with BSD's monolithic design, allowing efficient communication and performance.
• Memory Management: Utilizes advanced techniques like copy-on-write and virtual memory management, providing efficient memory usage.
• Security: Implements multiple security measures, such as System Integrity Protection and modern driver architectures, enhancing system reliability.
• Virtualization: Supports virtualization through frameworks that allow running virtual machines efficiently on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.

Modern Developments:

• Recent updates have introduced support for Apple Silicon, which includes custom ARM processors, enabling better power efficiency and performance.
• The introduction of new security mechanisms, like Secure Enclaves and exclaves, further isolates sensitive operations from the main kernel, enhancing security.

Conclusion: The evolution of XNU illustrates a successful blend of traditional operating system principles with modern demands, achieving a balance between performance and modularity. This robust design continues to adapt to new hardware and security challenges, making it a key component of Apple's ecosystem.

The article discusses the overwhelming amount of unnecessary data generated and stored in data centers, referred to as "crap data." It argues that this data is harmful to the environment and mostly consists of items that are never accessed again, such as unused files, outdated information, and excessive digital content.

Key points include:

1. Excessive Data Production: Every year, we produce trillions of photos and other digital items, most of which will never be viewed again.

2. Wasted Resources: Over 90% of commercial and government data is considered unnecessary and should not exist. Many organizations are unaware of the volume and location of their data, leading to inefficiencies.

3. Cloud Storage Issues: The low cost of cloud storage has exacerbated the problem, encouraging the accumulation of more unnecessary data without addressing its management.

4. Lack of Oversight: Many organizations do not keep track of their data or its relevance, resulting in massive amounts of unused information.

5. Impact on AI: The poor quality of data also affects AI systems, which are trained on this "crap data," leading to inaccuracies in their outputs.

Overall, the article emphasizes the urgent need for better data management practices to reduce environmental impact and improve efficiency.

A serious security flaw has been found in Apache Parquet, a widely used data storage format, which could allow attackers to execute remote code on affected systems. This vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-30065, affects all versions up to 1.15.0 and has a maximum severity score of 10.0.

The issue arises when untrusted data is deserialized, enabling attackers to control systems, steal or alter data, and even deploy malware like ransomware. To exploit this flaw, attackers need to trick users into importing a malicious Parquet file.

The vulnerability was reported by Amazon researcher Keyi Li and fixed in version 1.15.1 of Apache Parquet. Users are strongly advised to upgrade to this version.

Apache Parquet is commonly used in big data environments, including services like Hadoop and AWS, and is utilized by major companies such as Netflix and Uber. Although there have been no reports of active exploitation yet, the risk remains high due to its severity and the format's widespread use.

If upgrading isn't immediately possible, users should avoid untrusted Parquet files and enhance monitoring of systems that process these files.

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No summary available.

Summary:

Student Jaeheon Shim created an e-ink dashboard using a Raspberry Pi Pico W to help manage his busy schedule. He wanted a physical calendar that updates in real-time, enhancing his workspace while remaining unobtrusive.

The Inky Dashboard features a 7.3-inch e-ink display that shows a week-by-week calendar alongside a to-do list from the Todoist app. Jaeheon integrated data from iCal and made the display power-efficient by connecting every 30 minutes. He faced challenges in programming the user interface but ultimately used the Light and Versatile Graphics Library (LVGL) for the project.

The dashboard can sync with various calendar apps, and Jaeheon plans to add more features, like a weather widget. The project is open source, allowing for further customization.

The text appears to list different sections or categories of content on a website or platform. The main categories include:

• Feature Articles: In-depth pieces on specific topics.
• Codesod: Likely related to coding or programming.
• Error'd: Possibly focused on errors or troubleshooting.
• Forums: A place for discussions and community interaction.
• Other Articles: Additional content not categorized elsewhere.
• Random Article: A feature that presents a random piece of content.

Overall, these categories suggest a diverse range of articles and community resources available on the platform.

No summary available.

Summary of mem-isolate

mem-isolate is a tool designed to run potentially unsafe code in a safe manner. It works by creating a separate child process using the fork() system call, allowing the function to operate in a temporary, isolated memory space. This ensures that the function does not alter the memory of the parent process.

Key Features:

• Isolation: Provides a snapshot of the program's memory before executing the function, ensuring no side effects on the parent process.
• Use Cases: Suitable for running code that may leak memory, fragment the heap, or contain unsafe operations.
• Performance: While invoking the isolated process adds some delay (about 1.9ms), it is often an acceptable trade-off for improved memory safety.

Limitations:

• Only compatible with Unix-like systems (Linux, macOS, BSD); not available for Windows or WebAssembly.
• Data transfer between parent and child processes requires serialization, which can be slow for large data sets.

Performance Benchmarks:

• Direct function calls are very fast (~1.5ns), while using fork() and wait takes about 1.7ms, and execute_in_isolated_process() is around 1.9ms.

Licensing:

• The tool is available under the MIT license or the Apache License, Version 2.0.

Overall, mem-isolate is a useful tool for safely executing risky code without affecting the main application.

No summary available.

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Microsoft celebrates its 50th anniversary today, prompting a reflection on MS-DOS 5.0, a significant version of the operating system. Founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975, Microsoft has transformed personal computing over the decades. The author recalls their first experience with MS-DOS 5.0 on an outdated computer gifted to them around 1995. This version, released in 1991, introduced new features like the Edit and Qbasic applications, and was the last developed with IBM.

The author learned to navigate this old system using a library book, gaining useful skills despite the technology being outdated. This knowledge remained applicable even after transitioning to Windows PCs. While acknowledging Microsoft's controversial practices, the author expresses nostalgia for their first computer and its software, highlighting the impact it had on their career in technology.

For those interested in retro computing, there are online emulators available to experience MS-DOS and other vintage systems.

The text discusses the impact of new US tariffs on tech imports, particularly affecting European companies. Key points include:

1. Tariffs and Costs: The US government has imposed tariffs on technology imports, leading to increased costs for hardware, cloud services, and AI development in Europe.

2. Rising Prices:

   • Hardware: Prices for data center equipment (like servers and networking gear) will increase, especially for US-designed products.
   • Cloud Services: Providers like AWS and Google Cloud may raise prices due to higher infrastructure costs.
   • AI Development: Costs for GPUs and other hardware will rise, making AI projects more expensive and risky.

3. Opportunities for European Providers: The tariffs could benefit European cloud and AI providers, encouraging a shift away from reliance on US services.

4. Challenges for Startups and Investors: European startups relying on US services may face tighter margins and longer sales cycles. Investor confidence could also decline due to uncertainties.

5. Recommendations:

   • Review cloud dependencies and consider migrating to EU-based providers.
   • Examine hardware sourcing strategies to avoid future cost increases.
   • Stay alert for potential EU countermeasures against US digital services.

Overall, the new tariffs are reshaping the tech landscape, pushing companies to rethink their strategies for resilience and cost management.

No summary available.

In 1997, Albania experienced significant civil unrest that lasted from January 16 to August 11. The chaos arose from a power vacuum and the government's inability to maintain order, leading to armed civilians, gangs, and various groups like Salvation Committees taking control. The conflict involved the Albanian government, including the Democratic Party and the Socialist Party, as well as rebel factions.

The unrest resulted in approximately 2,000 casualties among civilians and military personnel. The situation prompted international intervention, leading to rescue missions like Operation Silver Wake, which evacuated U.S. citizens. Ultimately, the unrest led to new parliamentary elections in Albania.

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Summary of QVQ-Max Release

Last December, QVQ-72B-Preview was launched but faced many issues. Now, we are introducing QVQ-Max, a new visual reasoning model capable of understanding and analyzing images and videos to solve various problems, from math to creative tasks.

Key Features of QVQ-Max:

1. Detailed Observation: It can identify and analyze key elements in images, such as objects, text, and intricate details.
2. Deep Reasoning: QVQ-Max not only sees but also thinks, allowing it to derive conclusions and make predictions based on visual information.
3. Flexible Application: It can assist in various tasks, including designing illustrations, generating scripts, or refining sketches.

Applications:

• Workplace: Helps with data analysis, organization, and coding.
• Learning: Aids students in solving complex math and physics problems, especially those with diagrams.
• Daily Life: Offers practical advice, like outfit recommendations or cooking guidance based on photos.

Future Improvements: The model is still evolving, with plans to enhance observation accuracy, improve task handling, and allow for richer interactions beyond text.

Overall, QVQ-Max combines visual understanding with reasoning skills to address real-world challenges effectively.

No summary available.

Summary of "Blacksmithing and Lisp"

The author, Joe Marshall, draws a parallel between blacksmithing and Lisp programming. He enjoys blacksmithing, highlighting how mild steel can be easily shaped when heated. Mistakes can often be fixed by reheating the metal, similar to how programmers can customize Lisp to better fit their needs.

Marshall explains how to create custom tools, like tongs, from scratch, emphasizing the creativity involved in blacksmithing. He notes that part of the craft includes making tools to help create other tools, which he likens to recursive problem-solving in programming.

He acknowledges that working with hot steel can lead to burns, but this teaches quick reflexes and safety measures, like not trying to catch falling hot metal. The post connects the hands-on skills of blacksmithing with the flexible and adaptable nature of programming in Lisp.

The text discusses the radical idea of making all advertising illegal. The author argues that abolishing advertising could reduce manipulation and promote a healthier democracy. Currently, advertising creates addictive content and fosters division by allowing targeted messaging that influences people's beliefs and behaviors. The author believes that without the financial incentives from advertising, platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Google would change drastically or cease to exist in their current forms.

The proposal suggests that advertising does not inform consumers but instead manipulates them into making purchases based on emotional responses. The author dismisses the argument that advertising is a form of free speech, comparing it to harassment. They also equate advertising with propaganda, stating both serve to manipulate public opinion.

While the author acknowledges this idea may seem far-fetched, they encourage contemplation of our advertising-saturated culture as a step toward recognizing its negative impacts. They envision a future where society looks back on advertising as a harmful practice, similar to how we now view child labor or smoking.

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LAist has been investigating the environmental impact of fire retardants used during recent wildfires in California, notably the Palisades Fire. After testing samples of the primary retardant, MVP-Fx, researchers found toxic heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, cadmium, and chromium, which can harm both humans and wildlife.

Fire authorities emphasize that retardants are essential for fighting fires. However, despite the findings, the manufacturers and fire agencies argue that the detected levels of heavy metals are below safety limits set by the EPA and claim any heavy metals present are naturally occurring. The safety data sheets for these products do not mention these metals, raising concerns about transparency and compliance with safety regulations.

LAist's testing included both field samples and unused retardant, both of which revealed similar heavy metal content. While experts suggest the risks to the general public from exposure during activities like hiking are low, there are serious concerns about the potential long-term environmental effects, particularly in aquatic ecosystems where these chemicals can accumulate and cause harm.

Overall, the situation highlights the need for better communication about the risks associated with fire retardants used in firefighting efforts.

Summary of "Pitfalls of Safe Rust"

Rust is often praised for its memory safety, but achieving robust applications requires more than just that. This article outlines common pitfalls in "safe Rust" that the compiler cannot catch, along with strategies to avoid them.

Key Issues Not Covered by Rust's Safety:

1. Integer Overflow: Use checked arithmetic to prevent silent overflows.
2. Type Casting Mistakes: Avoid using as for numeric conversions. Prefer From::from() for safe conversions or TryFrom to handle potential errors.
3. Logic Bugs: Always validate input and business logic.
4. Panics from Unwrap/Expect: These can cause your program to crash unexpectedly.
5. Unsafe Code in Dependencies: Check third-party crates for unsafe code using tools like cargo-geiger.
6. Race Conditions: Ensure thread safety in concurrent applications.

Practical Tips to Avoid Common Bugs:

• Use Bounded Types: Create custom types to prevent invalid states (e.g., no negative distances).
• Bounds Checking: Always check array indices and use safe methods like .get().
• Handle Default Values Carefully: Ensure default implementations don’t lead to invalid states.
• Secure Debugging: Avoid exposing sensitive information in debug outputs.
• Protect from TOCTOU Vulnerabilities: Ensure checks and operations happen in a secure manner.
• Avoid Unbounded Input: Set limits on input sizes to prevent resource exhaustion.

Best Practices:

• Use constant-time comparisons for sensitive data to prevent timing attacks.
• Be cautious with serialization and deserialization of sensitive data to avoid leaks.
• Regularly use cargo clippy to catch potential issues at compile time.

In conclusion, while Rust provides many safety guarantees, developers must remain vigilant and disciplined to avoid bugs. Regular testing, linting, and code reviews are crucial for maintaining robust Rust applications.

The paper "SeedLM: Compressing LLM Weights into Seeds of Pseudo-Random Generators" discusses a new method for compressing large language models (LLMs) to make them more efficient and easier to deploy. The authors, including Rasoul Shafipour and others, developed SeedLM, which uses seeds from a pseudo-random generator to encode model weights. This approach reduces the need for memory access during model inference by generating random matrices efficiently.

Key points include:

• SeedLM compresses LLM weights using a data-free method that works well across different tasks.
• The technique shows strong performance, achieving similar or better accuracy compared to current methods while using less memory.
• Tests with the Llama3 70B model demonstrate that SeedLM can compress weights to 4 and 3 bits without losing accuracy.
• Additionally, it provides significant speed improvements, with FPGA tests showing up to a 4x speed-up compared to other models.

Overall, SeedLM represents a promising advancement in making LLMs more practical for real-world applications.

In March 2025, foreign visits to the U.S. dropped significantly, with customs data showing arrivals at major airports fell over 20% compared to the previous year. This decline is concerning for the U.S. travel industry, valued at over $1 trillion. While U.S. citizens returning home increased by nearly 14%, the decrease in foreign visitors suggests a broader reluctance to travel to the U.S. Factors contributing to this trend include trade tensions, a challenging economic and political environment, and new travel warnings from countries like Canada and Germany, particularly concerning transgender and nonbinary travelers.

Airlines are reporting a decrease in demand for flights to the U.S., and experts predict that foreign tourism may continue to decline. Goldman Sachs estimates that this decline, along with potential boycotts of American goods, could slightly impact U.S. GDP growth. The situation may worsen due to new tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, which could further affect the travel industry, although the exact consequences are uncertain.

Airlines have increasingly invested millions in creating engaging and entertaining safety videos over the past decade, aiming to capture passenger attention and brand loyalty. This trend began with Virgin America in 2007 and has since evolved, featuring high production values, celebrity appearances, and exotic locations.

For example, British Airways' 2024 video, directed by Sharon Maguire, received nearly 2 million views, showcasing a shift from traditional in-flight safety to entertainment. United Airlines' recent safety video took over ten months to create and amassed around 100 million views annually, similar to the reach of Super Bowl ads.

However, research suggests that these entertaining videos may hinder passengers' ability to remember crucial safety information. A study found that more entertaining formats led to lower retention rates of key messages. Despite this, many airlines continue to prioritize flashy safety videos due to their potential for extensive social media reach and positive brand impact, while some, like Emirates, maintain a more traditional approach focused solely on safety.

In conclusion, while these high-budget productions attract attention and enhance brand image, their effectiveness in conveying vital safety information remains questionable.

The new Switch 2 Joy-Cons have been completely redesigned, but they still do not feature Hall Effect sticks.

Summary:

Motif Analytics is developing an interactive analytics tool that allows users to analyze large datasets directly in their web browsers. They utilize technologies like DuckDB WASM, Apache Arrow, and Web Workers to enhance this experience.

1. Key Technologies:

   • DuckDB WASM: A version of DuckDB compiled to run in the browser, enabling SQL queries on data. It's efficient but slower than native versions due to being executed in a virtual machine.
   • Web Workers: Used for parallel processing in the browser, enhancing responsiveness, but come with limitations in inter-worker communication.
   • Apache Arrow: A framework for managing data efficiently between Web Workers and DuckDB, facilitating fast data interchange.

2. Performance Insights:

   • DuckDB WASM is slower than the native version (approximately 4 times slower for some queries), but it can handle complex tasks in-browser.
   • Memory limits in browsers can restrict performance, especially with large datasets.

3. Challenges:

   • Schema consistency issues arise when using multiple Apache Arrow tables, complicating data handling.
   • Bugs and limitations exist in the DuckDB WASM and Node.js libraries, but the community is active in addressing these.

4. Future Potential:

   • Improvements are expected as the technologies mature, particularly with upcoming support for larger datasets and enhanced performance.
   • DuckDB is gaining traction and presents opportunities for developers to contribute and innovate.

Overall, while there are challenges in using these technologies together, their combined potential offers a powerful solution for in-browser data analysis.

TechZ-Wave is evolving to better fit into the smart home market by adopting an open-source protocol and introducing a new long-range technology called Z-Wave Long Range (ZWLR). Z-Wave, originally created in the late 1990s, has struggled to keep up as newer standards like Matter gained popularity. Matter aims to unify smart home devices across various platforms, but Z-Wave was initially excluded.

Z-Wave is commonly used in home security systems and has a significant presence in the market, being found in around 40 million US homes. However, its reliance on a central hub and a closed protocol limited its accessibility compared to more straightforward Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices.

ZWLR improves Z-Wave by extending its communication range up to 1.5 miles and enabling devices to connect directly to the hub, reducing the need for multiple devices to create a stable network. This advancement has led to the creation of over 100 ZWLR-certified devices, enhancing reliability and expanding possibilities for outdoor smart devices.

Despite these improvements, Z-Wave faces challenges due to the lack of appealing consumer products and its absence from major tech brands like Apple, Amazon, and Google. However, the need for hubs in the Matter ecosystem presents a potential opportunity for Z-Wave to integrate with these platforms.

The Z-Wave Alliance is working on bridging Z-Wave devices with Matter, which would simplify their use and enhance Z-Wave’s relevance. The future of Z-Wave depends on its ability to adapt and find a place within the growing Matter landscape, ensuring smart home devices can work seamlessly together.

No summary available.

The blog post discusses the implications of AI image generation, particularly the trend of creating images in the style of Studio Ghibli. The author highlights how AI can easily mimic recognizable artistic styles, which raises concerns about originality and copyright issues. They quote various thinkers, including Coco Chanel and Orson Welles, to emphasize the value of originality over imitation.

The author conducts an experiment to see how AI responds to prompts about well-known characters, illustrating that while AI can generate impressive results, it often does so by relying on existing intellectual property. The piece reflects on the discomfort surrounding AI's ability to replicate art, questioning whether this contributes to intellectual theft. Ultimately, it suggests that while AI can enhance creativity, it also poses ethical challenges regarding the use of others' work.

TinyWall Overview

TinyWall is a free and lightweight firewall that is non-intrusive. The source code is available for anyone interested in improving or forking the project, although current development is mostly inactive.

Building TinyWall

To build TinyWall, you need:

• Microsoft Visual Studio 2019 or 2022
• Wix v3.14 Toolset
• Visual Studio extension for Wix v3 Toolset

Steps to Build:

1. Open the solution file in Visual Studio and compile the TinyWall project.
2. To update the database of known applications, modify the JSON files in the TinyWall\Database folder, start the application with the /develtool flag, and create a new database file named profiles.json.
3. To build the installer, copy the compiled files into the MsiSetup\Sources\ProgramFiles\TinyWall folder and compile the MsiSetup project in Visual Studio.

Contributing

• Do not open issues for feature requests or bugs; implement changes yourself.
• Fork the project, create a feature branch, and submit a pull request for any improvements.
• For large changes, contact the project maintainer first.

Licenses

• TaskDialog wrapper code is in the public domain.
• Other code is under the GNU GPLv3 License.

Contact Information For inquiries, you can reach Károly Pados via the project website.

Links

• Website: TinyWall
• GitHub: TinyWall Repository

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Summary: Trade, Tariffs, and Tech

In a hypothetical scenario where China invades Taiwan, it's likely that China would succeed quickly due to its manufacturing and logistical advantages. Regardless of the outcome, both China and Taiwan would suffer significant economic losses, disrupting global supply chains that are critical to modern life.

The U.S. trade system has evolved since World War II, with U.S. policies supporting foreign economies while maintaining a trade surplus. However, China's entry into this system has led to increased U.S. deficits and a decline in American manufacturing jobs. The rise of China as a manufacturing powerhouse has hollowed out U.S. industry, as companies like Apple benefit from lower costs and a skilled workforce in China.

The recent introduction of tariffs by the Trump administration has caused market instability, drawing comparisons to the Nixon Shock, which also aimed to address trade imbalances but led to economic turmoil. The current tariffs are seen as a blunt tool for restructuring the U.S. economy and reducing dependency on China.

While there are risks associated with the tariffs and potential conflict, it may be more prudent to address these challenges directly rather than forcing a complete overhaul of the global economic system. The tech industry, in particular, faces challenges from increased costs and decreased demand, which could hinder growth.

Overall, the complexities of global trade and the interconnectedness of economies suggest that finding a balanced solution is crucial, rather than enacting drastic changes without careful consideration of their repercussions.

This text discusses the evolution of astronomy from traditional light-based observations to a multi-messenger approach that includes photons, neutrinos, and gravitational waves (GWs).

Key points include:

1. Historical Context: Astronomy originally focused on visible light. Over centuries, it evolved to include various wavelengths, making it a multi-wavelength science. The discovery of neutrinos introduced a multi-messenger aspect to astronomy.

2. Gravitational Waves: The addition of GWs provides a novel way to study celestial sources, allowing insights into regions of space that are otherwise inaccessible. GWs can be detected using ground-based detectors like LIGO and Virgo, with the frequencies falling within the human hearing range.

3. Basics of General Relativity (GR): GR describes gravity as a curvature of space-time influenced by mass and energy. GWs are small perturbations in this space-time metric, generated by certain mass distributions.

4. Sources of Gravitational Waves: GWs are produced predominantly by non-spherical rotating compact objects, such as neutron stars and black holes, particularly in binary systems. The strength of GWs depends on the mass distribution's quadrupole moment.

5. Indirect Detection: The Hulse-Taylor pulsar provided the first indirect evidence of GWs, demonstrating a decay in the orbit of a binary system consistent with energy loss due to GW emission.

6. Direct Detection: The first direct detection of GWs occurred in 2015 from a binary black hole merger. Since then, many more mergers have been detected, revealing properties of black holes and neutron stars.

7. Astrophysical Implications: GWs have confirmed the existence of stellar-mass black holes and provided insights into their formation and evolution, as well as their role in cosmic events like the Big Bang.

8. Future of GW Astronomy: The field is rapidly evolving, with plans for advanced ground-based and space-based detectors to enhance our understanding of the universe. Future technologies aim to significantly increase detection capabilities.

Overall, gravitational wave astronomy opens a new frontier for exploring the universe, providing valuable information about the dynamics of compact objects and the nature of gravity itself.

No summary available.

The article discusses improvements in the SQL evaluation engine of Vitess, an open-source database system used by PlanetScale. Here's a simplified summary of the key points:

1. Transition to Virtual Machine: The SQL evaluation engine was upgraded from a basic AST (Abstract Syntax Tree) interpreter to a more advanced Virtual Machine (VM) written in Go. This new VM runs significantly faster and is easier to maintain than the previous interpreter, which was based on C++.

2. Function of Vitess: Vitess is designed for scalable database management. It routes SQL queries through a component called vtgate, which organizes and executes them across multiple MySQL shards. This allows for efficient handling of complex queries and ensures that results align with standard MySQL behavior.

3. Dynamic SQL Handling: The new evaluation engine interprets various SQL expressions locally in Go. It handles a range of SQL functionalities that can’t always be passed to MySQL directly.

4. Improved Performance: The upgraded VM is faster and can execute operations without the overhead of memory allocation, achieving performance comparable to MySQL's C++ engine.

5. Implementation Strategy: The VM design focuses on optimizing execution by using specialized instructions based on static type information derived from SQL queries. This helps avoid runtime type checks, making the process more efficient.

6. Maintaining Compatibility: Although the new VM is efficient, the original AST interpreter remains available for cases where quick evaluations are needed, ensuring flexibility and accuracy in processing.

7. Future Considerations: While the idea of JIT (Just-In-Time) compilation was considered, it was deemed unnecessary due to the high-level nature of SQL operations, which limit the potential performance gains.

Overall, the enhancements in Vitess's SQL evaluation engine demonstrate significant advancements in speed and maintainability while maintaining compatibility with MySQL's features.

Summary of Non-U.S. Alternatives List

This list provides non-U.S.-based alternatives to popular online services, emphasizing the importance of privacy, security, and independence from U.S. surveillance.

Key Points:

• Privacy Risks: Using U.S. services means your data is not secure. The U.S. government can access your data without consent under the PATRIOT Act, and international agreements allow for data sharing among allied nations (Five Eyes).
• Big Tech Concerns: Companies like Google and Amazon often comply with these laws, meaning your data can be mishandled or misused.
• Purpose of the List: The list aims to promote services that prioritize user privacy, reduce reliance on U.S. tech giants, and encourage transparency. It covers various categories, including email, search engines, cloud storage, and more.

How to Contribute:

• Users can suggest new services, verify claims of privacy, and flag any connections to U.S. interests.
• The goal is to keep the list updated with truly independent services that respect user privacy.

Categories Covered:

• Email Services
• Search Engines
• Cloud Storage
• Messaging Apps
• Social Media
• Antivirus Programs
• Video Hosting
• Office Suites
• Web Browsers
• Video Conferencing
• Operating Systems
• E-Commerce
• Money Transfer
• News Curation
• File Sharing
• Music Streaming
• AI Chatbots
• Maps/Navigation
• Gaming Platforms

The list also includes a section for more EU-based alternatives, encouraging users to explore further options that align with privacy and security goals.

This article discusses how to identify a faulty RAM integrated circuit (IC) in laptops that have soldered memory, specifically using a MacBook Pro Late 2013 as a case study. The focus is on diagnosing memory failures using a tool called Memtest86.

Key Points:

1. Background: The article is based on reverse engineering, as official documentation from Intel is not available. Other hardware issues, like motherboard or CPU failures, could also cause problems, not just the RAM.

2. Memory Configuration: The MacBook Pro has 32 RAM ICs for its 64-bit data bus, organized into two memory channels.

3. Testing with Memtest86: Memtest86 is used to detect memory errors. The version chosen for testing should not hang on Apple machines. The test results will indicate which data bit is failing.

4. Identifying the Faulty IC: The article explains how to decode memory addresses to identify the specific IC that is faulty. This involves understanding the binary representation of addresses and using XOR calculations to determine the affected channel and rank.

5. Repair Process: Once the faulty IC is identified, it is removed and replaced using microsoldering techniques. After the replacement, Memtest86 is run again to confirm that the memory is functioning correctly.

In summary, the article provides a technical guide on how to pinpoint and repair defective RAM ICs in laptops, emphasizing the need for careful testing and repair procedures.

Summary of "Rich Text, Poor Text" by Adam Moore

The author argues that presentational features of text, like bold and italics, are as important as punctuation marks. He believes that these features enhance clarity and expression in writing, especially in digital communication. However, he points out that traditional text encoding systems, like ASCII, didn't include these features due to technical limitations, leading to a mixture of content and formatting information in the text.

Moore criticizes the way current systems, including Unicode, handle presentational attributes, considering them essential parts of language rather than mere formatting. He suggests that a new encoding system should allocate space for these attributes to properly integrate them into language. In his afterword, he reflects on his earlier views and considers the relationship between the marks we use in writing and the way we use them.

The article by Xochitl Gonzalez discusses the disconnect between the "comfort class"—people with generational wealth—and the struggles of the majority of Americans. The author shares a personal experience of financial anxiety and highlights that financial issues are a major source of stress for many people, yet this is often overlooked by those in positions of power.

Gonzalez argues that the comfort class, who often have little debt and financial security, dominate key societal areas like education, media, and politics, leading to a lack of understanding of the working class's realities. This divide contributes to feelings of chaos and resentment, exemplified by the rise of political figures like Donald Trump, who connect with working-class concerns about inflation and financial stability.

The article also points out that many well-off individuals fail to recognize their privilege, creating a blurred understanding of class. This results in policies that do not effectively address the needs of those struggling financially. The author emphasizes that the comfort class's security allows them to focus on values-based issues in politics, while many working-class individuals prioritize immediate financial concerns.

In conclusion, Gonzalez calls attention to the need for a deeper understanding of class issues in America, as the comfort class’s influence shapes policies that often do not resonate with the experiences of the majority.

No summary available.

The author reflects on their experience of starting a side project after a long period of feeling uninspired and stuck in a routine of consuming video games. They realize that they have neglected their creativity and the joy it brings, leading to a sense of dissatisfaction. Finally, they decide to take action and begin a new project, feeling a sense of freedom and joy in the process of creation.

The author emphasizes that the act of creating, regardless of the form it takes, is important for personal fulfillment. They encourage readers to explore their own ideas and projects, highlighting that the process of exploration and creation is valuable in itself, even if it doesn't lead to a tangible outcome. Ultimately, they believe that we are meant to bring new things into existence, and embracing this can lead to happiness and fulfillment.

Summary of Result Library for Python 3

Overview: The Result library for Python 3 provides a way to handle outcomes that can either be successful (Ok) or erroneous (Err). It is inspired by Rust's Result type and is not fully maintained, so use it at your own risk.

Installation: To install the latest version, run:

uv add git+https://github.com/montasaurus/result

Key Features:

• Result Type: Represents either Ok(value) for success or Err(error) for failure.

• Type Alias: Result[T, E] is a type that can be either Ok[T] or Err[E].

• Usage Example: Instead of returning a tuple for success or error messages, you return a Result type:

  from result import Ok, Err, Result
  
  def get_user_by_email(email: str) -> Result[User, str]:
      if not user_exists(email):
          return Err('User does not exist')
      # Further checks...
      return Ok(user)
  

• Checking Results: Use is_ok(result) to check for success and is_err(result) for errors. You can also directly access values:

  if is_ok(user_result):
      do_something(user_result.ok_value)
  else:
      raise RuntimeError(user_result.err_value)
  

• Convenience Methods:

  • unwrap() to get the value or raise an error.
  • unwrap_or(default) to provide a default value if Err.
  • map() functions to transform Ok or Err values.

• Do Notation: A syntax for chaining operations that returns Result types, similar to Rust.

Additional Notes:

• Results are immutable.
• There are specific decorators like @as_result to automatically convert exceptions to Errs.
• The library includes some experimental features, and not all methods from Rust’s Result are implemented.

Documentation: More detailed API documentation is available in the ./docs/README.md.

Caution: This library is experimental and mainly for personal projects, so proceed with caution if using it in production.

An unfinished version of "A Minecraft Movie" has leaked online ahead of its release, with images and footage circulating on social media and file-sharing sites. The leaked content features incomplete visual effects, and while such leaks are common, a complete working print is rare. Despite this breach, the film is expected to perform well at the box office, projected to earn over $130 million in its debut, potentially rivaling the record set by "The Super Mario Bros. Movie." "A Minecraft Movie," produced by Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment, follows four characters who enter a cubic world through a portal. The film has a production cost of $150 million and stars Jason Momoa and Jack Black. Warner Bros. and Legendary have not commented on the leak.

In Ontario, a dangerous invasive worm called the hammerhead worm (Bipalium adventitium) has been spotted. These worms can grow up to 3 feet long and are known for their T-shaped heads and dark red stripes. They are carnivorous and pose a threat to native earthworms, which they hunt using their keen sense of smell.

The hammerhead worm contains a potent neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin, which can be harmful to pets and humans. Ingesting these worms can lead to serious illness or even death, and handling them can cause skin irritation.

These worms are most active in spring and fall, often found in gardens or parks during damp weather. If you encounter one, it is crucial to kill it safely. Experts recommend using salt, vinegar, or neem oil while avoiding direct skin contact. Do not cut the worms, as they can regenerate if split.

Stay alert and protect your pets from this invasive species.

The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing in Agoura Hills has reached a significant milestone after nearly three years of construction. Soil is now being added to the crossing, which is designed to help wildlife safely cross the busy 101 Freeway. The specially manufactured soil will mimic local native soil and is crucial for the next phase of the project, which involves planting native vegetation.

The project aims to complete Stage 1 by summer 2025, with the entire crossing expected to be finished by late 2026, a year later than initially planned due to previous weather delays. The final stage will connect the crossing to nearby hills to facilitate wildlife movement, including famous local animals like the cougar P-22.

Efforts have included gathering seeds from native plants and creating a nursery to support local flora. The construction also focused on ensuring proper drainage and noise reduction. As the project progresses, the team will monitor for invasive plant species that could threaten the newly planted native plants.

Overall, the crossing represents a significant step toward restoring wildlife habitats fragmented by urban development.

This article discusses the bandwidth and potential subscriber base of the StarLink satellite constellation in the USA, based on public data. Here are the key points:

1. Coverage Area: Each StarLink satellite covers a circular area of 15 miles in diameter (24.13 km) with a hexagonal layout for optimal coverage, totaling about 379 square kilometers.

2. User Demographics: There are approximately 57 million people in rural areas of the U.S., with each coverage cell serving about 5,339 people and 2,110 households.

3. Bandwidth Capacity: Each StarLink satellite can provide a total throughput of 20.22 Gbps under optimal conditions. The current setup allows for a maximum of 2000 MHz bandwidth from the satellite to user terminals.

4. Satellite Requirements: To achieve full service coverage in rural areas, 1,549 satellites are needed. Currently, over 1,400 satellites are in orbit, but they are unevenly distributed, leading to varying service availability based on geographical location.

5. Service Efficiency: For optimal usage, a single cell can support about 296 subscribers, meaning significant additional satellites would be needed to serve hundreds of thousands of users.

6. Projected User Base: With the current deployment, StarLink can serve about 187,000 subscribers in the continental U.S. When fully deployed, it could potentially reach up to 521,000 users and possibly one million when accounting for other regions.

7. Future Considerations: Traffic consumption patterns may take time to stabilize as users adjust from lower-speed connections. Actual user data from SpaceX will help clarify these estimates in the future.

Overall, the article provides insights into how StarLink plans to expand its coverage and capacity to serve rural areas in the U.S., while also highlighting the challenges and requirements for achieving full service.

Summary of "Dark Mirror Ideologies"

A "Dark Mirror" ideology is one that opposes another ideology (its "Light Mirror") only in moral terms, while sharing the same factual beliefs about the world. The disagreement lies solely in their proposed actions. For instance, in debates like minimum wage, both sides may accuse each other of having ulterior, malicious motives without recognizing their fundamental differences.

Dark Mirror ideologies are rare in reality but often appear in political discussions. Examples include fictional characters like Darth Vader and Satan, who accept the same truths as their opposing groups but choose to act in opposition to those beliefs.

The article explores various ideological pairs, like Marxism and Capitalism, or Veganism and meat-eating, presenting "Dark" variations that accept the same premises but promote contrary actions. For instance, a Dark Marxist would acknowledge the exploitation inherent in capitalism but endorse it for evil purposes, while a Dark Capitalist would recognize the benefits of capitalism but seek to undermine it.

The article also compares ideologies like Liberalism and Conservatism, suggesting that "Dark Liberals" would agree on the importance of democratic values but work against them, while "Dark Conservatives" would uphold traditional values but aim to destabilize society.

In conclusion, labeling opponents as having Dark Mirror ideologies can hinder understanding and effective debate. To truly know and defeat an ideological opponent, one must recognize and understand their actual beliefs rather than assume they share the same facts but choose evil.

Coolify Summary

Coolify is an open-source platform that allows you to self-host applications as an alternative to services like Heroku, Netlify, and Vercel. It offers a variety of features including:

• Language Support: Works with many programming languages and frameworks for deploying websites, APIs, and more.
• Server Flexibility: You can deploy on your own servers or popular providers like AWS, DigitalOcean, and others using SSH.
• Deployment Options: Supports single or multiple server deployments, including Docker and upcoming Kubernetes support.
• Service Compatibility: You can deploy any Docker-compatible service, with many one-click options available.
• Git Integration: Connects with Git platforms like GitHub and GitLab for easy deployment.
• Free SSL Certificates: Automatically handles SSL certificate setup and renewal.
• Data Control: You maintain full control over your data without vendor lock-in.
• Automatic Backups: Data is backed up to S3-compatible solutions for easy restoration.
• Webhooks and API: Integrate with CI/CD tools and automate deployments using Coolify's API.
• Real-time Management: Manage servers directly from your browser with a real-time terminal.
• Collaboration: Share projects with team members and manage permissions.
• Pull Request Deployments: Deploy changes for review quickly.
• Server Automation: Automates tasks to let you focus on coding.
• Monitoring and Notifications: Keeps track of server performance and sends alerts via channels like Discord and email.

With over 1,800 customers using the cloud version, Coolify is designed to simplify self-hosting while providing powerful features for developers.

No summary available.

The text provides information about the Git project, a version control system. Here are the key points:

• Repository Basics: The Git repository has a public status with 26.1k forks and 54.2k stars. It includes various features like code management, pull requests, actions, security, and insights.

• Initial Commit: The first commit to the Git project was made by Linus Torvalds on April 7, 2005. It is referred to as the "initial revision of 'git', the information manager from hell."

• Programming Setup: The initial code includes settings for compilation, such as compiler flags and program names. It specifies how to build and install the program.

Overall, the text highlights the significance of Git in software development, its initial creation, and some technical details about its setup.

No summary available.

Christophe Szpajdel, known as the "Lord of the Logos," is a part-time worker at a Co-op in Exeter and a talented logo designer. At 54, he has created logos for famous clients, including pop star Rihanna and numerous heavy metal bands. Despite his success, he continues to work at the Co-op to support himself due to strong competition in the art industry.

Christophe's passion for art began in childhood, and he became well-known for his logos in the heavy metal scene during the 1990s. His most famous work includes a logo for Rihanna that was showcased at the MTV VMA awards. He prefers to create hand-drawn logos, which he believes are more unique than those made by cheaper digital designers.

Christophe has recently received accolades, including the Artist of the Year 2025 award in Italy, and he's involved in several upcoming exhibitions in Chile and Exeter. He also has written books about his work and participates in local art events to stay connected with his community.

The text discusses methods for managing elements on a website that rely on JavaScript, particularly how to hide or show these elements based on whether JavaScript is enabled. Here are the key points:

1. Purpose: The author wants to create a share button for posts that works well both with and without JavaScript.

2. Noscript Tag: The <noscript> tag can display content only when JavaScript is disabled. This is useful for showing alternatives like plain links instead of interactive buttons.

3. JavaScript Detection: The author initially considered using JavaScript to add a class to the HTML element if JavaScript is enabled. However, this approach felt cumbersome as it required multiple CSS rules for each case.

4. CSS Overrides: Another method involves using a <style> tag within <noscript> to hide specific elements when JavaScript is disabled. This approach is clearer but can become unwieldy as more features are added.

5. Simplified Approach: The author suggests a more efficient solution by creating a single class, d-js-required, to indicate that an element requires JavaScript. This way, only one CSS rule is needed to hide all such elements, simplifying maintenance.

Overall, the author encourages finding creative solutions for progressive enhancement in web design, allowing for a better user experience regardless of JavaScript availability.

Summary of NNCP

NNCP (Network Node Communication Protocol) is a tool for securely sending files and executing commands between systems without needing them to be online at the same time. It can route data through various devices like USB drives, tapes, radios, and even cloud services, making it flexible and resilient, especially for devices with limited or no Internet access.

Key features of NNCP include:

• Encrypted and authenticated communication using public keys.
• End-to-end encryption and integrity checks for all packets.
• Support for both client and server roles at each node, allowing for push and poll interactions.
• Ability to multicast data.

NNCP can be used for various applications, including email, web downloading, and creating ad-hoc networks for secure communication. It is particularly useful in situations where traditional Internet connectivity is not available or reliable.

For more information and resources on NNCP, visit NNCP's website.

No summary available.

Reinforcement learning (RL) is increasingly used to enhance large language models (LLMs). This study focuses on improving how LLMs learn to make decisions by refining reward signals, which are essential for effective learning beyond simple questions.

Key points include:

1. Reward Modeling (RM): The research aims to improve RM for general queries, making it scalable for various tasks.
2. Generative Reward Modeling (GRM): A flexible approach is adopted to handle different types of inputs, allowing for better inference-time scaling.
3. Self-Principled Critique Tuning (SPCT): This new method enhances GRMs by generating consistent and accurate rewards through online RL.
4. DeepSeek-GRM: The resulting models from this approach show improved quality and scalability, outperforming existing methods in benchmarks.
5. Parallel Sampling and Meta RM: These techniques help to effectively use computational resources for better performance.
6. Open Source: The developed models will be made publicly available.

Overall, the study shows promise in advancing RL techniques for LLMs, although some challenges remain for certain tasks.