No summary available.

TrackWeight Summary

TrackWeight is a macOS app that turns your MacBook's trackpad into a digital weighing scale using its built-in Force Touch sensors.

How It Works:

1. Open the app and place your finger on the trackpad.
2. While keeping your finger on the trackpad, place the item you want to weigh.
3. Apply minimal pressure to get an accurate weight reading.

Technical Details:

• The app uses the Open Multi-Touch Support library, which allows access to pressure data from the trackpad.
• Weight readings are calibrated by comparing them to a standard digital scale.

Requirements:

• macOS 13.0 or higher
• MacBook with Force Touch (2015 or newer)
• App Sandbox must be disabled for proper functionality

Installation:

• Clone the repository and open it in Xcode.
• Disable App Sandbox in the project settings to access the trackpad.

Limitations:

• You must maintain finger contact with the trackpad to get readings.
• Weighing metal objects may require a barrier (like paper) to avoid incorrect readings.

Disclaimer: TrackWeight is intended for educational purposes and may not provide precise measurements for critical uses. Always double-check with a calibrated scale for important tasks.

Summary of SecretSpec: Declarative Secrets Management

SecretSpec is a new tool designed to improve how applications manage secrets, addressing several issues with the traditional .env file approach:

1. Disconnected Secrets: Applications don't have a clear understanding of what secrets they need.
2. Complex Parsing: .env files can be confusing due to comments and special characters.
3. Difficult Integration: Working with password managers often requires manual steps.
4. Vendor Lock-in: Custom parsing makes it hard to switch secret management providers.
5. Security Risks: .env files are stored as plain text, which can be insecure.

Current solutions like dotenvx and sops have limitations, including key management and trust issues. Larger teams may use complex systems like OpenBao, while smaller teams struggle between simple and complex options.

Key Features of SecretSpec:

• Separation of Concerns: It divides secret management into three areas:

  • WHAT: The secrets needed (e.g., DATABASE_URL).
  • HOW: Requirements for these secrets (e.g., required or optional).
  • WHERE: Storage of secrets (e.g., environment variables, AWS Secrets Manager).

• Unified Specification: Secrets are declared in a simple TOML file. Each environment can use its preferred secure storage without changing application code.

Example Usage:

• A secretspec.toml file can be committed to a repository, allowing different team members or environments to access secrets without altering the code.
• Developers can choose their preferred provider (like Keychain or .env) during setup.

Loading Secrets:

• The Rust SDK provides a way to access these secrets safely, keeping application code clean and portable.

Future Development:

• There’s potential for SDKs in other programming languages and features like secret rotation and generation.

In conclusion, SecretSpec aims to make secret management simple and secure, much like how package management works. The developers encourage feedback and discussions on their community platforms.

No summary available.

No summary available.

Summary:

The authors, Stu Hood and colleagues, discuss their experience improving write performance in Postgres through a new extension called pg_search, designed for search and analytics. They focused on handling high write workloads to compete with Elasticsearch, which requires immediate data indexing for real-time applications.

To achieve faster writes, they adopted a Log-Structured Merge (LSM) tree data structure, which enhances write efficiency but unexpectedly disrupted Postgres's physical replication. Physical replication involves duplicating data byte-for-byte from a primary server to read replicas, while logical replication transmits individual row changes.

The authors explain that Postgres's Write-Ahead Log (WAL) system, which ensures physical consistency, isn't compatible with the complexities introduced by LSM trees. They detail the concepts of physical and logical consistency, emphasizing that physical consistency ensures data structure validity, while logical consistency ensures data coherence.

Key challenges arose, particularly with operations like VACUUM, which can disrupt logical consistency during high write loads. The authors introduced a Postgres feature called hot_standby_feedback, which allows replicas to inform the primary server about ongoing queries, helping to manage data cleanup and reduce inconsistencies.

In conclusion, despite the challenges, the improvements made to pg_search enhance search performance without compromising data consistency. The authors encourage readers to explore their documentation and open-source project for more information.

Your computer network has shown unusual activity. To proceed, please confirm you are not a robot by clicking the box below.

Why this happened: Ensure your browser allows JavaScript and cookies, and that they are not being blocked. You can check our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy for more details.

Need Help? If you have questions about this message, contact our support team and provide the reference ID: 3c43f7bc-664c-11f0-8476-a931a80d84ad.

Stay updated on global markets by subscribing to Bloomberg.com.

No summary available.

Dynamic Programming (DP) doesn't refer to computer programming but to a method of planning steps in a problem-solving process. The term "programming" in this context means organizing and scheduling tasks, similar to planning a TV schedule, rather than writing software.

Dynamic Programming involves determining the order of sub-steps needed to solve a problem, ensuring that each step relies on the completion of previous ones. For example, to calculate Fibonacci numbers, you would compute them in order, starting from the base cases, to avoid redundant calculations.

The term was introduced by Richard Bellman in the 1950s while he was working at the RAND Corporation. He chose "dynamic programming" to describe his work on planning and decision-making while avoiding negative connotations associated with the term "research." Ultimately, it captures the idea of a structured, multi-stage approach to solving complex problems.

No summary available.

No summary available.

No summary available.

In June 2025, Spanish police arrested five individuals linked to a major cryptocurrency investment fraud scheme that defrauded over 5,000 victims worldwide, totaling $542 million. The suspects operated from Madrid and the Canary Islands, using a fake Hong Kong company to attract victims with false investment opportunities. Their operation involved a network of accomplices who collected money through various methods, including cash, wire transfers, and cryptocurrency.

The investigation, named Operation Borrelli, started in 2023 and revealed that the criminals used numerous shell companies and fake bank accounts to hide the origins of the illicit funds. Authorities have not confirmed any links to known crime organizations.

Cryptocurrency scams are a significant global issue, with Americans losing more than $5.8 billion to such schemes in the past year. In response, U.S. authorities are taking steps to recover stolen funds and combat these fraud operations, which are increasingly prevalent in Southeast Asia.

No summary available.

The text discusses the best approach to logging in software engineering, specifically advocating for time-based logging instead of count-based logging.

Key Points:

• Logging events based on time (e.g., every few seconds) is more effective than logging after a set number of events.
• Count-based logging can lead to issues, as the appropriate count can vary greatly between environments (like production vs. local testing).
• Time-based logging ensures a consistent log rate, which helps maintain system performance and observability.
• Over-logging can slow down the system and make logs harder to manage, while under-logging can lead to a lack of insight into application performance.

In summary, time-based logging is recommended for better efficiency and reliability in monitoring software systems.

Summary of Gentoo Perl Versioning Scheme

The Gentoo Perl Versioning Scheme addresses confusion caused by differences in version numbering between Perl and Gentoo.

The Problem:
In Perl, version numbers are sorted differently than in Gentoo. For example, Perl treats 1.10 and 1.1 as the same version, whereas Gentoo sees them as different. This leads to confusion, especially when interpreting versions with a leading 'v' or multiple periods.

Our Solution:
To solve this, Gentoo translates Perl's version scheme into a consistent format that maintains the original sorting order. This is done through a tool called Gentoo::PerlMod::Version, which can convert upstream versions to Gentoo versions reliably.

• Conversion of Versions:
  • Versions with more than one period or those starting with 'v' can be treated like Gentoo versions after adjusting their format.
  • "Floating" versions are converted into a structured format by padding and grouping digits.

The End Result:
This method allows for accurate comparisons of versions in both systems, ensuring that normalized Gentoo versions behave like their original counterparts in Perl.

Competing Normalization Schemes:
Other normalization methods may not keep the correct order when compared in Perl, which can lead to further complications. The Gentoo scheme aims to avoid these issues by ensuring that versioning aligns with upstream rules.

For more details, users can refer to the Gentoo::PerlMod::Version documentation and other resources listed.

Summary of ESP32-Faikin Project

The ESP32-Faikin project offers a solution for controlling Daikin air conditioners locally, without relying on the slow and cloud-based WiFi control modules that Daikin provides. The project includes a web interface, MQTT support, and compatibility with Home Assistant.

Key Features:

• Local Control: Allows users to manage their air conditioners without needing internet access.
• New Remote Control: A Bluetooth-enabled remote with environmental sensors is available for purchase.
• PCB Designs: Available for sale on platforms like Tindie and Amazon UK, and users can order custom boards using provided designs (removing trademarks is necessary).
• Open Source: Contributions are welcome under the GPL license, but cannot use certain registered trademarks.

Setup and Operation:

• The device sets up as a local access point, allowing easy configuration via a web page.
• Users can control their air conditioners through a simple web interface, and it supports devices using S21, X50A, and X35A connectors.

Building and Flashing:

• Users can clone the code repository to build the software themselves. Necessary tools and steps are provided for flashing the code onto the hardware.
• Pre-assembled boards can be purchased that come with the software pre-loaded.

Overall, this project aims to improve the usability of Daikin air conditioners by providing local control options, enhancing user experience, and allowing for custom modifications.

Summary of the Text

1. Color Perception Basics: Our eyes detect color using three types of cone cells (S, M, and L cones) that respond to different light wavelengths. These cones overlap in their response, meaning we rarely experience pure activation of just one type.

2. New Color Discovery: Researchers (Fong et al., 2025) explored color perception by selectively stimulating M cones with lasers, leading subjects to report seeing a new, vibrant blue-green color. However, details on their experiences were limited.

3. Optical Illusions: An interactive animation is provided to demonstrate how a red circle on a bluish-green background can create a hallucinated intense blue-green color due to the way it affects cone activation.

4. Color Gamut Limitations: The range of colors humans can perceive is represented in a triangle shape. However, most screens (using RGB colorspace) cannot display the full range of colors we can see, which limits the effectiveness of optical illusions.

5. Further Exploration: The text includes a link to an interactive page where users can create and experiment with their own color illusions. It notes that these illusions may not work for individuals with certain types of color blindness.

Overall, the text discusses the science of color perception, recent research on new color experiences, and the limitations of how colors are displayed on screens.

Summary of "The Sumerian Game: The ancestor of modern city builders"

The Sumerian Game, created in 1964, is recognized as one of the earliest computer strategy games. In it, players take on the role of a ruler managing resources to keep their city alive amidst disasters. While not highly advanced, it features meaningful choices that affect the game's outcome, similar to modern strategy games.

The game was initially played on mainframe computers by a small group of students and has been largely forgotten until recent discoveries sparked interest in its history. It inspired the popular game Hamurabi, which became a cornerstone of the city-building genre, leading to games like SimCity and Civilization.

Historian Andrea Contato has researched and recreated versions of The Sumerian Game, making it available on Steam. He highlights its significance in gaming history, including being one of the first educational games and multimedia experiences, combining printed outputs with visuals and audio.

Despite its influence, the creators of The Sumerian Game, including key figures like Mabel Addis, did not receive recognition during their lifetimes. Contato aims to honor their contributions through his ongoing research and recreation efforts.

In summary, The Sumerian Game is a pioneering work in computer gaming, influencing the strategy genre and educational gaming, and its legacy is being revived through modern recreations.

The author shares their experience of launching 37 products, with only one going viral while most others struggled. Initially, they believed that launching more products would lead to success, but they've learned that:

1. Virality is unpredictable and rare.
2. Many failed launches actually grew slower than expected.
3. Their current project, Refgrow, took over 6 months to gain its first paying customer but is now growing steadily with minimal marketing.
4. Focusing on improving one project, even with slow growth, yields better results than constantly seeking new launches.

The author asks others in the indie maker community about their experiences with project focus versus multiple launches and whether slow growth has ever been beneficial for them. They invite sharing of stories, lessons, or advice.

Summary of XMLUI Introduction

XMLUI is a new project aimed at simplifying web app development, making it accessible to those who may not be expert coders. Inspired by the ease of creating applications with Visual Basic in the 1990s, XMLUI allows users to build modern web applications using XML markup to compose React and CSS components.

Key Features:

1. Component-Based Structure: Users can create applications using a straightforward XML syntax, which allows for defining components like dropdowns and tables easily without deep knowledge of React or CSS.

2. Reactivity: XMLUI utilizes reactive data binding, meaning changes in one part of the app automatically update others, similar to how spreadsheets work.

3. User-Defined Components: Developers can create their own components that integrate seamlessly with existing ones, promoting reusability and ease of maintenance.

4. Theming: XMLUI offers a built-in theming system, allowing developers to create visually appealing applications without needing to write CSS. It provides preset styles and customizable theme variables.

5. Scripting: While XMLUI is primarily declarative, it allows for small JavaScript snippets for more complex functionality, making it flexible yet user-friendly.

6. Collaboration with AI: XMLUI includes a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that helps users collaborate with AI tools effectively, guiding them in building and maintaining applications.

7. Content Management: XMLUI serves as a content management system, enabling users to create and manage both apps and their documentation in a cohesive manner.

8. Extensibility: XMLUI allows developers to wrap existing React components, facilitating the creation of custom solutions tailored to their needs.

Overall, XMLUI aims to democratize web development, allowing non-specialists to create functional, attractive user interfaces without needing extensive coding skills. It promises a more intuitive experience for building applications compared to traditional frameworks.

A 61-year-old man died after being pulled into an MRI machine while wearing a heavy metal necklace. The incident occurred at Nassau Open MRI in New York when the man entered the room without permission while the machine was in use. His wife, who was getting an MRI scan, had called him in to help her afterward. The necklace, weighing 20 pounds, drew him toward the machine, leading to a "medical episode" that resulted in his death.

His wife, Adrienne Jones-McAllister, recounted that after he waved goodbye, his body went limp, and despite her pleas for the technician to turn off the machine, it was too late. The couple had visited the facility before, and she noted that staff were aware of her husband's heavy chain. MRI machines have strong magnetic fields that can attract metal objects, posing risks to patients and staff.

Summary of connmap

Connmap is a desktop widget for X11 and Wayland that displays the locations of your network peers on a world map.

Installation Steps:

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/h2337/connmap --depth 1
   

2. Install the necessary dependencies.
3. Run:

   make install
   

4. Execute the program:

   ./connmap.elf
   

   • To run it in the background, use:

     ./connmap.elf &
     

5. To start it automatically with i3wm, add the following to your config:

   exec --no-startup-id connmap.elf
   

Dependencies:

• Build: xlib, libxext, libxfixes, libcairo2
• Installation: unzip
• Runtime: iproute2

For Arch Linux:

sudo pacman -S --needed iproute2 libx11 libxext libxfixes cairo unzip

For Ubuntu:

sudo apt install iproute2 libx11-dev libxext-dev libxfixes-dev libcairo2-dev unzip

Configuration: A configuration file, ~/.config/connmap/connmaprc, is created upon installation. Key settings include:

• location_x and location_y: Initial position of the widget.
• map_width: Custom width of the map (height is half of width).
• black: If set to true, the map outline is black.
• update_interval: Time in seconds to refresh network connection data.

Limitations:

• Tested only with i3wm; may not work well with other desktop environments.
• Only supports IPv4 addresses.

Summary:

Powerful new light microscopy techniques, known as super-resolution microscopy, are transforming our understanding of cellular processes. These advanced methods can reveal details as small as 10 nanometers, allowing scientists to study living cells and their structures in unprecedented detail.

Historically, traditional light microscopes were limited by diffraction, making it difficult to distinguish objects closer than 250 nanometers. Although electron microscopy offered higher resolution, it only produced black-and-white images of dead cells. Super-resolution techniques, developed in recent years, overcome these limitations by using specialized methods to enhance image clarity.

For instance, scientists can tag proteins or DNA with fluorescent markers, enabling them to visualize cellular components and their interactions in real-time. This has led to exciting discoveries, such as the unique structures of neurons and the complex functions of organelles like lysosomes.

Researchers are using these techniques to better understand diseases, including cancer and neurological disorders. For example, they have identified new cellular scaffolds crucial for neuron function and studied how cancer cells can evade therapies. Additionally, super-resolution microscopy is being used to observe how viruses infect human cells, aiding the development of antiviral treatments.

As technology continues to improve, there is potential for even greater insights into cellular biology, further advancing our knowledge of human health and disease.

This spring, XBOW developed a new approach that significantly improved the success rates of their vulnerability detection agents, increasing performance from 25% to 55%. XBOW is an autonomous pentesting tool that identifies vulnerabilities in websites without human intervention. It operates by exploring an attack surface and systematically probing for bugs.

The key innovation involved creating "model alloys," which combine different AI models to enhance problem-solving capabilities. By alternating between models like Sonnet and Gemini during their tasks, XBOW leveraged the strengths of each model, resulting in better overall performance. The idea is similar to combining metals to create a stronger alloy.

The research found that the more different the models used, the better the performance of the alloy. However, it also highlighted certain scenarios where model alloys might not be effective, such as when tasks require a single model's specific strengths or when processing costs are a concern.

Overall, XBOW's model alloy approach proved to be more effective than using individual models and offers a promising strategy for tasks requiring varied ideas and insights.

The text discusses how to create a hand-drawn "boiling" animation effect using SVG filters and JavaScript. This effect makes static images appear to wobble and move slightly, mimicking the look of hand-drawn animations.

Key points include:

1. Boiling Effect: This animation technique creates a dynamic feel by slightly altering the edges of shapes, making them look less rigid and more organic.

2. How It's Done: The effect can be achieved by combining two SVG filter primitives:

   • feTurbulence generates a noise texture.
   • feDisplacementMap uses this noise to distort the image.

3. Animation: The distortion parameters can be animated using JavaScript, allowing for controlled changes over time to simulate movement.

4. Interactive Demos: The author created interactive demos where users can adjust parameters to see how varying the effects can change the look of the animation.

5. Conclusion: By manipulating these filters and parameters, static illustrations can be animated to give them a lively, hand-drawn appearance.

Overall, the guide serves as an introduction to using SVG filters for animation effects on the web, emphasizing the simplicity and creativity involved in the process.

The text discusses a mathematical concept involving a circle and a hyperbola in a 3D plot defined by the equation (x^2 + (y + zi)^2 = 1). Here are the key points:

1. Equation Breakdown: The equation is separated into real and imaginary parts:

   • Real part: (x^2 + y^2 - z^2 = 1)
   • Imaginary part: (yz = 0)

2. Cases: The imaginary part leads to two scenarios:

   • Case 1: If (y = 0), we get a hyperbola in the x-z plane ((x^2 - z^2 = 1)).
   • Case 2: If (z = 0), we get a unit circle in the x-y plane ((x^2 + y^2 = 1)).

3. Importance: These plots help understand the complex eigenvalues of real matrices. For example, the matrix (M(\mu) = \begin{bmatrix} 0 & 1+\mu \ 1-\mu & 0 \end{bmatrix}) has eigenvalues satisfying the equation (\mu^2 + \lambda^2 = 1), which relates back to the plot.

4. Eigenvalue Behavior: The behavior of eigenvalues changes based on the value of (\mu):

   • (\mu < -1): Complex conjugate eigenvalues
   • (\mu = -1): Repeated eigenvalue (0)
   • (-1 < \mu < 1): One positive and one negative real eigenvalue
   • (\mu = 1): Repeated eigenvalue (0)
   • (\mu > 1): Complex conjugate eigenvalues

5. Further Examples: Another matrix (M(\mu) = \begin{bmatrix} 1 & \mu \ 1 & 1 \end{bmatrix}) also demonstrates similar eigenvalue behavior based on (\mu).

6. Visualization Tool: The author mentions a Desmos calculator to create these plots for any 2x2 matrix that depends on a real parameter.

In summary, the text explores how a specific mathematical equation describes both a circle and a hyperbola, and how this relates to the behavior of eigenvalues in matrices, providing insights into complex analysis and dynamical systems.

The text discusses the current state of housing prices and the misconceptions surrounding housing affordability. It highlights a popular belief that building more homes will automatically lower prices, but the reality is more complex. As housing prices begin to fall in cities like Phoenix and Atlanta, there is growing panic among builders and lenders, leading to decreased construction and tighter financing.

The author points out that the housing market is divided into two perspectives: one sees housing as a basic need, while the other views it as a financial product. When prices drop, the financial side reacts negatively, leading to less supply instead of more. This creates a cycle where falling prices trigger caution among builders and lenders, resulting in fewer new homes being built.

The text criticizes current approaches to housing affordability, stating that instead of genuinely lowering prices, policymakers often manipulate financial systems to maintain high prices. This involves stretching mortgage terms and creating new ways for buyers to afford overpriced homes.

To address the housing crisis, the author advocates for a bottom-up approach, focusing on local solutions like building entry-level housing and supporting small-scale developers. This method aims to create a more affordable housing ecosystem without relying on federal interventions or complicated financial products.

In conclusion, the author calls for a shift in how housing is approached, emphasizing the need for a system that can withstand price drops and genuinely improve affordability.

Summary: Debugging Bash Scripts

Many engineers find Bash challenging, especially with error handling and data structures. To improve reliability, they often use options like set -euxo pipefail, which help manage errors, but these can behave inconsistently across versions of Bash and might not clearly indicate the source of problems.

To enhance debugging, the author recommends creating custom logging functions. Key functions include:

• log::info: Logs informational messages.
• log::level_is_active: Checks if a specific log level is enabled based on a global variable LOG_LEVEL.
• log::_write_log: Handles the actual logging with a timestamp and the source file details.

An additional function, log::error, logs error messages and provides a stack trace, which shows where the error occurred in the code. This helps identify issues more clearly, especially when required variables are missing.

The author also suggests using a Bash trap to automatically log errors when they occur, ensuring that issues are recorded without needing to add error handling in every part of the script. This approach helps manage debugging in larger Bash scripts more effectively.

AMD FidelityFX™ Parallel Sort is a tool that speeds up data sorting on graphics processing units (GPUs). It uses special compute shaders to help organize data more efficiently.

No summary available.

Scientists seeking funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) now face a new rule limiting them to six applications per year. This policy aims to manage the grant-review process and prevent the submission of low-quality proposals, especially those generated by artificial intelligence (AI). However, many researchers are concerned that this limit will hinder their chances of obtaining funding, especially as NIH funding is already being cut.

Critics, including microbiologist Brian Stevenson, argue that the cap will negatively affect scientists who rely on multiple applications to secure grants. Conversely, some believe the cap is necessary to prevent abuse of the system, as noted by former NIH official Michael Lauer, who highlighted cases of excessive applications.

The policy also states that proposals generated by AI will not be considered original work. NIH plans to use technology to detect AI-generated content and may impose penalties if such content is found after funding is granted. Researchers worry this detection could be biased and complicate the application process.

Past attempts to limit grant submissions by federal agencies have faced backlash, and some experts like Mariya Sweetwyne argue that these new rules will further stifle collaboration among scientists. The policy will take effect on September 25, and Lauer anticipates that it may be adjusted based on feedback from the research community.

The text discusses the unusual hexanitrogen molecule and why it can be isolated. It explains that enzymes lower the energy needed for chemical reactions by reducing the activation energy required to reach a transition state. This is illustrated with a diagram showing how reactions progress from higher to lower energy states.

Hexanitrogen (N6) can break down into either azides or dinitrogen molecules. The energy barriers for these reactions are relatively low, with 14.8 kcal/mol needed to form dinitrogen. While this is enough to keep hexanitrogen stable at low temperatures, it is still too low for it to exist at room temperature for long, as its lifetime is only milliseconds.

The text also mentions that hexanitrogen's weak bonds make it possible for the molecule to exist, unlike many other hypothetical nitrogen species that are unstable. Overall, hexanitrogen can be studied due to its specific energy barriers, which are higher than those of other unstable polynitrogens.

The text discusses a significant change in the OpenBSD operating system where the internal structure of the FILE type in the standard input/output library has been made opaque. This means that programs can no longer access its internal structure directly. The change was implemented on July 16, 2025, and affects many components across the system, including libraries like libcrypto, libtls, and libssl.

To facilitate this transition, some symbols will temporarily remain but will be removed in the future. Developers are advised to use a snapshot upgrade to adapt to these changes, as they will impact many areas of the software.

Overall, this is a major update that requires attention from those who build software from source.

In this article, the author shares strategies to speed up their ZSH shell, which was previously taking over 5 seconds to load. They used a profiling tool called zprof to identify the main causes of the delay:

1. Oh-My-Zsh: Loading took 55.73% of the time.
2. Completion System (compinit): Took 30.76%.
3. Syntax Highlighting: Took 14.63%.

To improve performance, the author implemented several changes:

• Oh-My-Zsh: Disabled auto-updates and some functions to reduce loading time from 55.73% to about 20%.
• Completion System: Modified the initialization to only rebuild the cache once a day, reducing its load time from 30.76% to around 10%.
• Spaceship Prompt: Configured it to load only essential features, decreasing its impact from 22.47% to about 5%.

The final result was a significant improvement in load time from approximately 5 seconds to just 0.5 seconds. The author encourages others to try profiling their ZSH setup and applying these fixes, while also noting that everyone's configuration may differ. They also briefly mention alternatives like Starship and Zinit but express satisfaction with their optimized ZSH setup.

No summary available.

A few weeks after the author's mother passed away, she searched through her mother's emails for understanding about her illness. The author realized that her mother rarely mentioned the specific illness she had been battling for 28 years, only using the term when she wanted to emphasize its seriousness. This led the author to question whether she had become desensitized to her mother's condition and did not take it seriously enough during her last days.

No summary available.

The discussion centers around concerns about the security of io_uring, an advanced open-source runtime. A user, cmazakas, is frustrated that many developers dismiss io_uring as insecure, despite fixes for past vulnerabilities. They seek advice on how to improve its reputation.

The maintainer, axboe, explains that concerns primarily stem from an older kernel used by Google on Android, which had design flaws. He reassures that recent changes have improved io_uring's security, and emphasizes that security issues are common across all kernel systems. He notes that io_uring is currently in use at Meta, indicating confidence in its safety.

Another participant, krisman, mentions growing interest in io_uring among enterprise customers, suggesting that the negative perception is largely based on outdated information. Overall, the conversation highlights the need to address misinformation about io_uring's security and showcases ongoing efforts to enhance its reliability.

SIOF (Scheme In One File) Overview

SIOF is a simple, portable interpreter for the R7RS Scheme programming language, built from a single C source file (siof.c). It does not rely on any operating system or hardware specifics, making it easy to compile with any C compiler. You can find precompiled binaries for some platforms.

Installation Steps:

• To compile SIOF on a Unix system using GCC, use the command:

  gcc -o siof siof.c -lm
  

• If you encounter warnings, consider adding flags like -Wno-parentheses-equality for Clang or -D_CRT_SECURE_NO_WARNINGS for Windows.
• For better performance and a smaller executable, use optimization flags, but be prepared for longer compile times.
• SIOF has no dependencies except for the standard C runtime and math library.

Compatibility and Features:

• SIOF follows core Scheme principles, supporting features like garbage collection, tail recursion, and a macro system.
• It is mostly compatible with the R7RS-small standard but has limitations:
  • Fixnums are 30 bits; no support for bignums or Unicode.
  • Some R7RS features like case sensitivity and certain procedures are not fully implemented.

REPL and Library Support:

• The interactive environment supports R7RS notation but has restrictions on certain features.
• Users can extend library paths and dynamically load libraries.

Origins:

• SIOF's code is based on #F, a language for building Scheme-like systems. Its compiler and macro expander are derived from established Scheme projects.

Related Projects:

• For smaller or different variants, check out S4IOF (without hygienic macros) and S5IOF (R5RS-compatible).

The text discusses advancements in thermoelectric technology that allow for cooling without compressors. This innovation could lead to more efficient cooling systems, reducing energy consumption and environmental impact. The focus is on how these new technologies can improve everyday cooling solutions.

No summary available.

No summary available.

No summary available.

JOVE, or the Journal of Visualized Experiments, is a scientific journal that publishes videos of experiments. It aims to improve scientific communication by showing how experiments are done, making it easier to understand and replicate them. Each video is accompanied by a written description, helping researchers learn from each other's work. JOVE covers a wide range of scientific fields, including biology, chemistry, and medicine. It is a valuable resource for students and professionals alike, promoting transparency and collaboration in research.

No summary available.

No summary available.

On April 19, 2006, David Weiss provided a virtual tour of Microsoft’s Mac Lab, showcasing what it’s like to work on Mac software at Microsoft. The lab spans about 2000 square feet and is filled with various Apple hardware, including old Macs and modern systems. Key areas include:

1. Sandbox: A space for testing software on different Apple hardware configurations, equipped with a Plasma display for presentations.

2. Automation System: Essential for testing Microsoft Office on Macs, the lab utilizes over 249 automation machines to run thousands of tests daily on new builds of Office.

3. Backup Systems: The lab relies on ADIC backup robots and Veritas Backup Exec for data safety. However, there have been challenges with data corruption during restores.

4. Hardware Collection: The lab previously housed every significant Mac model, including very old machines, but space constraints led to recycling many of them.

5. Team Environment: The lab promotes a fun work culture, featuring a foosball table and free drinks, emphasizing the importance of both hard work and relaxation.

Overall, the post highlighted the blend of technology and teamwork in developing Mac software at Microsoft, dispelling some common misconceptions about the company.

In science, especially biomedical science, it's important to be open to the possibility that widely accepted beliefs might be incorrect. A common belief is that the brain only uses glucose for energy. This idea is supported by years of research and is found in many textbooks. However, recent studies on a rare condition called hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSPs) challenge this notion.

One specific mutation related to HSPs affects an enzyme called DDHD2, which is involved in breaking down triglycerides in neurons. This is surprising because neurons were thought not to store or use triglycerides. In patients with this mutation, their neurons are filled with triglyceride droplets.

New research shows that DDHD2 is crucial for energy production in neurons, and when it is inhibited, it leads to energy loss and the accumulation of triglyceride droplets. This suggests that some neurons do use triglycerides as an energy source. In fact, supplying neurons with palmitic acid can help them survive better during glucose shortages.

This discovery implies that the understanding of brain metabolism needs to change. Furthermore, it raises questions about the reliability of artificial intelligence (AI) in solving scientific issues, as AI trained on outdated information might not uncover new insights like this one. We must acknowledge that our current knowledge is incomplete and sometimes incorrect.

The writer expresses frustration with modern applications and their user interfaces. Here are the main points:

1. Distraction While Typing: The instant search results that pop up while typing can be distracting and interrupt the user's focus. The writer prefers to finish typing without interruptions.

2. Hover Menus: Some websites show menus when the cursor hovers over certain areas, which can be distracting and lead to accidental clicks. The writer finds this responsiveness unhelpful.

3. Expectations of Speed: Users expect quick feedback from applications. If there is a lag, it can be frustrating and disappointing.

Overall, the writer wonders if their feelings are just a sign of getting older or a valid concern about user experience.

Teufel has introduced the MYND, its first open-source Bluetooth speaker, designed with sustainability and durability in mind. Industrial designer Erik and electrical engineer Jonathan shared insights about the speaker's development, emphasizing its long lifespan and ease of repair.

Key features of the MYND include:

• Sustainability: Built for a long life to reduce CO2 emissions, with easily replaceable parts like the battery.
• Open-Source: Users can rebuild the speaker using publicly available data, with the option to 3D print plastic parts and customize the sound.
• Durability: Materials used are either recycled or recyclable, and the design minimizes unnecessary components to enhance longevity.
• Portability: Designed for easy transport, it includes attachment points for straps and a built-in power bank for charging devices on the go.

The MYND aims to cater to both casual users and tech enthusiasts, allowing for creative modifications and upgrades. Overall, the focus is on providing a versatile speaker that meets various customer needs while promoting sustainability.

In the summer of 2025, coding with Large Language Models (LLMs) is evolving. These AI tools are becoming more advanced, making coding easier and more efficient. They can assist with writing code, debugging, and learning programming languages. As they improve, they help developers save time and enhance productivity. Overall, LLMs are changing how people approach coding, making it more accessible for everyone.

No summary available.

Summary:

Logical implication, represented as ( a \Rightarrow b ), is similar to ( a \geq b ) but with the symbols reversed. It means "if ( x ) (e.g., it is cloudy) is true, then ( y ) (e.g., it will rain) is also true." The only case where this is false is when ( x ) is true and ( y ) is false.

Here are some key points:

1. Transitivity of Implication: If ( a \Rightarrow b ) and ( b \Rightarrow c ), then ( a \Rightarrow c ) can be shown using basic logic.

2. Denying the Consequent: If ( p \Rightarrow q ), then not ( q ) implies not ( p ) can be simplified to show the relationship.

3. Denying the Antecedent: The false statement ( p \Rightarrow q ) does not imply that not ( p ) means not ( q ). This can be analyzed to show it only holds true in specific cases.

The explanation includes an erratum correcting a previous mistake regarding the statement on denying the consequent.

The XML Summer School will be held at St Edmund Hall in Oxford from September 14 to 19, 2025, celebrating its 25th anniversary.

This event is designed for anyone involved with XML and related technologies, offering a range of courses from beginner to advanced levels. The teaching includes small-group classes, hands-on activities, and opportunities for questions and discussions.

Beginners should start with the "Hands-on Introduction to XML" course before progressing to more advanced topics.

The registration fee covers accommodation, meals, and social events at the historic St Edmund Hall. Participants will have many chances to connect and discuss outside of class. For more information, photos, and updates, you can check the XML Summer School’s Flickr page or related social media hashtags.

No summary available.

No summary available.

I'm unable to access external links directly. However, if you provide the text you'd like summarized, I can help create a concise and easy-to-understand summary for you!

Summary of Apple’s New Design Language: Liquid Glass

On July 11, 2025, Apple introduced a new design called Liquid Glass for its operating systems, aiming for a unified user interface (UI) across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS. While the design looks modern and aligns with Apple's brand, opinions vary on its effectiveness.

Key Points:

1. Unified Design: This is the first time Apple has created a consistent design across all devices, with UI elements that change contextually.

2. Mixed Reactions: The announcement received both excitement and criticism online. Some features are praised, but there's skepticism about the name "Liquid Glass" and its execution.

3. Design Challenges: While the design works well on smaller devices, its application on larger screens like macOS raises questions about clarity and functionality. Transparency might be overused, leading to blurred visuals and readability issues.

4. Potential Improvements: The design could be enhanced if the glass effect felt more integrated with actual device surfaces, creating a more interactive experience.

5. Future Outlook: The initial version leaned toward being kitschy, but there's hope for improvement. Apple needs to address technical issues before developers can fully adapt their apps.

In summary, while Liquid Glass has a bold concept, its practical implementation requires refinement to ensure it enhances user experience without compromising functionality or battery life.

At the start of last year, Matthew Prince, the head of Cloudflare, began getting calls from leaders of major media companies. They expressed concern about a serious new online threat. When Prince asked if it was from North Korea, they replied that the threat was actually from artificial intelligence (AI).

In a recent blog post, Dylan Beattie reflects on the past hype surrounding Java, particularly in the late 1990s. He mentions an article by Jackson Roberts, who questions why Java is no longer as popular. Beattie, who studied computer science from 1997 to 2000, recalls that Java was extremely hyped when it was released in 1996, becoming a mandatory subject for all first-year students at his university.

Java introduced many features that were groundbreaking at the time, such as automatic memory management and concurrency, which significantly influenced programming languages for the next two decades. It was believed that Java applets would replace traditional desktop applications, with companies like Corel planning to develop software in Java.

However, as time went on, Java struggled to compete with other languages like Visual Basic for desktop applications and C++ for games. By the mid-2000s, the initial excitement faded, and Java became more associated with stable, reliable business software rather than innovative projects. Despite this, Java has remained relevant, especially with its strong presence in Android development, ultimately achieving its goal of being a widely used, cross-platform programming language.

No summary available.

Summary of "Peep Show – The Most Realistic Portrayal of Evil Ever Made"

"Peep Show" is a British TV series that aired from 2003 to 2015, featuring two dysfunctional roommates, Mark Corrigan and Jeremy "Jez" Usborne, living in Croydon, London. The author, Matt Lakeman, argues that the show offers a realistic portrayal of "evil," defined not just as malicious behavior but also as carelessness and self-destruction.

Mark and Jez exhibit deeply flawed characteristics that reflect common human weaknesses, such as cowardice, hypocrisy, and apathy. Their actions lead to negative consequences for themselves and those around them, showcasing their self-loathing and failures in life. The show uses first-person perspectives and inner monologues, allowing viewers to empathize with the characters while recognizing their moral failings.

Key themes include:

1. Realistic Evil: Unlike typical portrayals of evil in media, Mark and Jez represent ordinary people's weaknesses, making their actions relatable and unsettling.
2. Self-Loathing: Both characters struggle with low self-esteem, which drives their destructive behavior and poor life choices.
3. Mutual Dependency: Their friendship is toxic; they enable each other’s failings while feeding off their respective insecurities.
4. Comedic Darkness: The show combines humor with a bleak look at modern life, emphasizing the everyday struggles and moral dilemmas faced by its characters.

Ultimately, "Peep Show" reveals that the traits embodied by Mark and Jez are present in everyone to some degree, making the series a darkly funny yet insightful examination of human nature.

The author discusses their experience with the Toniebox, a children's music box that uses figurines with NFC tags to play audio content. The Toniebox requires an internet connection and a Tonies account to function, which raises privacy concerns as it tracks children's interactions. The music is stored in the cloud, leading to worries about ownership and access in the future.

The author highlights that the Toniebox can be disassembled to access its SD card, where audio files are stored in an unencrypted format, allowing for backups. They mention tools and community projects that enable further customization and hacking of the device, such as adding custom audio or making hardware modifications for better accessibility.

Despite initial hesitations about privacy and ownership, the author appreciates the Toniebox after seeing their child's enjoyment of it. They express a desire to preserve the audio content for future generations, reflecting on the loss of physical media over time.

No summary available.

The text discusses the need for a simple, user-friendly operating system (OS) similar to ChromeOS, especially as Windows 10 approaches its end of support. The author highlights that many Linux distributions offer too many options, making it confusing for non-Linux users. ChromeOS is praised for its simplicity and effectiveness in getting users online, with a straightforward interface and only essential features.

The author argues that there should be a free software alternative to ChromeOS that doesn't require a Google account and can run on older PCs. This OS would eliminate unnecessary complexity, focusing solely on web browsing and online connectivity. Various existing projects, such as FydeOS and NayuOS, are mentioned, but none fully meet the need for a simple, robust solution. The text concludes that creating such an OS is feasible, emphasizing the importance of simplicity in design.

The text compares various modern Large Language Models (LLMs), focusing on their architectural designs and innovations. Here are the key points:

1. Overview of LLMs: The original GPT architecture was developed seven years ago, and many newer models, like DeepSeek-V3 and Llama 4, share similar structural elements with only minor improvements in techniques.

2. DeepSeek V3/R1: This model features two main architectural advancements:

   • Multi-Head Latent Attention (MLA): This approach reduces memory usage by compressing key and value tensors.
   • Mixture-of-Experts (MoE): This replaces a single FeedForward module with multiple expert layers, allowing only a few to be activated during inference, which enhances efficiency.

3. OLMo 2: Known for its transparency, OLMo 2 adopts a unique normalization layer placement and uses QK-norm, which improves training stability. It still relies on traditional Multi-Head Attention (MHA).

4. Gemma 3: This model stands out due to its use of sliding window attention, which limits the context size for improved computational efficiency. It also employs a unique normalization strategy that utilizes RMSNorm in both Pre-Norm and Post-Norm settings.

5. Mistral Small 3.1: This model is recognized for its speed and performance, outperforming others like Gemma 3 on various benchmarks.

6. Llama 4: Adopts an MoE architecture similar to DeepSeek-V3 but with differences in how experts are utilized, affecting performance and efficiency.

7. Qwen3: Offers both dense and MoE versions, catering to different user needs. The dense model is easier to deploy, while MoE models help scale inference without significantly increasing costs.

8. SmolLM3: Notable for its 3-billion parameter size and the innovative use of No Positional Embeddings (NoPE), which aims to enhance length generalization.

9. Kimi 2: A large model with 1 trillion parameters, it uses the DeepSeek-V3 architecture and employs the Muon optimizer for improved training performance.

Overall, the article highlights how LLMs are evolving through architectural innovations aimed at improving efficiency, performance, and training stability.

Starting July 24th, access to JanitorAI will be blocked for users in the UK (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland). This decision comes as a result of challenges posed by the UK's Online Safety Act, which imposes strict regulations that are difficult for smaller platforms to comply with. The law requires extensive legal assessments and costly biometric verification systems, with severe penalties for non-compliance, including hefty fines and potential criminal charges for the team.

The company initially underestimated the complexity of these regulations and thought there might be exemptions for smaller platforms, but this was not the case. As a result, blocking UK users has become necessary to avoid legal risks.

This situation highlights a broader issue, as many innovative platforms may face similar challenges, potentially cutting off UK residents from global tech advancements. While the company is currently unable to operate in the UK, they plan to explore compliance options for the future.

It's important to note that UK users will not face legal consequences for using JanitorAI, as the regulations apply only to service providers. User accounts will remain intact, but the site will not be accessible from UK IP addresses. If users find alternative ways to access the service, there are no legal repercussions for them. A petition is available for those who wish to express their concerns about the Online Safety Act.

Summary: Making Aluminum from Dirt

This text explains how to extract aluminum from dirt, specifically clay-rich soil. Here are the key steps in the process:

1. Choosing the Dirt: Start with dirt that has clay, little organic matter, and no carbonate minerals.

2. Preparing the Dirt: Mix the dirt with water, let it settle, and separate the silt. Instead of using sodium hydroxide (which doesn't work well with this type of dirt), hydrochloric acid is added to convert aluminum oxides into aluminum chloride.

3. Removing Iron: After reacting the dirt with acid, sodium hydroxide is added to neutralize the acid and precipitate iron and aluminum as hydroxides. Excess sodium hydroxide is then added to dissolve aluminum hydroxide again.

4. Precipitating Aluminum: Hydrochloric acid is added again, using a pH indicator to confirm when all aluminum has precipitated out as aluminum hydroxide.

5. Decomposing Aluminum Hydroxide: The aluminum hydroxide is heated to 800 °C, turning it into aluminum oxide.

6. Electrolysis: To produce aluminum metal, the aluminum oxide is mixed with cryolite (which lowers the melting point) and electrolyzed at 1000 °C. This process requires careful management of current to avoid high resistance and gas formation.

7. Results: The attempt produced a small amount of aluminum (0.29 g), with calculations showing a low yield due to inefficiencies in the process. The author notes that sourcing better ore would improve results.

Overall, this method highlights the complexity and challenges of extracting aluminum from soil, emphasizing safety and the need for suitable materials.

In her article, Bobbie Chen explores the concept of "magic" in software development, using the bird identification app Merlin as an example. The app simplifies bird identification with just five questions and features an impressive AI-powered tool called "Sound ID." This tool accurately identifies bird songs by using meticulously annotated audio data, which requires significant effort from sound experts.

Chen draws a parallel to magician Teller, who creates seemingly impossible tricks through extensive preparation. She emphasizes that the "magic" in software often comes from the hard work and dedication behind the scenes rather than advanced technology alone.

The article highlights the emotional journey of coding, from initial excitement to feelings of disillusionment when faced with complex challenges and reliance on existing technologies. However, Chen encourages readers to persist, as meaningful contributions come from effort and experience. She concludes with a quote about the stages of belief in Santa Claus, suggesting that with dedication, anyone can create magical experiences in their work.

The author expresses skepticism about the predictions for 2025 being the "year of AI agents." Despite building over a dozen functioning AI agent systems, they believe the hype overlooks significant challenges. Here are the key points:

1. Error Compounding: In multi-step workflows, even a small error rate leads to high failure rates. For example, with 95% reliability per step, a 20-step process only has a 36% success rate. Production systems need at least 99.9% reliability.

2. Cost of Context: Handling long conversations with AI agents becomes expensive due to the way context is managed. The costs increase significantly as conversation length grows, making many conversational agents financially unviable.

3. Tool Design Challenges: Effective AI agents require well-designed tools that manage feedback and context efficiently. Most current companies underestimate this challenge and treat tools as if they were meant for humans rather than AI.

4. Integration Issues: Real-world systems are complex and messy, making integration with AI agents difficult. Many companies fail to account for the quirks of legacy systems, leading to failures in autonomous execution.

5. Successful Patterns: The author identifies that successful AI agent systems share a pattern: they handle complexity while maintaining human control over critical decisions and processes.

6. Future Predictions: The author predicts that startups claiming fully autonomous agents will struggle with economic viability, while successful companies will focus on domain-specific, constrained tools that effectively balance AI capabilities and human oversight.

In summary, the author believes that while AI has great potential, its practical implementation will require more realistic approaches than what is currently being promised. They encourage a focus on reliability, clear boundaries, and effective tool design when developing AI agents.

How to Run an Arduino on a Battery for Years

This article explains how to power an Arduino with batteries for long periods, ideal for autonomous projects like a wireless motion detector.

1. Why Battery Power?

   • Arduino projects often use USB power, but for standalone systems, batteries are needed. Directly connecting an Arduino board to a battery can quickly deplete it due to power-hungry components.

2. Building a Minimal Arduino System:

   • Use a microcontroller like the ATMega328, which should have the Arduino bootloader.
   • Power the Arduino directly with a battery, avoiding voltage regulators that waste energy. A set of two AA batteries (3V) is recommended.
   • Essential components include capacitors, resistors, an LED, a crystal clock, a breadboard, and jumper wires.

3. Hardware Setup:

   • Follow specific wiring instructions to connect the microcontroller, power, and other components.
   • Use an Arduino Uno to program the microcontroller before transferring it to the breadboard.

4. Testing:

   • After programming, connect the battery and check if the LED blinks as expected.

5. Power Optimization:

   • Use sleep modes in the microcontroller to reduce power consumption when inactive. The JeeLib library can help manage sleep functions effectively.
   • With optimizations, power consumption can drop significantly, allowing the system to last for nearly two years on batteries.

6. Further Applications:

   • This method can be adapted for various projects where the active time is minimal compared to sleep time, extending battery life significantly.

By following these guidelines, you can create a battery-powered Arduino system that lasts for years without needing frequent battery changes.

Your computer network has shown unusual activity. To proceed, please confirm you are not a robot by clicking the box below.

Reasons for This Message:

• Ensure your browser has JavaScript and cookies enabled and that they are not being blocked.

Need Help?

• If you have questions, contact our support team and provide the reference ID: 6fd64a74-664c-11f0-b23f-220b4925edee.

Additional Offer:

• Get important global market news by subscribing to Bloomberg.com.

Consumers can now buy eggs from in-ovo sexed hens, a new technology that identifies male eggs and prevents the culling of male chicks in the egg industry. Currently, around 350 million male chicks are killed each year in the U.S. after hatching, a practice many people are unaware of. However, a recent survey shows that 73% of Americans are interested in eggs produced using this ethical method.

Brands like NestFresh have started selling these eggs under the "Humanely Hatched" label, available at select Whole Foods, with Kipster set to launch its own line soon. This marks a significant shift in the U.S. egg industry, which has lagged behind Europe, where in-ovo sexing has already captured 28% of the market.

In-ovo sexing technology allows producers to remove male eggs early, thus eliminating the need for culling. Two common methods include using imaging technology to detect differences in embryos and analyzing fluids from the egg to determine the sex. While this technology is currently more expensive, it is expected to become more cost-effective over time as adoption increases.

The success of companies like NestFresh and Kipster is crucial for scaling this technology, as consumer support can drive down costs. By choosing eggs from these brands, consumers can promote ethical egg production and help make this humane practice standard in the industry.

EU Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath is concerned about unsafe products sold by online retailers like Shein and Temu. He highlighted that many goods, including baby products and children's clothing, violate EU safety regulations. McGrath is awaiting results from an investigation to gather more evidence of these violations.

He stressed the importance of protecting European consumers and ensuring a fair playing field for local businesses, which face unfair competition from non-compliant retailers. The EU is considering changes, such as eliminating the €150 duty-free threshold and creating a customs authority, to address the influx of low-cost items from outside the EU.

Both Shein and Temu have stated their commitment to product safety and compliance, mentioning investments in testing and partnerships with safety organizations.

The author has created a terminal-based Git tool called ggc, which is written in Go. Key features include:

• A fast interactive user interface for common Git tasks.
• Traditional commands like ggc add and ggc commit.
• Compatibility with Git config settings.
• Built-in shortcuts for automating tasks (e.g., ggc addcommitpush).

The tool aims to boost developer productivity by blending interactive and scriptable workflows. It is still being developed, and the author welcomes community feedback. You can find it on GitHub, and there is a demo available as well.

This text discusses the computational complexity of neural networks, specifically focusing on the differences between the training (backpropagation) and inference (forward propagation) phases.

1. Complexity Analysis: Understanding the computational complexity of algorithms is crucial, especially when dealing with highly parallel operations like those in neural networks. Traditional time complexity measurements may not fully capture the performance benefits of parallel computing, such as using GPUs.

2. Forward Propagation: This phase involves calculating outputs from inputs through various layers of the network. The complexity of this process is influenced by matrix multiplications and activation functions. The overall time complexity for forward propagation is O(n^4) under certain assumptions about the number of neurons and layers.

3. Backpropagation: The training phase, which adjusts network weights, is more complex and slower, with a time complexity of O(n^5). This phase involves calculating gradients and errors, which takes significantly longer than simply making predictions.

4. Gradient Descent: This optimization process also adds to the overall runtime, particularly when many iterations are needed to minimize errors, further emphasizing the slower nature of training compared to inference.

5. Conclusion: The analysis shows that separating training and inference is beneficial due to the higher complexity and longer time required for backpropagation compared to forward propagation. This highlights the importance of using efficient computational methods, like GPUs, to speed up training.

Overall, the text emphasizes the need to understand these complexities to improve neural network performance and training efficiency.

The phrase "Perfect is the enemy of good" means that striving for perfection can prevent us from making good progress or improvements. It suggests that while perfection may be unattainable, we should not let the desire for it stop us from appreciating or implementing good ideas or solutions.

This saying is often attributed to Voltaire, who referenced an Italian proverb in 1770. It echoes earlier thoughts by philosophers like Montesquieu and Aristotle, who warned against excessive striving for the best. Examples of this concept can also be found in Shakespeare's works.

Variations of this idea emphasize that sometimes it's better to accept good but imperfect solutions rather than waiting indefinitely for a perfect one. This notion is relevant in various fields, including economics, software development, and marketing, where striving for perfection can be counterproductive.

No summary available.

Yoko Taro, the creator of the NieR series, criticized Western credit card companies for pressuring Japanese adult content platforms. He expressed concern that these companies can censor legal adult content and potentially undermine free speech and democracy in other countries. His comments were prompted by the shutdown of Manga Library Z, which was forced to remove certain content due to these pressures, ultimately leading to its closure. Other platforms, like DLsite and Pixiv, are also facing similar challenges, having to adjust to censorship requirements and use less popular payment methods. Taro believes the influence of payment processors poses a significant threat to freedom of expression.

No summary available.

No summary available.

No summary available.

Summary: Async I/O on Linux and Durability

Jeremy Tregunna discusses his experience developing a multi-model database and experimenting with a key-value database using a new approach to improve performance and durability.

1. Initial Design: He started with a simple in-memory hash table and an append-only log for data persistence. However, using synchronous writes slowed down performance.

2. Exploring io_uring: Tregunna learned about io_uring, a Linux interface that allows for true asynchronous I/O. This enables multiple disk operations to be performed simultaneously, improving throughput significantly.

3. Challenges with Async I/O: While async I/O boosts speed, it complicates durability since data may remain in temporary buffers and not be saved to disk before a success response is sent to clients.

4. Dual Write-Ahead Log (WAL) Design: To address durability concerns, he proposed a dual WAL system:

   • Intent WAL: Records intended operations asynchronously.
   • Completion WAL: Records successful completions of those operations.
   • This allows for high throughput while ensuring that only operations with confirmed completions are applied during recovery.

5. Implementation: The system uses separate ring buffers for each WAL type to prevent delays and batches multiple entries for efficiency.

6. Recovery Process: The recovery algorithm reads the intent and completion logs, ensuring that only successfully completed operations are processed again, enhancing data integrity.

7. Performance Results: The new design achieved a tenfold increase in transaction throughput compared to the original synchronous method, effectively utilizing modern hardware's parallelism.

8. Key Takeaways:

   • Modern storage devices allow for many concurrent operations, which traditional I/O methods do not leverage.
   • Batching I/O operations can greatly enhance performance.
   • Separate handling of intent and completion can maintain data consistency while improving speed.
   • Rethinking database architectures around async I/O can lead to better performance and efficiency.

In conclusion, Tregunna's work highlights the need to adapt database designs to take advantage of modern hardware capabilities, challenging the assumption that synchronous I/O is necessary for durability.

BorgBackup is a backup tool that offers:

• Efficient storage by removing duplicate data.
• Secure encryption to protect your data.
• Various compression options (lz4, zstd, zlib, lzma, or none).
• The ability to mount backups using FUSE.
• Simple installation on Linux, macOS, BSD, and more.
• It is free software under the BSD license and supported by a large open-source community.

Remember to always check your backups!

No summary available.

Valve, the company behind Steam, has confirmed that it removed several adult games from its platform due to pressure from credit card companies like Mastercard and Visa. They stated that some games might violate the rules set by these payment processors, prompting the delisting to avoid losing payment options for customers on the Steam Store. Valve is reaching out to affected developers and offering app credits for future games, provided they meet the approval of the payment processors.

This new rule against certain adult content follows concerns from payment processors about potential risks related to adult material, even if it's animated and not explicit. The situation highlights the influence of credit card companies over online content and raises concerns about censorship in gaming. Valve did not specify which games were removed, but it coincided with a broader crackdown on adult-themed content on the platform.

Summary of "Make Your Own Backup System – Part 1: Strategy Before Scripts"

Key Points:

1. Importance of Backups: Many people underestimate the need for a proper backup system, often thinking that simply copying files is sufficient. This can lead to severe data loss.

2. Cloud Storage Misconceptions: Relying solely on cloud storage can be risky; users are often responsible for their data protection, and cloud providers may not guarantee complete safety.

3. Backup Planning: Before backing up, it's crucial to ask questions about your data's importance, acceptable risks, potential downtime, and available storage.

4. Backup Methods:

   • Full Disk Backup: Good for complete recovery but can require downtime and take up a lot of space.
   • Individual File Backup: More flexible but can be complex and requires a solid snapshot system to ensure consistency.

5. Snapshots for Consistency: Taking a snapshot of your data before backup helps ensure you're capturing a stable version, preventing corruption during the process.

6. Backup Architecture: Decide whether backups should be initiated by the client (push) or server (pull). The choice depends on your setup, with pull generally being safer.

7. Guiding Principles: A good backup system should allow for quick recovery, store data externally, ensure security, manage space efficiently, and be minimally invasive.

8. Next Steps: The series will continue by discussing how to set up backup servers and the software used for effective backups.

This summary captures the essential concepts of backup strategy, emphasizing the need for careful planning and execution to protect data effectively.

No summary available.

The text discusses the troubling trend of declining quality in consumer products and services. It notes that items like airplane seats are becoming smaller and clothes lose their shape quickly, while many goods are designed for quick consumption rather than durability. Experts suggest that consumer perceptions of quality have worsened due to economic pressures and the influence of social media, which often showcases unattainable lifestyles.

The article cites a shift from a "culture of austerity" to a "culture of efficiency," where companies prioritize cost-cutting, often at the expense of quality. Public services, particularly healthcare, are also struggling to meet the needs of a changing population, leading many to seek private insurance.

Older generations tend to perceive a greater decline in quality, as they valued durability more than younger consumers, who are influenced by fast fashion and disposable goods. This shift in values has created a generational divide in how we understand quality.

The text also highlights the role of technology and automation in customer service, which, while intended to improve efficiency, often frustrates consumers who prefer human interaction. Furthermore, the rise of artificial intelligence in product reviews raises concerns about the authenticity of consumer feedback.

In conclusion, the author argues that our expectations and consumption habits have shifted, leading to a perception that quality has declined. Rather than simply blaming corporations, it suggests that our desires and choices play a significant role in this trend. Ultimately, the production of low-quality items has a negative environmental impact, and a truly good product should be useful and ethically made.

It seems like the text you provided is incomplete or lacks specific content to summarize. If you can provide the main text or details you'd like summarized, I would be happy to help!

Hungary's oldest library, located in the Pannonhalma Archabbey, is working to save 100,000 ancient books from a serious beetle infestation. The abbey, founded in 996 and a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of Hungary's key cultural and educational centers. The drugstore beetles, which feed on book adhesives, were first spotted during a cleaning when staff found holes in books and unusual dust layers.

To combat this infestation, all affected books are being removed from shelves and placed in sealed plastic sacks to be treated in an oxygen-free environment for six weeks. The goal is to eliminate the beetles before the books are inspected and restored if needed.

The library contains significant historical works, including a 13th-century Bible and many manuscripts predating the printing press, and any damage to these texts is seen as a loss to cultural heritage. The infestation may be linked to climate change, as rising temperatures can accelerate insect development. The abbey’s director emphasizes the importance of preserving this collection, noting that its care is considered as valuable as sacred artifacts.

No summary available.

Summary:

Iframes, or inline frames, are HTML elements used to embed content from other websites within a page, but they have many drawbacks, especially for embedding analytics dashboards in software applications. Here are the key issues with using iframes:

1. Design Consistency: Iframes cannot inherit the parent application’s styles, leading to a mismatch in appearance. Maintaining consistent branding becomes difficult.

2. Limited Interaction: Communication between the iframe and the parent app is complicated, requiring asynchronous messaging that can be prone to errors.

3. Responsiveness Issues: Iframes set their own viewport, which can cause layout problems, such as double scrollbars or awkward spacing, making dashboards less user-friendly.

4. Debugging Challenges: Debugging an iframe is more complex since errors and performance issues are harder to track across different contexts.

5. Security Risks: Iframes can introduce security vulnerabilities such as clickjacking and cross-site scripting because they operate in a separate context.

6. Performance Overhead: Iframes add unnecessary load times and resource consumption, affecting overall application performance.

7. Cookie and Identity Issues: Browsers are phasing out third-party cookies, complicating user sessions when using iframes.

8. Maintenance Difficulties: Relying on iframes ties development to external updates, making it harder to manage and iterate on your own application.

As a better alternative, Embeddable is an embedded analytics toolkit that allows seamless integration of dashboards directly into applications. It supports native components, ensuring design consistency, direct communication with application code, fast loading times, and easier debugging. This approach reduces security risks and improves overall performance and maintainability.

In conclusion, iframes are not ideal for embedding dashboards in modern applications due to their various limitations. Embeddable offers a more efficient solution for integrating analytics.

No summary available.

No summary available.

The text discusses a legal case that could potentially limit free speech and access to information on the internet. It highlights concerns that this case might lead to restrictions that could affect how people share and receive information online. The outcome could have significant implications for the future of the open internet, where everyone can freely express their views and access various content.

No summary available.

Jamie Siminoff, the founder of Ring, has returned to lead the company, which is known for its privacy issues. Ring is reintroducing features that allow police to request footage directly from users and even access live-streams from home security devices. This move raises serious concerns for civil liberties, as police have previously exploited Ring footage without user consent, particularly in monitoring protests and immigration enforcement.

Siminoff has indicated that the company will focus on being "AI first," which could mean adding controversial features like video analytics or facial recognition. Employees will need to prove their use of AI for promotions, suggesting a shift in company priorities.

Ring is reversing many of its recent reforms aimed at protecting user privacy, such as ending partnerships with police and introducing end-to-end encryption. This change seems to prioritize profit over customer trust, especially as crime rates decrease. Critics argue that Ring is aligning itself with a trend of increased surveillance and authoritarianism in tech, similar to other companies that have compromised ethical standards for profit.

Summary:

Strictly necessary cookies are essential for the website to function properly. They help with security, prevent fraud, and enable purchases. You can block these cookies in your browser, but this may cause some parts of the site to not work correctly.