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resizer2: Manage Windows Like KDE/i3 with Win+Mouse

2024-12-29

resizer2: Manage Windows Like KDE/i3 with Win+Mouse

resizer2 is a Windows window manager that lets you resize and move windows using Win key + mouse, similar to KDE or i3 window managers. It offers features like moving, resizing, opacity adjustment, minimizing, and maximizing windows, even across multiple monitors. While it requires administrator privileges to move system windows and has some known quirks (like incompatibility with certain fullscreen apps), resizer2 provides a more efficient and convenient window management experience for Windows users.

(github.com)

Development window management productivity tool

Chinese Astronauts Create Rocket Fuel and Oxygen in Space

2025-08-27

Chinese Astronauts Create Rocket Fuel and Oxygen in Space

Chinese astronauts aboard the Tiangong space station have successfully produced rocket fuel and oxygen in space using a novel artificial photosynthesis technology. This breakthrough, achieved with relatively simple equipment and minimal energy, promises to be crucial for China's planned lunar base, slated for completion within a decade. The technology converts carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and rocket fuel components, offering critical support for human survival and exploration in space. This innovation could significantly reduce reliance on Earth-based resources for the lunar base, paving the way for future missions to Mars and beyond.

(www.livescience.com)

Tech space station lunar base

German ISP Changes DNS After Website Exposes Copyright Blocking Organization

2025-08-24

A major German ISP altered its DNS settings after the exposure of the CUII, a private organization deciding website blocks without transparency or judicial oversight. The author built cuiiliste.de to track blocked domains, as the CUII refuses to publish its list. The CUII previously mistakenly blocked defunct websites. ISPs initially used notice.cuii.info to indicate blocked sites, but later stopped, making blocked sites appear nonexistent. However, Telefonica (parent of o2, Germany's fourth-largest ISP) continued this method. After Telefonica checked its own test domain, blau-sicherheit.info, on the author's site, they changed their DNS to stop using notice.cuii.info, making tracking CUII blocks harder. This raises suspicions of the CUII trying to bury its mistakes.

(lina.sh)

Tech

Ultrasonic Deep Drawing Cuts Friction by 20%, Extends Tool Lifespan

2025-03-08

Ultrasonic Deep Drawing Cuts Friction by 20%, Extends Tool Lifespan

Fraunhofer IWU has developed VibroDraw, a groundbreaking ultrasonic deep drawing process that reduces friction by at least 20%. By integrating ultrasonic vibrations, the process minimizes material damage, extends tool lifespan, and increases production efficiency. Successfully applied to manufacturing cell housings for electric vehicle batteries, VibroDraw promises to enable larger cell formats, leading to improved range and energy density.

(techxplore.com)

Tech Ultrasonic Deep Drawing Friction Reduction

Picostrap 5: Blazing-Fast Bootstrap 5 WordPress Starter Theme

2025-05-07

Picostrap 5: Blazing-Fast Bootstrap 5 WordPress Starter Theme

Picostrap 5 is a lightning-fast WordPress starter theme built on Bootstrap 5. It seamlessly integrates SASS with the WordPress Customizer, letting you tweak Bootstrap's styling directly from your WordPress dashboard. A built-in browser-based SASS compiler ensures instant CSS updates. Features include an AI-powered color palette generator, live style guide preview, extensive customization options, and togglable features like disabling Gutenberg and adding a back-to-top button. It's WooCommerce, LiveCanvas, and WindPress friendly, and performance-optimized.

(github.com)

Development WordPress Theme

Linus Torvalds to Gift Handmade Guitar Pedal

2025-01-13

Linus Torvalds to Gift Handmade Guitar Pedal

Linus Torvalds, the creator of the Linux kernel, is giving away a hand-built guitar effects pedal to a lucky kernel contributor. This unusual giveaway, announced in his weekly kernel release notes, serves as both a thank-you and a test to see if anyone actually reads his announcements. Torvalds, describing himself as a 'software person with a soldering iron,' will assemble an Aion FX pedal kit, promising a unique, if somewhat unpredictable, reward reflecting the quirky culture of the open-source community.

(www.theregister.com)

Development

A* Pathfinding Explained: From Breadth-First Search to Greedy Best-First Search

2025-06-18

A* Pathfinding Explained: From Breadth-First Search to Greedy Best-First Search

This article provides a clear explanation of the A* pathfinding algorithm. Starting with the simple Breadth-First Search (BFS), it progressively introduces Dijkstra's algorithm (handling varying movement costs), Greedy Best-First Search, and finally, the A* algorithm. Through diagrams and code examples, the article clearly shows the operation and advantages and disadvantages of different algorithms, discussing their applicability in different scenarios such as map pathfinding and game AI. A*, by incorporating a heuristic function, finds the shortest path while improving search efficiency, making it a popular pathfinding algorithm in many games.

(www.redblobgames.com)

Development pathfinding graph search

Common Lisp's Tripartite Type System: Types, Classes, and the Machine's Truth

2025-09-02

This article delves into the unique aspects of Common Lisp's type system. It's not simply static or dynamic, but a sophisticated interplay of types, classes, and underlying machine implementation. Types govern function call compatibility, struct field compatibility, and compiler optimizations; classes dictate method dispatch and OO inheritance; while the machine hides implementation details like type tags. Through examples, the article shows how Common Lisp balances the fluidity of dynamic languages with runtime and compile-time type checking and optimization, ultimately boosting debuggability and performance.

(www.fosskers.ca)

Development

TernFS: XTX's Exabyte-Scale Distributed Filesystem

2025-09-18

Facing exploding data storage needs, algorithmic trading firm XTX built TernFS, a distributed filesystem scaling to tens of exabytes and millions of concurrent clients. TernFS employs sharded metadata storage, a decentralized design, and supports multi-region deployment, achieving high availability and performance. Key features include immutable files, redundant data storage, fault tolerance, and flexible storage policies. TernFS is already used extensively at XTX and is open-sourced for community use, offering a novel solution for large-scale data storage.

(www.xtxmarkets.com)

Tech big data storage

Lively Web Core Module Loading Log

2025-05-14

This log shows the loading process of Lively Web core modules, displaying the loading times of various JavaScript modules. Loading times range from 78ms to 555ms, covering various aspects such as IDE tools, network tools, and UI components. This reflects Lively Web's modular architecture and runtime environment.

(smalltalkzoo.thechm.org)

Development module loading

Hacker Infects 18,000 'Script Kiddies' with Fake Malware Builder

2025-01-25

Hacker Infects 18,000 'Script Kiddies' with Fake Malware Builder

A threat actor targeted low-skilled hackers, known as "script kiddies," with a fake malware builder that secretly installed a backdoor to steal data and take over computers. Security researchers at CloudSEK report that the malware infected 18,459 devices globally, mostly in Russia, the US, India, Ukraine, and Turkey. The malware, a trojanized XWorm RAT builder, was distributed through various channels including GitHub, file hosting sites, Telegram, YouTube, and websites. While many infections were cleaned via a kill switch, some remain compromised. The malware stole data like Discord tokens, system information, and location data, and allowed remote control of infected machines.

(www.bleepingcomputer.com)

Tech

Blazing Fast, Memory-Friendly Parallel Hashmap Library

2025-01-07

Blazing Fast, Memory-Friendly Parallel Hashmap Library

parallel-hashmap is a stunning C++ library offering a suite of incredibly fast and memory-efficient hashmap and btree containers. It's entirely header-only, requiring no build process; simply copy the directory into your project. Compatible with C++11 and later, it significantly outperforms your compiler's built-in unordered_map/set or Boost's equivalents, while using less memory. It supports heterogeneous lookups, is easy to forward declare, and features convenient dump/load functionality. Based on and improved from Google's Abseil library, it's extensively tested on Windows, Linux, and macOS.

(github.com)

Development C++ library hashmap btree

Stop Teaching Useless Math: Probability and Statistics Should Reign Supreme

2025-03-03

$Stop Teaching Useless Math: Probability and Statistics Should Reign Supreme$

This essay critiques the current high school math curriculum, arguing that the overemphasis on calculus and trigonometry—useless for most students—neglects the crucial importance of probability and statistics. Probability and statistics are widely applicable in daily life, empowering students to understand risk, detect misleading information, and make better decisions. The author proposes a curriculum reform prioritizing probability and statistics, integrating real-world applications like sports analytics, social media, and gaming strategies, to make math relevant and engaging.

(anandsanwal.me)

Misc probability and statistics

Suckless.org Updates: Minimalist Software Refined

2025-02-21

Suckless.org, dedicated to creating simple, clear, and frugal software, has recently released updates for several projects. Improvements include bug fixes, performance enhancements, and better compatibility for tools like dwm and dmenu. New versions of software such as slstatus and lchat were also released, alongside announcements regarding upcoming maintenance and conferences. Suckless.org's continued development reflects its commitment to minimalist software design and its contributions to the open-source community.

(suckless.org)

Development window manager

Beyond Good and Evil: A Philosophical Contemplation of Entanglement with Nature

2025-07-27

Beyond Good and Evil: A Philosophical Contemplation of Entanglement with Nature

This article explores the entangled relationship between humanity and nature, and the ethical dilemmas inherent within this relationship. From the perspectives of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and eco-philosopher Val Plumwood, the article challenges anthropocentric views, arguing that humanity is not a separate entity from nature but rather a part of its food chain. Plumwood's crocodile attack experience, along with Nietzsche's critique of free will and suffering, prompts a re-evaluation of our relationship with nature, considering how to transcend traditional dualistic morality to coexist harmoniously. The article also warns against the risks of blindly pursuing purity and health, pointing out that embracing entanglement is not easy and requires us to redefine ourselves and our interests.

(aeon.co)

Misc Nietzsche

Nonlinear Trends in Molar Fractions of a Gaseous Mixture

2025-07-04

This data reveals the molar fraction distribution of three gases (H2, H2O, N2) at varying total mole numbers. The change in molar fraction for each gas isn't linear as the total mole number increases; instead, it exhibits a complex, nonlinear pattern. For instance, the molar fraction of H2 increases with total moles but at a decreasing rate. This suggests potential interactions or reaction mechanisms within the gaseous mixture, warranting further investigation.

(dlr-institute-of-future-fuels.github.io)

Tech gaseous mixture molar fraction nonlinear trend

Spotify's Ghost Artists: The Algorithm's Dark Secret

2024-12-19

Spotify's Ghost Artists: The Algorithm's Dark Secret

This article exposes Spotify's 'Perfect Fit Content' (PFC) program, which secretly fills its playlists with low-cost 'ghost artists' to reduce royalty payouts. These ghost artists, mass-produced by production companies, lack artistic merit but dominate popular playlists, squeezing out independent musicians. This practice has angered artists and industry insiders, raising concerns about the devaluation of music and the future of streaming. It reveals streaming services' disregard for artistic integrity and musician rights in their pursuit of profit maximization.

(harpers.org)

Tech streaming ghost artists

Rediscovering Goethe: A Neglected Genius and His Profound Impact on the Modern World

2025-05-21

Rediscovering Goethe: A Neglected Genius and His Profound Impact on the Modern World

A. N. Wilson's new book, *Goethe: His Faustian Life*, revisits the largely neglected genius of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in the English-speaking world. Goethe was not only a towering poet but also a scientist, philosopher, and statesman whose influence shaped 19th-century Germany and even touched Darwin's theory of evolution. Wilson intertwines Goethe's life with his masterpiece, *Faust*, showing how he infused his experiences into his art, creating a 'myth' of modern humanity's pursuit of knowledge and truth. The book also explores Goethe's unique scientific perspective, emphasizing holism and reverence for nature, rejecting the simplistic reduction of nature into measurable units. Goethe's insights offer valuable lessons for understanding the relationship between science and art, and humanity's place in the natural world.

(www.commonwealmagazine.org)

Misc Faust Scientific Philosophy

Spain's Grid Meltdown: A Renewable Energy Nightmare?

2025-05-03

Spain's Grid Meltdown: A Renewable Energy Nightmare?

On April 28th, 2025, Spain experienced a major power outage. The incident occurred during a period of high solar power generation (over 50%), with nuclear plants operating at reduced capacity due to low electricity prices. The cause remains unclear, but initial investigations point to a possible combination of mass solar photovoltaic disconnections, grid synchronization issues, and a lack of stable baseload power. The event highlights the risks of over-reliance on renewable energy, neglecting grid stability, and political interference in energy policy. Experts call for improved grid management, increased interconnectivity, and a depoliticization of energy decision-making.

(theconversation.com)

Tech

Self-Healing Organogel Stretches 46x its Size and Repairs Itself

2025-09-18

Self-Healing Organogel Stretches 46x its Size and Repairs Itself

Scientists in Taiwan have created a self-healing organogel that can stretch up to 46 times its original length. Even when broken, it repairs itself completely within 10 minutes at room temperature. This remarkable material combines covalently linked cellulose nanocrystals and modified mechanically interlocked molecules (MIMs) acting as artificial muscles. These muscles make the gel responsive to external forces, changing color from orange to blue depending on its state. Its self-healing and color-changing properties show promise for applications in flexible electronics, soft robotics, and anti-counterfeiting.

(phys.org)

Tech self-healing material organogel mechanically interlocked molecules

Programming with LLMs in 2024: My Experiences

2025-01-07

This post summarizes the author's experiences using generative models for programming over the past year. He found LLMs to be a net positive on his productivity, particularly for autocomplete, search, and chat-driven programming. While chat-driven programming requires adjusting workflows, it provides a first draft and facilitates quicker error correction. The author emphasizes that LLMs excel with well-defined problems and advocates for smaller, more independent code packages for better LLM interaction. He introduces sketch.dev, a Go IDE designed for LLMs to streamline the feedback loop and boost efficiency.

(crawshaw.io)

Development

Venture Capitalist's Son Pens Book on Nepotism

2025-04-08

Venture Capitalist's Son Pens Book on Nepotism

Daniel Breyer, son of a highly successful venture capitalist, shares his story of entrepreneurship and his perspective on wealth and nepotism. Acknowledging the privileged world he inhabits, Breyer's book tackles the realities of nepotism within the startup world, though he assures us his characters are less virtuous than his father.

(sfstandard.com)

Startup Nepotism

India's Frankenstein Laptops: A Thriving Repair Ecosystem and its Challenges

2025-04-08

India's Frankenstein Laptops: A Thriving Repair Ecosystem and its Challenges

In Delhi's bustling Nehru Place, technicians are repurposing discarded laptop parts to create affordable "Frankenstein" laptops for students and small businesses. This vibrant repair culture clashes with planned obsolescence by tech giants, highlighting the complexities of India's e-waste recycling. While providing jobs and cheap tech, informal recycling poses safety risks. Government discussions on "right-to-repair" laws are underway, but progress is slow. These repaired laptops illuminate India's digital divide, challenging both tech companies and the government to address the issue.

(www.theverge.com)

Tech

Zuckerberg: AI to Replace Mid-Level Meta Engineers

2025-01-13

Zuckerberg: AI to Replace Mid-Level Meta Engineers

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently predicted that AI will replace the work of mid-level software engineers at the company by 2025. He envisions AI handling coding tasks, leading to cost savings for Meta. This statement has sparked considerable debate, with concerns about potential widespread job displacement. These announcements follow Meta's plans to replace third-party fact-checkers with community notes and scale back Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.

(www.businessinsider.com)

Tech Job Displacement

Blogger's Retrospective: The Value of Deep Dive Learning Posts

2025-02-24

Blogger's Retrospective: The Value of Deep Dive Learning Posts

A blogger, while recovering from a minor illness, reviewed their past blog posts and discovered that the most popular ones followed a pattern: learning a new skill and summarizing it into a tutorial. They believe this writing style not only solidifies their own knowledge but also helps others. These tutorial-style blog posts serve as the very resources the author wished existed when they were learning, offering readers clear and in-depth learning guides. Going forward, the author plans to create more of these "TIL deep dives", sharing their learning journey.

(www.gilesthomas.com)

Misc

Kahuna: Your IndexedDB Swiss Army Knife

2025-04-07

Kahuna: Your IndexedDB Swiss Army Knife

Kahuna is a browser extension for Firefox and Chromium-based browsers that simplifies IndexedDB database management. It lets you create, modify, view, query, edit, import, and export IndexedDB data. Features include data filtering, pagination, JavaScript code execution, and import/export in various formats (Dexie, JSON, CSV). While documentation is a work in progress, Kahuna is a powerful tool for developers working with IndexedDB.

(github.com)

Development

Lincoln's Avenger: The Strange Tale of Boston Corbett

2025-04-13

Lincoln's Avenger: The Strange Tale of Boston Corbett

Following the assassination of President Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth in 1865, Boston Corbett, a devout Christian soldier, shot and killed the fugitive Booth. While hailed by some as Lincoln's avenger, Corbett's actions were controversial, leading to a life of persecution and mystery. His later years were marked by mental instability and paranoia, culminating in an escape from an asylum and a disappearance that continues to fuel speculation. Corbett's story is a compelling mix of religious fervor, controversial justice, and enduring enigma.

(www.washingtonian.com)

Misc Lincoln assassination Boston Corbett

TRMNL's Unbrickable Pledge: Open Source and Sustainability

2025-02-19

TRMNL has made a promise to never brick your device. They've followed through with open-sourcing their firmware, building BYOS clients in Ruby, Elixir, and Python, selling BYOD licenses, releasing the free Framework UI kit, and hiring a senior engineer for OSS. To address growing server costs, they've introduced the 'Unbrickable Pledge,' promising to release the core web application source code in case of insolvency. This commitment ensures user data safety and reduces e-waste.

(usetrmnl.com)

Tech

Marco Email App's Offline-First Architecture Evolution

2025-08-29

Marco Email App's Offline-First Architecture Evolution

The Marco email app team embarked on a long journey to build an IMAP-based, cross-platform, and offline-first application. They experimented with various solutions, including WatermelonDB, Triplit, and InstantDB, but abandoned them due to performance bottlenecks or functional limitations. Ultimately, they chose Replicache for its superior performance and flexibility, combining it with Orama for robust indexing and search. This story highlights the challenges and opportunities of building high-performance offline-first applications and foreshadows the future of data synchronization: from shared endpoints to shared databases.

(marcoapp.io)

Development offline-first database synchronization

ProxiCycle: A Sensor That Makes Cycling Safer

2025-05-17

ProxiCycle: A Sensor That Makes Cycling Safer

Fear of car collisions deters many from cycling. Researchers at the University of Washington have developed ProxiCycle, a bike-mounted sensor using infrared technology to detect and record near-misses with vehicles. Data collected creates a more accurate map of dangerous streets, guiding cyclists to safer routes. Initial tests show strong correlation between ProxiCycle data and GoPro footage. This innovative device aims to make cycling safer and encourage more people to embrace this eco-friendly mode of transportation.

(newatlas.com)

Tech bike safety

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