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UK Government Goes Passwordless: Passkeys Arrive on GOV.UK

2025-05-08

UK Government Goes Passwordless: Passkeys Arrive on GOV.UK

The UK government is rolling out passkey technology across its digital services later this year, replacing the current SMS-based verification system. This move is projected to save millions of pounds annually while significantly enhancing security, aligning with the government's broader digital transformation strategy. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which has joined the FIDO Alliance, supports the initiative. Passkeys offer faster, more secure logins and robust protection against phishing attacks. Major corporations like Microsoft and Amazon are also adopting passkeys, signaling a global shift towards passwordless authentication.

(www.biometricupdate.com)

Tech

Brave Browser's New Custom Scriptlets: Take Control of Your Browsing Experience

2025-02-11

Brave Browser's New Custom Scriptlets: Take Control of Your Browsing Experience

Brave Browser version 1.75 introduces 'custom scriptlets' for desktop users, allowing advanced users to inject their own JavaScript into websites for deep customization. Similar to Tampermonkey and Greasemonkey, this feature enables users to create scripts modifying website functionality. Initially developed for debugging Brave's ad blocker, its value led to its release. Custom scriptlets enhance privacy, security, and usability by blocking trackers, customizing appearance, and improving accessibility. However, caution is advised as untrusted scripts pose risks. The feature is located in `brave://settings/shields/filters` and requires enabling 'Developer mode'.

(www.bleepingcomputer.com)

Development Brave Browser Custom Scriptlets

Awe: A New ALGOL W Compiler

2025-04-12

Awe: A New ALGOL W Compiler

Awe is a new compiler for the ALGOL W programming language, a successor to Algol 60. It's a complete implementation of the language as described in the June 1972 ALGOL W Language Description. Awe should compile code written for OS/360 ALGOL W compilers with minimal changes. Features include dynamic record allocation, string handling, complex numbers, and a standard I/O system. The project thanks Hendrick Boom and others for their contributions.

(github.com)

Development

Orra: Revolutionizing Multi-Agent Application Development

2025-02-27

Orra: Revolutionizing Multi-Agent Application Development

Orra is a revolutionary platform for building production-ready multi-agent applications that handle complex real-world interactions. Going beyond simple crews and agents, Orra coordinates tasks across your existing stack, agents, and any tools running as services using intelligent reasoning—across any language, agent framework, or deployment platform. Features include smart pre-evaluated execution plans, domain grounding, durable execution, tools-as-services, state reversion for failure handling, automatic service health monitoring, real-time status tracking, and webhook result delivery. It supports multiple language SDKs (with Ruby, DotNet, and Go coming soon) and offers Docker and Docker Compose for running the control plane server. Users can select between Groq's deepseek-r1-distill-llama-70b model or OpenAI's o1-mini/o3-mini models. Orra's Plan Engine powers multi-agent applications through intelligent planning and reliable execution, featuring progressive planning levels, full semantic validation, capability matching and verification, safety constraint enforcement, and state transition validation.

(github.com)

Development multi-agent systems production-ready

Pipelining in Programming Languages: A Love Letter to Readability

2025-04-21

Pipelining in Programming Languages: A Love Letter to Readability

This article explores the benefits of pipelining in programming languages, focusing on its impact on code readability and maintainability. The author argues that features like method chaining and similar constructs significantly improve code clarity by linearizing data processing steps. Compared to nested function calls, pipelining leads to easier reading, modification, and debugging, and enhances IDE autocompletion and version control. Examples in Rust, Haskell, and SQL illustrate the application of pipelining across different programming paradigms, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of various approaches.

(herecomesthemoon.net)

Development

Critical: 2 Million Cisco Devices Vulnerable to Actively Exploited Zero-Day

2025-09-25

Critical: 2 Million Cisco Devices Vulnerable to Actively Exploited Zero-Day

A critical zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2025-20352) affecting up to 2 million Cisco devices is actively being exploited. The vulnerability, present in all supported versions of Cisco IOS and IOS XE, allows remote attackers to crash devices or execute arbitrary code. Exploitation leverages a stack overflow in the SNMP component, requiring a read-only community string and system privileges. Cisco urges immediate upgrades to patched software releases.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech Cisco

The Ironic Twist: Anti-Piracy Campaign Possibly Used a Pirated Font

2025-04-25

Twenty years ago, the iconic "You Wouldn't Steal a Car" anti-piracy campaign launched. A recent discovery reveals a shocking irony: campaign materials may have used a pirated font, "XBAND Rough," a near-identical clone of Just Van Rossum's 1992 FF Confidential font. The campaign, designed to fight piracy, ironically may have employed pirated materials itself, sparking debate and highlighting the pervasive nature of copyright infringement. The original font creator finds the situation hilarious.

(torrentfreak.com)

Misc font anti-piracy campaign

The Future of AI: Beyond the Blinking Cursor

2025-02-26

The Future of AI: Beyond the Blinking Cursor

Current AI interfaces, exemplified by ChatGPT's blinking cursor, hinder widespread AI adoption. The article argues that while AI's potential is immense, clunky user interfaces and poor discoverability are holding it back. To unlock AI's true power, we need interfaces that guide, adapt, and engage, moving beyond simple prompts towards something more intuitive and human-like. The author criticizes the lack of discoverability and guidance in current AI interfaces and proposes that future AI needs role-playing capabilities, environmental awareness, learning abilities, and proactiveness. The ultimate goal is to make human-AI interaction more human, building trust along the way.

(blog.scottlogic.com)

AI

National Archives Releases More UAP Records

2025-04-28

National Archives Releases More UAP Records

The National Archives has released new records related to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), transferred from various government agencies per the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act. These documents are now part of the NARA's UAP collection and are available online. This release reflects the Archives' commitment to transparency and ongoing updates are expected.

(www.archives.gov)

Tech National Archives

Radiology's AI Paradox: Better Machines, Busier Doctors

2025-09-25

Radiology's AI Paradox: Better Machines, Busier Doctors

Since CheXNet's 2017 debut, AI has shown potential to surpass human radiologists in accuracy. However, despite advancements, AI's real-world application faces hurdles: generalization limitations, stringent regulations, and AI's replacement of only a fraction of a radiologist's tasks. Counterintuitively, demand for radiologists remains high, with salaries soaring. This is due to AI's poor performance outside standardized conditions, regulatory barriers, and the multifaceted nature of a radiologist's job. The article concludes that widespread AI adoption necessitates adapting societal rules, AI will boost productivity, but complete human replacement isn't imminent.

(www.worksinprogress.news)

AI AI radiology medical AI healthcare AI

IRS Open-Sources Direct File: A Free, Interview-Based Tax Filing System

2025-05-30

IRS Open-Sources Direct File: A Free, Interview-Based Tax Filing System

The IRS has open-sourced Direct File, a free online tax filing service. It uses an interview-based approach, works on various devices (mobile, desktop, etc.), and supports English and Spanish. Direct File translates tax law into plain-language questions, generating standard tax forms that are submitted to the IRS. At its core is the Fact Graph, a Scala-based knowledge graph handling incomplete information. Direct File also facilitates state and local tax filing by allowing users to import their federal return data into third-party tools. Developed in-house by the IRS with support from USDS, GSA, and other partners, some code was excluded due to privacy and security concerns.

(github.com)

Development

Walmart's Honeycomb Delivery Network: Reaching 12 Million More Homes

2025-04-22

Walmart's Honeycomb Delivery Network: Reaching 12 Million More Homes

Walmart is leveraging a hexagonal map segmentation strategy to optimize its same-day delivery network. This approach, inspired by honeycombs' efficient space utilization, surpasses traditional ZIP code or radius-based methods. By analyzing customer locations and store inventory more precisely, Walmart can now reach an additional 12 million US households with same-day delivery. The hexagonal grid allows for dynamic catchment areas, optimizing delivery routes based on road networks and minimizing travel time, ultimately boosting delivery efficiency.

(www.businessinsider.com)

Tech delivery optimization

2,000-Year-Old Roman Battlefield Unearthed in Vienna

2025-04-07

2,000-Year-Old Roman Battlefield Unearthed in Vienna

During renovations of a sports field in Vienna, a mass grave containing the remains of approximately 150 soldiers was discovered. Archaeological analysis confirms the remains date to a battle between Roman legionaries and Germanic tribes sometime between the mid-first and early second centuries CE. The discovery, including weaponry (daggers, spears, helmet fragments) and a dagger sheath with silver wire inlays providing precise dating, offers the first direct archaeological evidence of a battle along the Danube Limes, a key part of the Roman Empire's eastern frontier. This find sheds new light on the origins of Vienna and the conflicts that led to the expansion of the Roman military camp Vindobona.

(gizmodo.com)

Tech

How Much Does the Internet Weigh?

2025-04-07

How Much Does the Internet Weigh?

The question of the internet's weight, seemingly absurd, has spurred scientific inquiry. Early estimates pegged it at roughly 50 grams, equivalent to a few strawberries. However, with the explosive growth of data, this figure is outdated. This article explores three calculation methods: server energy consumption, electron information transmission, and DNA storage density. The final calculation, based on the law of conservation of energy, reveals an incredibly small mass: 53 quadrillionths of a gram. Yet, regardless of its physical weight, the internet's impact on humanity remains immense.

(www.wired.com)

Tech data

Charging $100 for Advice: A Blogger's Unexpected Fundraising Success

2025-06-30

A blogger, consistently blogging since 2017, struggled to connect with like-minded individuals despite a large online following. Last November, he began charging $100 for consultations, donating the proceeds to educational non-profits. This surprisingly effective strategy raised nearly $6000 and connected him with diverse individuals across various fields, from VCs to students, discussing topics ranging from database trends to developer marketing. While acknowledging limitations, such as prioritizing paying clients, he views this as a sustainable and simple fundraising model, intending to continue it indefinitely.

(notes.eatonphil.com)

Startup

Flix: Gracefully Handling Print Debugging

2025-09-25

Flix's designers faced a dilemma: how to enable efficient compiler optimizations while allowing developers to easily use print debugging? Directly using `println` breaks the type and effect system, causing compilation errors. The article explores two solutions: the first uses `unchecked_cast` to bypass effect system checks but results in code being optimized away; the second introduces a `Debug` effect, permitting debugging prints without modifying function signatures, and disabling the `Debug` effect in production. The final solution balances compiler optimization and developer experience.

(blog.flix.dev)

Development effect system

Two-Year SSD Data Retention Test: Unexpected Results

2025-04-19

Two-Year SSD Data Retention Test: Unexpected Results

TechTuber HTWingNut conducted a two-year experiment testing the long-term data retention of SSDs. Four 128GB SATA SSDs were used, two new and two heavily used (exceeding their rated TBW). After two years, the new SSDs showed data integrity but a significant increase in error correction codes, indicating potential issues; while the used SSDs experienced file corruption and performance degradation. This highlights the risk of data loss in SSDs even when unplugged for extended periods and underscores the importance of regular backups.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Hardware Data Retention Data Integrity

OpenWISP: Connecting Communities Globally with Open-Source Networking

2025-02-05

OpenWISP: Connecting Communities Globally with Open-Source Networking

OpenWISP, a trusted open-source networking solution, boasts deployments in over 195 countries, exceeding 20,000 installations and serving 40+ commercial clients. It plays a vital role in connecting communities, fostering digital inclusion, and providing efficient solutions for thousands of active hotspots and daily users. Network administrators, municipalities, and universities worldwide rely on OpenWISP for its simplicity, adaptability, and enhanced connectivity.

(openwisp.org)

Development open-source networking community connectivity digital inclusion

UK Universities Shell Out Millions for Controversial Oracle Java Deal

2025-06-13

UK Universities Shell Out Millions for Controversial Oracle Java Deal

UK universities and colleges have signed a £9.86 million ($13.33 million) framework agreement with Oracle to continue using its controversial Java SE Universal Subscription. The deal includes a waiver of historical fees for institutions using Oracle Java since 2023. This follows criticism of the new subscription model's high cost, prompting many to switch to open-source alternatives. Despite this, UK higher education institutions chose to renew, citing simplified licensing and increased efficiency. However, questions remain about why they didn't switch to open-source options.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech Licensing Agreement Open Source Alternatives

4chan Hacked: Soyjak.Party Leaks Moderator Emails

2025-04-15

4chan Hacked: Soyjak.Party Leaks Moderator Emails

In April 2025, anonymous hackers claiming affiliation with Soyjak.Party successfully breached 4chan. Exploiting outdated PHP code and deprecated MySQL functions, particularly vulnerabilities in the core script yotsuba.php, they restored the deleted /QA/ board and leaked email addresses of numerous moderators and janitors, including three .edu emails. The incident rapidly spread across social media, sparking discussions about website security and code maintenance. While claims of .gov email leaks circulated, verification remains pending.

(knowyourmeme.com)

Tech

The Decline of Native Apps: The Rise of Web Apps

2024-12-31

The Decline of Native Apps: The Rise of Web Apps

The smartphone boom made native apps ubiquitous, but now they're becoming a burden. Modern browsers are powerful enough to offer features like notifications and offline access, once exclusive to native apps. The article argues that many businesses still cling to native apps, leading to app overload for users. In contrast, web apps are more cost-effective, flexible, and work seamlessly across devices. The gaming industry exemplifies this, with technologies like HTML5, WebGL, and WebAssembly enabling browser games to rival native ones. The article calls for developers to embrace the future of web apps, utilizing tools like Rogue Engine to create more accessible and universally usable experiences.

(rogueengine.io)

Development web apps native apps

Readyset DB: Optimizing Cold Path Query Performance with ICP

2025-08-23

Readyset DB: Optimizing Cold Path Query Performance with ICP

Readyset database achieved a significant breakthrough in query performance during cache misses (cold path), specifically for straddled joins where predicates filter both join sides. The previous hash join algorithm proved inefficient due to extensive reads of irrelevant data. By introducing Index Condition Pushdown (ICP), Readyset combines the left-side predicate results with the right-side predicates, enabling precise data retrieval at the storage engine level, avoiding full table scans. Benchmarks show a >450x throughput improvement and >450x latency reduction, effectively resolving the performance bottleneck of cold path queries.

(readyset.io)

Development index condition pushdown join queries

New Orleans ICE Raids: US Citizen Children Deported

2025-04-26

New Orleans ICE Raids: US Citizen Children Deported

In a shocking early morning raid, New Orleans Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported at least two families, including two mothers and their minor children—three of whom are U.S. citizen children aged 2, 4, and 7. One mother is pregnant. These families, long-time residents with deep community ties, were deported under deeply troubling circumstances raising serious due process concerns. ICE denied access to attorneys and family members, isolating the families during critical decision-making moments regarding their children's welfare. One family's U.S. citizen child, suffering from a rare form of metastatic cancer, was deported without medication or access to their doctors. These actions violate ICE's own directives regarding the care of minor children and have sparked outrage over ICE's abuse of power and disregard for human rights.

(www.aclu.org)

Misc

90s.dev: A Retro Game Maker Running in Your Browser

2025-05-20

90s.dev is a novel browser-based game creation platform offering a 320x180 pixel canvas for building and sharing games and apps. Inspired by retro game makers like Pico-8 and Tic-80, it boasts unique innovations, including a ref-based GUI system and powerful composability, supporting module imports from GitHub or NPM. Users can create tools like pixel art editors, sprite makers, and map editors, sharing creations via iframes or links. 90s.dev aims to foster a vibrant community, encouraging collaborative game and tool creation.

(90s.dev)

Game

The Unexpected Creativity Hack: Reading Obituaries

2025-04-27

The Unexpected Creativity Hack: Reading Obituaries

Boost your creativity by reading obituaries! This article argues that exploring the diverse lives detailed in obituaries exposes you to distant ideas, sparking associations that lead to unexpected breakthroughs. Research shows creativity thrives on connecting disparate concepts, and obituaries offer a unique source of cross-disciplinary inspiration. The author illustrates this with examples, encouraging readers to delve into the details, seek deeper connections, and unlock their creative potential. It's not just about facts, but asking 'why?' and finding distant connections to your own life.

(thereader.mitpress.mit.edu)

Misc obituaries association

EU Eyes Cookie Consent Overhaul: The End of Annoying Pop-ups?

2025-09-25

EU Eyes Cookie Consent Overhaul: The End of Annoying Pop-ups?

The 2009 e-Privacy Directive requiring websites to obtain user consent for cookies has led to a deluge of consent banners, prompting user fatigue. The EU Commission plans a December “omnibus” regulation simplifying digital company oversight, potentially easing cookie rules. This might include allowing one-time cookie preference settings or exempting cookies for technically necessary functions and simple statistics. Denmark has proposed similar changes. However, the upcoming Digital Fairness Act focusing on advertising suggests further battles over cookie regulation are on the horizon.

(www.politico.eu)

Tech

AI Shopping App Founder Charged with Defrauding Investors: The Nate Saga

2025-04-11

AI Shopping App Founder Charged with Defrauding Investors: The Nate Saga

Albert Saniger, founder of the AI shopping app Nate, has been charged with defrauding investors of over $50 million. Nate claimed its app used AI for one-click purchases across e-commerce sites, but in reality, relied heavily on hundreds of human contractors in the Philippines to manually complete transactions. Investigations revealed Nate's automation rate was effectively 0%, exposing the company's exaggeration of its AI capabilities during fundraising. Nate subsequently went bankrupt, leaving investors with near-total losses. This case highlights the issue of startups overhyping their AI capabilities.

(techcrunch.com)

Startup AI Fraud Startup Failure Investment Scam

localscope: Banishing Global Variable Bugs in Jupyter Notebooks

2025-03-17

Ever hunted down bugs caused by accidentally using global variables in a Jupyter Notebook function? localscope solves this by restricting a function's accessible scope. This prevents accidental global variable leakage, leading to more reproducible results and less debugging frustration. For example, a function calculating mean squared error relying on a global `sigma` variable will yield unpredictable results if `sigma` changes; localscope forces `sigma` to be passed as an argument, eliminating this risk.

(localscope.readthedocs.io)

Development

Million-Year-Old Mammoth Genomes Reveal Lost Genetic Diversity

2025-04-13

A groundbreaking genomic study has unearthed a treasure trove of long-lost genetic diversity in mammoth lineages spanning over a million years. Researchers analyzed 34 newly sequenced mammoth mitochondrial genomes, including specimens dating back to the Early and Middle Pleistocene. This unprecedented dataset, published in *Molecular Biology and Evolution*, reveals insights into mammoth evolutionary history and demonstrates the power of ancient DNA in characterizing past genetic diversity. The findings support an ancient Siberian origin for major mammoth lineages and highlight how population dynamics shaped the expansion and contraction of distinct genetic clades. The study also introduces an improved molecular clock dating framework, pushing the boundaries of ancient DNA research and providing a powerful tool for future studies of extinct and endangered species.

(www.sciencedaily.com)

Tech Mammoth

IRS Open-Sources Direct File Tax Software

2025-06-04

The IRS has open-sourced the vast majority of its Direct File tax software code on GitHub, fulfilling its obligations under the SHARE IT Act three weeks ahead of schedule. This release, a public domain work, aims to build public trust and allow independent assessment of the IRS's work, ensuring all taxpayers benefit from eligible tax provisions. The move demonstrates the team's commitment to accuracy, accessibility, data security, and transparency.

(chrisgiven.com)

Development tax software

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