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Stop Explaining *e* with Compound Interest

2025-04-11

Math classes often introduce the natural constant *e* using compound interest: a 100% annual interest account doubles with yearly compounding, becomes 2.25 times with semi-annual compounding, approximately 2.714 times with daily compounding, and exactly *e* times with continuous compounding. However, this is misleading. Compound growth is exponential, but the example uses linear division of compounding periods. Banks must separately publish the interest rate, compounding interval, and annual percentage yield. There are far more elegant ways to introduce *e*, such as its unique property of being its own derivative, or its crucial role in Euler's formula. These approaches don't require prior knowledge of *e* and are mathematically more rigorous.

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(blog.danielh.cc)
Misc math natural constant e compound interest

Fibonacci Hashing: A Surprisingly Fast Hash Table Optimization

2025-04-16
Fibonacci Hashing: A Surprisingly Fast Hash Table Optimization

This article explores Fibonacci Hashing, a technique for mapping hash values to slots in a hash table that leverages the properties of the golden ratio. Benchmarks show it significantly outperforms traditional integer modulo operations, offering faster lookups and better robustness against problematic input patterns. The author explains the underlying mathematics and demonstrates its advantages, highlighting how it addresses common performance bottlenecks in hash table implementations. While not a perfect hash function, Fibonacci Hashing excels at mapping large numbers to smaller ranges, making it a valuable optimization for creating efficient hash tables.

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(probablydance.com)
Development

Ruby Core Class Freezing Tool: Ruby Refrigerator

2024-12-31
Ruby Core Class Freezing Tool: Ruby Refrigerator

Ruby Refrigerator is a tool that freezes all Ruby core classes and modules, preventing unexpected modifications to core classes at runtime. It provides a `freeze_core` method to freeze core classes and a `check_require` method to check libraries for modifications to core classes. `check_require` supports options for predefining modules and classes, excluding specific classes, and specifying dependencies. A command-line tool, `bin/check_require`, is also provided for easy use. This tool is incredibly useful for ensuring code stability in production and testing environments.

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(github.com)
Development freezing core classes

SSA Moves to X, Sparking Concerns Amidst Massive Layoffs

2025-04-11
SSA Moves to X, Sparking Concerns Amidst Massive Layoffs

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is shifting its public communication exclusively to X, abandoning press releases and internal memos. This comes amidst significant staff cuts, raising concerns about access to information for beneficiaries and employees. While the White House claims the move optimizes service delivery, sources reveal an approximately 87% reduction in regional office staff. This aligns with Elon Musk's efforts to downsize the federal workforce and highlights the role and potential risks of X as a primary information source.

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(www.wired.com)
Tech Social Security Administration

Product Purgatory: Why Good Products Don't Sell

2025-05-09
Product Purgatory: Why Good Products Don't Sell

Many startups face 'Product Purgatory': a good product, loved by customers, yet unsold. The author introduces the 'Magic Wand Test': if the product were free and perfectly implemented, would the customer use it? A 'no' suggests the product's value doesn't significantly outweigh implementation costs (risk, time, money). Even passing the test, customers might delay purchase due to a lack of urgency. The author advises focusing on customers urgently needing the product (e.g., due to regulatory pressure, competition, or emergencies) to escape Product Purgatory.

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(longform.asmartbear.com)
Startup customer needs

AI Revolutionizes Video Creation: Yarn is Hiring Top Engineers

2025-06-25
AI Revolutionizes Video Creation: Yarn is Hiring Top Engineers

Yarn, a startup, is revolutionizing video creation with AI. Their innovative technology combines AI with video production, making compelling videos 100x faster. Backed by investors like Y Combinator and collaborating with companies like Clay and Shopify, Yarn is hiring experienced engineers in NYC. They're looking for individuals to build core agent workflows, develop AI-powered collaborative editing tools, and prototype cutting-edge AI models.

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(www.ycombinator.com)
Development Video Production

Saying 'Please' and 'Thank You' to ChatGPT Costs OpenAI Millions

2025-04-20
Saying 'Please' and 'Thank You' to ChatGPT Costs OpenAI Millions

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed that user politeness, specifically saying "please" and "thank you" to ChatGPT, costs the company tens of millions of dollars in electricity. While Altman claims it's money well spent, the revelation highlights the massive energy consumption of AI. A survey shows 70% of users are polite to AI, partly fearing a robot uprising. However, the debate rages on: does politeness improve responses, and is it worth the environmental cost? Some argue polite prompts yield better, less biased results, improving AI reliability.

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(www.techradar.com)
AI

A Hagiography of Nine Inch Nails and their Mystical Guitarist

2025-03-15
A Hagiography of Nine Inch Nails and their Mystical Guitarist

This essay is a deeply personal reflection on the author's 25-year relationship with Nine Inch Nails, focusing on the band's music and the mystical aura surrounding their guitarist, Robin Finck. The author explores themes of rage, sexuality, and mysticism within NIN's work, detailing Finck's unique stage presence and playing style as a form of ecstatic experience. The writing process is likened to creating a hagiography, weaving together personal experiences of music, identity, and spiritual exploration into a compelling cultural critique and personal narrative. It's a captivating read for anyone interested in music, identity, or the power of artistic expression.

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(www.thewhitereview.org)
Misc

Supabase: Remote-First Open Source Firebase Alternative Hiring Now

2025-01-06
Supabase: Remote-First Open Source Firebase Alternative Hiring Now

Supabase, a fully remote and asynchronous open-source alternative to Firebase, is hiring globally! They offer excellent benefits including a hardware budget, full health coverage, and annual off-sites. Supabase values open collaboration and boasts a globally distributed team and large community. If you're passionate about open source and want to work in a vibrant and diverse team, apply for a position at Supabase.

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(supabase.com)
Development

MIT Students Outperform State-of-the-Art HPC Libraries with Hundreds of Lines of Code

2025-03-16
MIT Students Outperform State-of-the-Art HPC Libraries with Hundreds of Lines of Code

Researchers at MIT's CSAIL have developed Exo 2, a new programming language that allows programmers to write 'schedules' explicitly controlling how the compiler generates code, leading to significantly improved performance. Unlike existing User-Schedulable Languages (USLs), Exo 2 lets users define new scheduling operations externally to the compiler, creating reusable scheduling libraries. This enables engineers to achieve performance comparable to, or better than, state-of-the-art HPC libraries with drastically reduced code, revolutionizing efficiency in AI and machine learning applications.

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(news.mit.edu)
AI

Judge Arrested for Allegedly Helping Man Evade Immigration Authorities

2025-04-25
Judge Arrested for Allegedly Helping Man Evade Immigration Authorities

Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested by the FBI for allegedly helping a man evade immigration authorities, escalating tensions between the Trump administration and the judiciary. The FBI alleges Dugan intentionally misled agents trying to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz. Dugan's attorney claims her actions were not in the interest of public safety. The arrest has sparked debate about the separation of powers and government overreach.

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(apnews.com)
Misc judiciary power struggle

Open-Source Tool LVTShift: Model Your City's Land Value Tax

2025-06-05
Open-Source Tool LVTShift: Model Your City's Land Value Tax

This blog post details using the open-source tool LVTShift to model the impacts of a land value tax (LVT). The author showcases analyses of South Bend and Syracuse, demonstrating how LVTShift simulates various LVT policies (revenue-neutral, different tax burden shifts, etc.) and their effects on city residents and economies. The post thoroughly explains data acquisition, processing, model building, and analysis, including code examples and data sources. Readers are encouraged to model their city's LVT using LVTShift and share their results.

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(progressandpoverty.substack.com)
Development

Jeep's Full-Screen Ads: A PR Nightmare

2025-02-11

Stellantis, parent company of Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, and Ram, is facing backlash for implementing full-screen pop-up ads on its infotainment systems. Jeep owners report being bombarded with ads, particularly for Mopar extended warranties, every time the vehicle stops. This intrusive advertising is disrupting the driving experience and causing significant frustration. While Stellantis claims the ads are part of a SiriusXM contract and suggests users simply close them, the move is seen as prioritizing ad revenue over user experience, particularly given the high cost of new vehicles. The negative response has prompted discussion among Jeep owners about finding ways to disable the ads, highlighting a growing consumer backlash against subscription models and in-car advertising.

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(techstory.in)
Tech in-car advertising subscription models

Reviving WWII-Era Process Improvement: A Tool for Modern Efficiency

2025-04-02
Reviving WWII-Era Process Improvement: A Tool for Modern Efficiency

This article announces a project to recreate and update the Work Simplification Program, a WWII-era government process improvement tool. The goal is to make process improvement accessible to ordinary citizens and local organizations, not just large corporations. The project, hosted on a website called "Standards," aims to help identify and eliminate inefficient processes, leading to greater efficiency and improved public services. Unlike modern corporate approaches focusing on short-term cost-cutting, this program emphasizes long-term effectiveness and citizen experience. The team has already digitized the original training manuals and plans to recreate other materials like process charts.

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(www.governance.fyi)
Tech process improvement

FCC Approves Verizon's $20B Frontier Acquisition After DEI Policy Drop

2025-05-16
FCC Approves Verizon's $20B Frontier Acquisition After DEI Policy Drop

The FCC, led by Chairman Brendan Carr, approved Verizon's $20 billion acquisition of Frontier Communications after Verizon pledged to end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. Carr hailed the move as a positive step for equal opportunity and the public interest. This approval comes as Paramount Global and Skydance Media's $8 billion merger remains pending, potentially due to DEI concerns. Carr previously indicated he would block mergers involving companies promoting DEI programs. The acquisition allows Verizon to upgrade Frontier's network in 25 states, potentially bringing fiber to over 1 million homes annually.

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(variety.com)
Tech

Nuclear-Powered Pacemakers: A Forgotten Chapter in Medical History

2025-05-31

Have you ever heard of nuclear-powered pacemakers? In the past, some pacemakers utilized plutonium-238 as a power source, generating electricity via thermoelectric effects to stimulate the heart. These devices were remarkably durable, able to withstand gunshots and even cremation. Despite emitting low radiation doses, between 50 and 100 people in the US were still using them around 2003. Upon a patient's death, the pacemakers were retrieved to recover the plutonium. This article showcases a Medtronic nuclear pacemaker with its plutonium removed, measuring approximately 2.75 inches in diameter and donated by the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

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(www.orau.org)
Hardware

1964: Was it Really a Musical Turning Point? Data Reveals the Truth

2025-03-15
1964: Was it Really a Musical Turning Point? Data Reveals the Truth

This article uses Billboard chart data to investigate whether 1964 was truly a watershed year for popular music, as many claim. Analyzing 175 acts that charted in the top 40 in 1963, the author finds that half never had another top 40 hit after 1964. However, this wasn't unique to 1964; similar trends appeared in other years. The article argues that while the British Invasion significantly impacted the music landscape, the US music scene was also undergoing its own evolution. The piece also features the remarkable longevity of Frankie Valli, along with song recommendations from Doechii and The Newbeats.

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(www.cantgetmuchhigher.com)
Misc music history British Invasion

RISC-V Emulator in ClickHouse SQL: Running Programs Inside a Database

2025-06-04
RISC-V Emulator in ClickHouse SQL: Running Programs Inside a Database

This project builds a RISC-V emulator using ClickHouse SQL, making ClickHouse Turing complete. The emulator leverages ClickHouse's materialized views and Redis for memory, simulating CPU instruction execution through a series of SQL commands. While current performance is hampered by a bug in ClickHouse's KV storage engine, it can already run simple RISC-V programs and supports features like printing, file operations, and network communication. This offers a novel approach to running programs directly within a database, but performance bottlenecks need to be addressed.

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(github.com)
Development

RSS: Reclaiming Your Attention in the Age of Algorithmic Control

2025-04-26

The internet has become a battleground for user attention, with algorithms prioritizing engagement over user experience. This article champions RSS as a way to regain control. By building chains of trust and selectively subscribing to feeds from trusted sources, users can filter information and curate their own content gardens. Using an RSS reader isn't just aggregation; it's a skill and a practice of intentional engagement, allowing you to own your attention.

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(www.doliver.org)
Misc

From AI Hype to Markov Chains: A Return to Basics

2025-09-24
From AI Hype to Markov Chains: A Return to Basics

The author recounts their journey through four stages of the AI hype cycle concerning large language models: initial amazement, subsequent frustration, persistent confusion, and ultimate boredom. Tired of the constant stream of new models, the author decided to return to fundamentals and explore Markov chains. The article details how to build text autocompletion using Markov chains, covering the construction of transition matrices, probability calculations, and application to text generation. This piece not only explores the principles of Markov chains but also reflects the author's reflections on the current state of AI development and their desire to explore more foundational technologies.

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(elijahpotter.dev)
AI

My Favorite LaTeX Fonts: A Deep Dive into Seven Free Options

2025-05-20

Lino Ferreira shares his top seven favorite LaTeX fonts, providing a detailed comparison of their strengths and weaknesses. From the classic Bembo to the modern Libertine, each font is accompanied by historical context, design rationale, and LaTeX usage examples. The article also explores the pairing of serif and sans-serif fonts, and the differences between OpenType and Type 1 fonts, offering valuable guidance for LaTeX users in font selection.

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(www.lfe.pt)
Development

macOS 26: The Last Intel-Supported Version

2025-06-09
macOS 26: The Last Intel-Supported Version

Apple announced at WWDC that macOS 26 Tahoe will be the final macOS version supporting Intel chips. Starting next year, major new macOS releases will only run on Apple Silicon Macs (2020 M1 and later). While Intel Macs will receive security updates for a time, users won't get new features in macOS 27 and beyond. Some older Intel Macs, like certain MacBook Airs and Mac minis, are already unsupported by macOS Tahoe. However, Tahoe still supports some Intel Macs, including the 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro. Apple's message is clear: upgrade to Apple Silicon for continued feature and security updates.

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(9to5mac.com)
Tech

Building a $1300 AI Server from Scratch: A Detailed Walkthrough

2025-06-06
Building a $1300 AI Server from Scratch: A Detailed Walkthrough

This post details the author's journey of building a personal AI server for under $1300. The process is meticulously documented, from procuring hardware (including an Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU) and assembly, to installing Ubuntu Server and configuring software such as Nvidia drivers, the CUDA toolkit, and Python. The author outlines their hardware selection rationale, provides diagnostic commands, and explains how to set up remote management. The advantages of an on-premise server are highlighted: unrestricted learning, hands-on operational experience, and long-term cost savings. While limited in scale, this setup proves useful for smaller AI experiments.

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(www.informationga.in)
Hardware AI Server Hardware Build

Atari Mega ST: A High-End Flop?

2025-06-01
Atari Mega ST: A High-End Flop?

Atari's Mega ST, announced at CES 1987, aimed to be a professional workstation, upgrading their ST line. Featuring a low-profile design, integrated floppy drive, and a detachable keyboard with Cherry MX switches, it had some appealing aspects. However, the Mega ST fell short. Its compact case hampered expandability, and the 8MHz processor offered no speed advantage over cheaper predecessors. High pricing, coupled with a lack of significant performance improvements beyond increased RAM (2MB or 4MB) and a graphics blitter, hindered its success. Despite a nice keyboard and some technical advancements, the Mega ST ultimately failed to capture the market.

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(www.goto10retro.com)
Hardware workstation

$10,000 Bounty: ISBN Visualization Contest Winners Announced

2025-02-27
$10,000 Bounty: ISBN Visualization Contest Winners Announced

Anna's Archive held a $10,000 bounty contest for the best visualization of its ISBN data, highlighting archived and unarchived books. The contest attracted numerous creative entries, resulting in four winners: one $6,000 prize, one $3,000 prize, and four $500 prizes. The first-place winner impressed with its flexible options, smooth performance, and simple implementation; the second-place entry excelled in its macro-level visualization and intuitive UI. The remaining third-place winners showcased unique strengths such as multiple views, comparison features, and flexible tools. The contest not only yielded superior visualization tools for Anna's Archive but also demonstrated global developer enthusiasm for knowledge sharing and cultural preservation.

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(annas-archive.org)
Tech contest

Virtual Threads Ate My Memory: A Web Crawler's Tale

2025-05-30
Virtual Threads Ate My Memory: A Web Crawler's Tale

This post details a developer's experience building a web crawler with Java's Virtual Threads. Initially, performance soared, but the crawler crashed with an `OutOfMemoryError`. The author explains how they used Virtual Threads to dramatically increase speed, then shows how they fixed the memory issue by introducing a semaphore to limit concurrent tasks. The comparison between platform threads and Virtual Threads highlights the need for explicit resource management when using Virtual Threads, as the JVM's implicit backpressure mechanisms no longer apply. The author concludes that while Virtual Threads offer significant performance gains, developers must carefully manage resources to avoid memory problems.

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(dariobalinzo.medium.com)
Development Virtual Threads Web Crawler

The Unexpected Fusion of Cars and Cuisine: From VW Currywurst to Peugeot Pepper Mills

2025-01-19
The Unexpected Fusion of Cars and Cuisine: From VW Currywurst to Peugeot Pepper Mills

This article explores the surprising connections between car manufacturers and food. Fiat held a chocolate contest resulting in the still-sold Fiat Cremino; Volkswagen famously served its own currywurst sausages in its cafeterias and gave them as gifts, sparking controversy when replaced with vegetarian options before later returning; and Peugeot pepper mills showcase the company's evolution from steel mill to kitchenware producer. These crossovers reflect not only automotive culture but also the unique blend of food and industry.

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(www.atlasobscura.com)
Misc automotive culture crossovers

60k Lines of Lua Later: A Game Dev's Reflection

2025-04-18
60k Lines of Lua Later: A Game Dev's Reflection

Oleg from Luden.io interviews Ivan Trusov, lead programmer of the Lua-based game Craftomation 101 (~60,000 lines of code built with the Defold engine), about their experience. Ivan discusses Lua's pros and cons, such as the lack of increment operators and classes, and array indices starting from 1. Despite this, he appreciates Lua's simplicity and flexibility, particularly its powerful 'tables', but notes runtime errors can arise in large projects due to its dynamic typing. He compares Lua to Python and C++, and discusses the potential use of static analysis tools and potential Lua upgrades (like Luau). Ultimately, he finds Lua performs well within Defold, but for the next project, he might consider a more strongly typed language to catch errors at compile time.

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(blog.luden.io)
Development
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