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The Rise and Fall of Omnimax: A Giant Screen Saga

2025-06-08

The Rise and Fall of Omnimax: A Giant Screen Saga

This article recounts the fascinating history of Omnimax, a giant screen movie system. From the birth of IMAX in the 1970s to the rise and eventual decline of Omnimax due to the rise of digital technology, the article traces the journey of this once-great film projection technology. It explores its use in science museums, its relationship with IMAX, and the challenges of preserving its legacy. Omnimax, with its unique spherical screen and high-resolution images, once thrived but ultimately faded due to high costs and a lack of content. The article also details the behind-the-scenes stories of Omnimax filmmaking and some of its classic films.

(computer.rip)

Tech Giant Screen

Miyawaki Method Fights Urban Heat Island Effect in Mexican City

2025-05-17

Miyawaki Method Fights Urban Heat Island Effect in Mexican City

Nezahualcóyotl, a municipality in Mexico State, is combating its severe urban heat island effect using the Miyawaki method. A 600-square-meter plot at the Technological University now hosts a new forest featuring 1,500 plants from 25 native species. This high-density planting technique rapidly creates biodiverse forests, improving the urban environment by lowering temperatures and increasing rainwater infiltration. While not a complete solution, this initiative symbolizes the community's and students' commitment to addressing environmental challenges, offering a significant step forward.

(english.elpais.com)

Tech Miyawaki Method Urban Heat Island Effect Environmental Restoration

Google Duo to be fully discontinued in September 2025

2025-05-31

While the Google Duo brand disappeared in 2022, some features lingered in Google Meet. However, Google has announced the complete shutdown of all Duo features by September 2025. This includes 'Legacy calls' which utilized Duo technology. Users will need to transition to 'Meet calls', offering enhanced capabilities like screen sharing and live captions. Note that some beloved Duo features, such as Family Mode and Knock Knock, won't be carried over. Google urges users to export their call history and video messages before the deadline.

(9to5google.com)

Tech Video Calling

Foundry: Tackling the Reliability Crisis in Browser Agents

2025-04-06

Foundry: Tackling the Reliability Crisis in Browser Agents

Current browser agents from leading AI labs fail over 80% of real-world tasks. Foundry is building the first robust simulator, RL training environment, and evaluation platform designed specifically for browser agents. By creating perfect replicas of websites like DoorDash, Foundry allows for millions of tests without real-world complexities, pinpointing failure points and accelerating improvements. Their mission is to transform unstable research projects into reliable enterprise solutions. They're seeking exceptional full-stack engineers to join their team of ML experts from Scale AI, to tackle this massive $20B+ automation market opportunity.

(www.ycombinator.com)

AI

America's Road Safety Crisis: Why are US Road Deaths So High?

2025-05-12

Over 40,000 people die on US roads annually, a shockingly high rate among developed nations. This isn't inevitable; it's a policy choice. The article highlights how the US lags behind countries like the Netherlands and Sweden in road safety improvements due to a lack of a nationwide systemic safety approach. These countries employ the 'Safe System' approach, prioritizing human-centered design, lower speeds, and reducing human-vehicle conflict. The article calls for the US to learn from international experiences and tackle its road safety crisis through a national strategy, design reforms, and a cultural shift.

(asteriskmag.com)

Tech traffic accidents

Helium: A Lightweight, Privacy-Focused, Open-Source Chromium Browser

2025-09-25

Helium: A Lightweight, Privacy-Focused, Open-Source Chromium Browser

Helium is a lightweight, privacy-focused, and open-source Chromium browser. It features split-view multitasking, quick link copying, and web app installation, all within a clean and minimal interface. Helium anonymizes Chrome Web Store requests, preventing Google from tracking extension downloads and targeted advertising. Its open-source nature allows for self-hosting of services, and it prioritizes HTTPS, disabling built-in password management and cloud sync by default for enhanced security and user privacy.

(helium.computer)

Development

Volvo's Free EX90 Computer Upgrade: A Software Disaster?

2025-09-24

Volvo's Free EX90 Computer Upgrade: A Software Disaster?

Volvo is replacing the central computer in all 2025 EX90 electric SUVs for free, admitting defeat in its year-long battle against pervasive software bugs. Owners have reported critical malfunctions, including unreliable key fobs, phone connectivity issues, and infotainment glitches. This move, involving a switch to the more powerful Nvidia Drive AGX Orin-based computer from the 2026 model, suggests the original software was irretrievably flawed. While the upgrade improves future potential (autonomous driving), it highlights the significant risks of software-defined vehicles and raises questions about Volvo's quality control and the long-term trust of its customers.

(insideevs.com)

Tech automotive recall

Efficient Indexing in Deep Learning Frameworks: A Comparison of Torch, TensorFlow, and Einops

2025-09-24

This article compares different approaches to efficient array indexing in PyTorch, TensorFlow, and Einops. By contrasting `torch.gather`, `torch.take_along_dim`, `torch.index_select`, `torch.take`, `tf.gather`, `tf.gather_nd`, and Einops's `einx.get_at`, it showcases their flexibility and efficiency differences in handling different dimensions and batched indexing, providing developers with a reference for choosing the optimal solution.

(einx.readthedocs.io)

Development array indexing

Classic Novels: Training Data for Full-Spectrum Thinking

2025-06-04

Classic Novels: Training Data for Full-Spectrum Thinking

This essay explores the value of reading classic novels like Middlemarch and Bleak House. The author argues that these novels offer more than entertainment; they train 'full-spectrum thinking,' encompassing multiple dimensions (mind, family, career, community, economy, technology, politics) to understand events and characters. Using Middlemarch as an example, the author explains how the novel integrates these dimensions, showing the connection between character destinies and societal changes. While Dickens excels at depicting the lower classes and bureaucracy, his character depth is less developed. The author calls for more novels with a full-spectrum perspective and reflects on whether the current cultural environment hinders such writing.

(adjacentpossible.substack.com)

Misc full-spectrum thinking

OpenPrompt: Seamlessly Integrate Code into LLMs

2025-04-07

OpenPrompt: Seamlessly Integrate Code into LLMs

OpenPrompt simplifies the process of feeding code into large language models like Claude, GPT-4, and Grok. This tool rapidly serializes files and folders into XML, making it easy to upload your codebase. Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux (with executables provided), OpenPrompt lets you select directories, filter files, add instructions, and generate an XML prompt ready for pasting into your chosen LLM. Use cases include code reviews, documentation generation, refactoring assistance, bug hunting, learning new codebases, and architectural analysis.

(github.com)

Development

Mini NAS Showdown: GMKtec G9, Aiffro K100, and Beelink ME mini Compared

2025-07-05

The author downsized their homelab from a 24U rack to a mini-rack, necessitating a smaller NAS. Three mini-NAS options were tested: GMKtec G9, Aiffro K100, and Beelink ME mini. All use Intel N100/N150 chips and support multiple M.2 NVMe SSDs. The G9 offers great value but had initial cooling issues. The K100 is small, cool-running, but pricey and lacks built-in eMMC. The Beelink ME mini is highly expandable and quiet, but some slots have lower bandwidth. The best choice depends on individual needs; the author leans towards the K100, but SSD costs are a factor.

(www.jeffgeerling.com)

Hardware mini NAS hardware review

Tar Format Showdown: Which One Reigns Supreme?

2025-07-07

This article delves into a comprehensive compatibility test of various tar formats (v7, ustar, pax, GNU, etc.). The results reveal that POSIX ustar boasts the best compatibility, while GNU excels with long paths and large files. Pax, although feature-rich, suffers from poor compatibility. The author recommends prioritizing ustar, using GNU for long paths and large files when necessary, and exercising caution with pax's extended features to ensure maximum compatibility.

(mgorny.pl)

Development archive format compatibility

Post-War Japan's Shipbuilding Miracle: From Imitation to Innovation

2025-05-23

Post-War Japan's Shipbuilding Miracle: From Imitation to Innovation

After WWII, the US's efficient prefabricated welded shipbuilding techniques found their way to Japan. Daniel Ludwig's National Bulk Carriers built the Universe Apollo, the world's first tanker exceeding 100,000 DWT, at Kure Naval Shipyard. This marked the rise of Japan's shipbuilding industry, which owes its success to several key factors: adapting US wartime shipbuilding experience, adopting prefabricated block welding techniques; learning detailed drawings and process management from aircraft manufacturing; and employing statistical process control methods to improve accuracy and efficiency. By integrating these strategies, Japan's shipbuilding industry experienced rapid development, becoming the world's leading force and setting a new standard for modern shipbuilding.

(www.construction-physics.com)

Tech Shipbuilding Industrial Efficiency

Vibe Coding with AI: Is This the End for Programmers?

2025-06-01

Vibe Coding with AI: Is This the End for Programmers?

Using AI chatbots for 'vibe coding' is rapidly changing software development. BOND, a startup, launched a new online productivity tool in under a day using AI to generate code. While this speed is impressive, it raises concerns about the future of programmers. Some believe AI will replace coders entirely, while others foresee a shift towards AI-assisted development, focusing on complex tasks and creative problem-solving. Although AI lowers the barrier to entry, human expertise remains vital for code refinement and complex projects.

(www.npr.org)

Development

WinFile: The Nostalgia-Inducing Windows File Manager Returns!

2025-04-22

WinFile: The Nostalgia-Inducing Windows File Manager Returns!

Microsoft announced that it will archive the WinFile project on March 1, 2025, but the good news is that this classic Windows File Manager has been resurrected as a native x86, x64, and arm64 desktop app, supporting all currently supported versions of Windows, including Windows 11. The maintainer welcomes bug fixes and suggestions for improvements but will not be developing new branches. The WinFile project source code includes two main versions: the `original_plus` branch, which is kept as close to the original as possible, and the actively developed `master` branch. Users can download pre-compiled versions from the Microsoft Store or the project page.

(github.com)

Development File Manager

Portable Recorder Mic Input Noise Shootout

2025-04-09

Manufacturers of portable audio recorders often use inconsistent specifications, making objective comparisons difficult, especially for recording quiet animal sounds. This benchmark compares the microphone input noise of various recorders. Data includes Equivalent Input Noise (EIN), input clipping level, and dynamic range at maximum gain, presented in both A-weighted and unweighted measurements across the 20Hz-20kHz range. Results reveal significant differences in noise performance between models, helping users choose the best recorder for their needs.

(avisoft.com)

Hardware recorder microphone

GCC 15: Six Major Improvements to Compiler Diagnostics

2025-04-10

GCC 15: Six Major Improvements to Compiler Diagnostics

A Red Hat engineer details six significant improvements to compiler diagnostics in GCC 15, aimed at enhancing usability. These include: prettier visualizations of execution paths using ASCII art and warning emojis; improved presentation of C++ template errors with nested structures for better readability; simultaneous output of text and SARIF diagnostic formats; a smoother transition to C23 with improved error messages highlighting C23 compatibility issues; a revamped color scheme using color to highlight differences in the source code; and the introduction of libgdiagnostics, a shared library making GCC's diagnostic functionality accessible to other projects. These improvements promise a significant boost to the developer experience with GCC.

(developers.redhat.com)

Development Diagnostics

Intraterrestrials: The Deep Earth's Microscopic Guardians and Climate Change

2025-04-18

Intraterrestrials: The Deep Earth's Microscopic Guardians and Climate Change

Scientists have discovered 'intraterrestrials,' microscopic organisms thriving deep within the Earth, surviving without sunlight or oxygen, relying on geothermal energy and various elements. These microbes play a crucial role in regulating Earth's oxygen levels and nutrient cycling, and may significantly influence climate change. This article explores their survival strategies, evolutionary mechanisms, and their connection to deep-sea mining and climate change, highlighting the importance of further research to better understand Earth systems and address climate challenges.

(www.noemamag.com)

Tech intraterrestrials deep-sea microbes

Taming iCalendar Recurring Events with Distance Functions

2025-04-17

The author encountered a challenge in handling recurring events while implementing a library for processing iCalendar files. iCalendar uses complex rules to define recurring events, and traditional implementations typically involve writing a lot of specific logic for different frequencies and parameters. The author took a different approach, viewing recurrence rules as SQL queries and borrowing ideas from signed distance functions (SDFs) in computer graphics, representing event occurrences using distance functions. This method decomposes complex rules into simple distance functions, iteratively calculating event occurrence times to avoid numerous conditional judgments, resulting in cleaner and easier-to-maintain code. Although the initial implementation wasn't very efficient, the author optimized it to handle complex recurrence rules in milliseconds.

(pwy.io)

Development recurring events distance functions

Can AI Replace $1M in Freelance Software Engineering? OpenAI's Latest Research

2025-04-16

Can AI Replace $1M in Freelance Software Engineering? OpenAI's Latest Research

OpenAI's new paper, SWE-Lancer, benchmarks frontier AI models on real-world software development tasks. Using over 1400 Upwork freelance jobs (totaling over $1 million), the study divided tasks into individual contributor tasks (bug fixing, feature building) and engineering manager tasks (selecting the best solution). Even the top performer, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, only completed 33.7% of tasks, earning roughly $403,000. AI excelled at selecting solutions over creating them, suggesting initial applications might focus on code review and architectural decisions. This benchmark offers a concrete way to measure AI progress, helping leaders understand and predict AI's capabilities and impact.

(newsletter.getdx.com)

Development

Ukraine's Ingenious Drone Strike: A Glimpse into Future Warfare

2025-06-04

Ukraine's Ingenious Drone Strike: A Glimpse into Future Warfare

Ukraine's audacious 'Operation Spiderweb' involved a coordinated drone attack on four Russian air bases, reportedly damaging or destroying 41 warplanes for an estimated $7 billion in losses. Employing commercially available drones disguised and transported near the targets, the attack overwhelmed Russian air defenses. This innovative tactic showcases Ukraine's asymmetric warfare capabilities, highlighting the vulnerability of Russian, and potentially NATO, air bases. The incident underscores the escalating role of drones in future conflicts and raises significant questions about global military strategy.

(www.businessinsider.com)

Tech

Suspended IT Worker Jailed for Network Sabotage

2025-07-02

Suspended IT Worker Jailed for Network Sabotage

A disgruntled IT worker, Mohammed Umar Taj, was sentenced to over seven months in prison for sabotaging his employer's network after being suspended. He altered login credentials and multi-factor authentication settings, locking out the company and its clients in Germany and Bahrain, causing an estimated £200,000 in damages. Police stated Taj sought revenge, causing international disruption. Ironically, he's currently listed as director of an electrical company. The case highlights the need for companies to swiftly revoke network access for suspended employees with privileged access.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech IT crime

Life After the Sun's Death? Icy Moons May Offer a Refuge

2025-06-03

Life After the Sun's Death? Icy Moons May Offer a Refuge

New research suggests a slim chance of life persisting in our solar system after the sun becomes a red giant. While Earth will be uninhabitable, Jupiter's icy moons, like Europa, could become surprisingly hospitable. The expanding sun's heat, coupled with increased heat from Jupiter itself, might sublimate Europa's ice, creating a temporary water vapor atmosphere. Researchers predict this atmosphere could last for up to 200 million years in certain regions, potentially providing a refuge for life. This discovery expands our understanding of the solar system's future and the potential for extraterrestrial life, guiding future searches for biosignatures on exomoons using telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope.

(www.space.com)

Tech red giant

Curry: A Seamless Blend of Functional and Logic Programming

2025-04-25

Curry: A Seamless Blend of Functional and Logic Programming

Curry is a declarative multi-paradigm programming language seamlessly combining features from functional programming (nested expressions, higher-order functions, strong typing, lazy evaluation) and logic programming (non-determinism, built-in search, free variables, partial data structures). Compared to single-paradigm languages, Curry offers advantages such as optimized evaluation for logic-oriented computations and flexible, non-deterministic pattern matching with user-defined functions.

(curry-lang.org)

Development

Eight Sleep's Security Nightmare: Backdoors and Exposed AWS Keys

2025-02-21

Eight Sleep's Security Nightmare: Backdoors and Exposed AWS Keys

The author discovered critical security flaws in their Eight Sleep smart bed: exposed AWS keys and a backdoor allowing Eight Sleep engineers remote SSH access. This means engineers can access the bed's Linux system, obtain sleep data, and potentially control other devices on the home network. The author switched to a cheap aquarium chiller, achieving similar temperature control without the security risks. This raises concerns about IoT device security and the ethical implications of companies collecting user data.

(trufflesecurity.com)

Tech

Parallels Desktop Now Runs x86 Windows and Linux on Apple Silicon Macs

2025-01-15

Parallels Desktop Now Runs x86 Windows and Linux on Apple Silicon Macs

Parallels Desktop 20.2 adds early support for running 64-bit x86 Windows and Linux operating systems on Apple Silicon Macs. This allows users of M1, M2, and later Macs to run a wider range of operating systems, although performance will be slower than native ARM versions due to emulation. Limitations include USB device support, nested virtualization, and slower boot times, but it's a significant step for developers and users needing x86 compatibility on Apple Silicon.

(www.howtogeek.com)

Development

Overwatch 2 Developers Unionize at Blizzard

2025-05-11

Overwatch 2 Developers Unionize at Blizzard

Nearly 200 developers at Blizzard Entertainment, working on Overwatch 2, have successfully unionized, joining the Communications Workers of America (CWA). This follows the World of Warcraft team's unionization last year, marking Blizzard's second company-wide union. The union, encompassing artists, testers, engineers, and designers, formed in response to Microsoft's 2024 layoffs and concerns over pay disparities, work-from-home restrictions, crunch, time off, and severance. The Overwatch Gamemakers Guild aims to improve working conditions and ultimately contribute to better game development, setting a potential precedent for other studios.

(kotaku.com)

Game unionization

Unlocking the Universe's Elemental Origins: Scientists Crack the i-Process Mystery Using FRIB

2025-07-03

Unlocking the Universe's Elemental Origins: Scientists Crack the i-Process Mystery Using FRIB

Scientists at Michigan State University's Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) have successfully observed the decay of key isotopes in the i-process, precisely measuring their neutron capture rates. This provides crucial evidence to explain the unusual abundance of heavy elements in some metal-poor, carbon-enhanced stars and offers a new perspective on the origin of heavy elements in the universe. The team plans to apply this technique to the r-process to further unravel the mystery of the origin of heavier elements like gold, silver, and platinum.

(www.quantamagazine.org)

Tech elemental origins

Building a Highly Efficient Inverted Index in Scala: Parallel Processing with Multiple Threads

2025-07-26

Building a Highly Efficient Inverted Index in Scala: Parallel Processing with Multiple Threads

This article demonstrates how to build a highly efficient inverted index in Scala for fast document lookup. The author begins by explaining the working principle of an inverted index, then progressively implements an `InvertedIndex` class capable of adding words and retrieving documents containing specific words. To boost efficiency, multi-threaded parallel processing is employed, dividing files into groups for parallel index generation, followed by merging the results. The article also touches upon text processing details, such as stop word removal and stemming.

(www.chashnikov.dev)

Development inverted index

Zyxel Firewall Bricked by Buggy Update: On-Site Fix Required

2025-01-29

Zyxel Firewall Bricked by Buggy Update: On-Site Fix Required

A faulty application signature update released by Zyxel last Friday is causing reboot loops, ZySH daemon failures, and login issues for some users. Affected devices include USG Flex and ATP Series devices running ZLD firmware with active security licenses and dedicated signature updates enabled in on-premises/standalone mode. The only workaround requires physical access to the firewall via a console/RS232 cable for recovery. Zyxel has disabled the application signature on its servers to prevent further impact.

(www.theregister.com)

Hardware Software Bug

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