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Fogus' 2024 Year in Review: Programming, Reading, and Life Reflections

2024-12-23

In his 2024 year-end blog post, Fogus reflects on his year in programming, reading, and life. He shares noteworthy articles and books he enjoyed, covering topics like the Elite game, amateur radio history, Japanese bathroom folklore, and the history of WordStar. He highlights favorite technical books like "And so FORTH" and non-technical books such as "Butcher's Crossing." Fogus details his experiences with the Clojure programming language and explorations into other languages like Joy and Forth. He concludes by outlining his plans for 2025, including the Clojure 1.13 release and continued work on his Juxt project.

(blog.fogus.me)

Development year in review reading recommendations

The A20 Flaw in the Original Xbox: A 20-Year Retrospective

2025-07-17

The A20 Flaw in the Original Xbox: A 20-Year Retrospective

2021 marks the 20th anniversary of the original Xbox. This post revisits a significant security vulnerability: the A20 issue. This vulnerability stemmed from the "wraparound" behavior of the Intel 8088 processor when handling memory addresses, a problem addressed in the IBM PC/AT via an A20 gate on the motherboard for compatibility. However, the Xbox used a Pentium III processor with an A20 gate. Attackers could ground the A20 line, bypassing the secure boot process and booting directly from flash memory with custom code to read the Xbox's secret ROM. This vulnerability highlights the security risks of neglecting legacy issues when designing early systems.

(connortumbleson.com)

Hardware

Developer's Block: Practical Strategies to Overcome Coding Impasse

2025-08-23

Developers often experience 'developer's block,' a frustrating inability to code. This article explores two common scenarios: the paralysis of starting a new project perfectly and the stagnation of working on existing projects. Perfectionism in new projects leads to over-engineering, while existing projects can suffer from a lack of understanding, burnout, or demotivation. The article offers practical solutions such as incremental learning, recognizing fatigue and taking breaks, incremental development, prototyping, drafting documentation first, avoiding premature optimization, and releasing early and often. These strategies help developers overcome coding blocks and boost productivity.

(underlap.org)

Development

Critique of Misleading Benchmarks in Formal Methods

2025-05-22

Critique of Misleading Benchmarks in Formal Methods

A paper uses misleading statistics when applying formal methods to verify operating system code. The author criticizes the flawed methodology of simply comparing "proof-to-code ratios", as it ignores the completeness and complexity of specifications. The article points out that proof size has an approximately quadratic relationship with specification size, and specification complexity is far more important than code size. By analyzing multiple verified systems, the author presents more comprehensive data, including code size, specification size, and proof size, and highlights the role of modularity in reducing verification costs, but also notes that complex systems like seL4 are difficult to modularize. Ultimately, the author calls on the research community to stop using the meaningless "proof-to-code ratio" metric.

(microkerneldude.org)

Development

Cloudflare's Open-Sourced OAuth Library: An Archaeological Record of Human-AI Collaboration

2025-06-07

Cloudflare's Open-Sourced OAuth Library: An Archaeological Record of Human-AI Collaboration

Cloudflare open-sourced an OAuth 2.1 library almost entirely generated by Claude, an AI model. The project's Git history meticulously documents every prompt, iteration, and human intervention, offering an archaeological record of human-AI collaboration. Initially skeptical, the lead engineer was amazed by Claude's ability to generate nearly all the code for a production-ready authentication library. The case study highlights the importance of clear prompts, iterative refinement, and timely human intervention for effective human-AI collaboration. The future may see prompts themselves becoming the code, directly driving application execution.

(www.maxemitchell.com)

Development human-AI collaboration

Xiaomi Home Assistant Integration Component Officially Launched

2024-12-16

Xiaomi Home Assistant Integration Component Officially Launched

Xiaomi officially released the Xiaomi Home Assistant integration component, enabling users to integrate their Xiaomi IoT smart devices into Home Assistant. The component supports various installation methods, including Git clone, HACS, and manual installation. Users need to log in with their Xiaomi account; multiple accounts and region selection are supported. The component supports most Xiaomi smart home devices but currently excludes Bluetooth, infrared, and virtual devices. Control methods include cloud control and local control (requiring a Xiaomi central gateway or devices with built-in gateway functionality). It maps MIoT-Spec-V2 to Home Assistant entities. The component also supports multiple languages and a debug mode, prioritizing user privacy and security, but requires careful storage of configuration files.

(github.com)

Development Xiaomi Smart Home IoT Integration

Hackers Reveal Vulnerability in Europe's Remotely Controlled Power Grid

2024-12-29

Hackers Reveal Vulnerability in Europe's Remotely Controlled Power Grid

A significant portion of Europe's renewable energy production is remotely controlled via longwave radio. While designed to stabilize the grid, this system, using unencrypted and unauthenticated Versacom and Semagyr protocols, is vulnerable to abuse. Researchers analyzed these protocols and demonstrated how vulnerabilities could be exploited to remotely control streetlights, power plants, and potentially cause large-scale blackouts. They also showcased the possibility of using this vulnerability to create a city-wide light art installation.

(media.ccc.de)

Tech grid security remote control

California Ground Squirrels Caught Eating Meat: A Surprising Discovery

2024-12-21

California Ground Squirrels Caught Eating Meat: A Surprising Discovery

A recent study has overturned long-held beliefs about California ground squirrels. Previously considered granivores (grain-eaters), researchers observed these common rodents hunting, killing, and consuming voles—small rodents—during the summer of 2024. This surprising discovery highlights the gaps in our understanding of even familiar animals and suggests California ground squirrels may be opportunistic omnivores, adapting their diet based on food availability. The observed carnivorous behavior, peaking when vole populations surged, demonstrates their behavioral flexibility and adaptability to changing environments.

(gizmodo.com)

Misc California ground squirrel carnivorous behavior

Millions of Monkeys Typing: Behind the Scenes of a Billion-Word Project

2025-05-01

Millions of Monkeys Typing: Behind the Scenes of a Billion-Word Project

The monkeys.zip website, featuring thousands of virtual monkeys typing away, has generated over 6 billion words, completing over 75% of Shakespeare's works! The author details the site's architecture: a 15-second 'Tick' mechanism dividing data generation, storage, and database updates into four steps, using sfc32 for deterministic random number generation. Redis caching and database sharding optimize performance. Challenges and future improvements, such as upgrading the server for faster typing speeds, are also discussed.

(www.lukeschaefer.dev)

Development backend architecture

NASA's 2026 Budget: Less Robotics, More Humans?

2025-07-16

NASA's 2026 Budget: Less Robotics, More Humans?

The House version of NASA's FY2026 budget boosts exploration funding by roughly 25 percent, but cuts science and space technology. While a five-year budget plan for SLS and Orion suggests their continuation, cuts to science programs could lead to cancellations or delays for robotic missions. Rep. Grace Meng expressed concern that this will hinder US progress in space exploration and climate science. The final budget is still months away and its outcome remains uncertain.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech NASA budget robotic missions

The AI Cheat Sheet: A Philosophy Professor's Lament

2025-03-09

The AI Cheat Sheet: A Philosophy Professor's Lament

A philosophy professor at a California university recounts the pervasive use of AI tools like ChatGPT by students to cheat on assignments. The ease with which students can generate essays undermines the professor's teaching and shakes his faith in the educational process. He reflects on the true meaning of education, arguing it's not just job training but the cultivation of critical thinking and independent thought. While the professor attempts various countermeasures, the rapid advancement of AI renders these efforts largely ineffective. The piece concludes with a lament for the students' future and a broader reflection on the state of education.

(thewalrus.ca)

Misc

US NSF Funding Freeze: Science on the Brink

2025-01-31

US NSF Funding Freeze: Science on the Brink

A freeze on funding from the US National Science Foundation (NSF) has thrown the scientific community into turmoil. Despite Trump's purported rescission of the freeze, chaos continues, leaving program directors paralyzed and uncertain. A prolonged freeze could leave tens of thousands of graduate students and postdocs without stipends, halting basic science research and potentially leading to a brain drain to countries like China. An indefinite hiring freeze further weakens the NSF and similar agencies. The author urges insiders to share information and expresses deep concern for the future of American science.

(scottaaronson.blog)

Tech NSF funding funding freeze US science

140,000-Year-Old Homo Erectus Discoveries Rewrite History of Sundaland

2025-05-28

140,000-Year-Old Homo Erectus Discoveries Rewrite History of Sundaland

Archaeological finds off the coast of Java, Indonesia, are rewriting our understanding of Homo erectus. Fossil remains, including skull fragments, unearthed during dredging operations in the Madura Strait, reveal a surprisingly mobile Homo erectus population inhabiting Sundaland, a vast lowland area now submerged. The discoveries, including evidence of hunting and diverse dietary habits, challenge previous theories of isolated Javanese Homo erectus populations. The findings point to a rich ecosystem and suggest interaction with other hominin groups, painting a far more complex picture of early human life in Southeast Asia 140,000 years ago. This unique collection, spanning 36 vertebrate species, offers unprecedented insight into the region's past biodiversity.

(www.universiteitleiden.nl)

Tech Homo erectus Sundaland

Bhutan's Talking Stamps: A Surprising Investment Opportunity

2025-05-21

Bhutan's Talking Stamps: A Surprising Investment Opportunity

Issued in 1972, Bhutan's miniature vinyl record stamps, playable on a standard turntable, were initially dismissed as novelties. These seven stamps, featuring Bhutanese folk songs and history, have recently surged in value due to their rediscovery by vinyl collectors. The stamps' creator, American adventurer Burt Todd, revolutionized Bhutan's philatelic program with innovative designs, transforming what were once cheap trinkets into a highly sought-after collector's item.

(thevinylfactory.com)

Misc Bhutan

A Surprisingly Effective Cure? The Case for More Academic Fraud in AI

2025-02-21

A Surprisingly Effective Cure? The Case for More Academic Fraud in AI

This blog post argues that widespread, subtle academic fraud in AI research – cherry-picked results, manipulated datasets, etc. – has normalized low standards, resulting in publications lacking scientific merit. The author provocatively suggests that a recent, highly publicized case of explicit academic fraud could be a turning point. By forcing a reckoning with the community's blind spot, the scandal may ironically lead to increased scrutiny of all research, ultimately fostering higher standards and more truthful publications. The author believes this harsh, even self-destructive, approach might be the best way to cure the cancer of low standards in AI research.

(jacobbuckman.com)

AI Academic Fraud Scientific Integrity

HDMI 2.2 to Debut at CES 2025 with Higher Resolutions and Refresh Rates

2024-12-14

HDMI 2.2 to Debut at CES 2025 with Higher Resolutions and Refresh Rates

The HDMI Forum will unveil the new HDMI 2.2 standard at CES 2025 in January. This next-generation standard promises higher bandwidths, resolutions (potentially including 8K at 120Hz and beyond), and refresh rates. The timing coincides with anticipated releases from Nvidia (RTX 50-series) and AMD (Radeon RX 8000-series), suggesting compatibility. A new cable may be required to fully utilize the advancements. This upgrade is poised to significantly enhance consumer experiences with ultra-high-definition media and gaming.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Hardware

A Bytecode VM for Arithmetic in Haskell: The Parser

2025-08-03

A Bytecode VM for Arithmetic in Haskell: The Parser

This post details the first part of a project to build a bytecode virtual machine for arithmetic expressions in Haskell. The VM will parse, compile, interpret, and run simple arithmetic expressions, including let bindings and nested let expressions. The author explains the expression grammar, parser implementation (using the attoparsec library), and error handling. Unit tests are presented to validate the parser's correctness. A brief overview of the AST interpreter's implementation and testing is also included. Future posts will cover the compiler and virtual machine.

(abhinavsarkar.net)

Development

1800-Year-Old Roman Fresco Unearthed in London

2025-06-28

1800-Year-Old Roman Fresco Unearthed in London

During excavations at The Liberty development site in London, archaeologists have unearthed and painstakingly reconstructed the largest-ever collection of painted Roman plaster, dating back at least 1,800 years. The fragments, discovered scattered among the rubble, reveal the decorative wall of a high-status Roman building. Featuring rare yellow hues, graffiti, Greek lettering, and possibly a fragment of the artist's signature, the fresco offers invaluable insights into Roman art, life, and culture.

(www.thisiscolossal.com)

Tech Roman fresco London archaeology

Rust 1.88 Demotes i686-pc-windows-gnu to Tier 2

2025-05-26

Rust 1.88 Demotes i686-pc-windows-gnu to Tier 2

Rust 1.88.0 will demote the i686-pc-windows-gnu target (32-bit GNU-based Windows build target) from Tier 1 to Tier 2. This means reduced testing frequency and a higher likelihood of accumulating bugs in the future. The main reason is a lack of maintainers and persistent difficult-to-debug issues. While builds of the standard library and compiler will still be provided, users should be aware of potential increased risks. The Rust team is calling for developers with relevant expertise to step up and become maintainers.

(blog.rust-lang.org)

Development

The Fight Over Copyright in Open Source: Who Controls Your Code?

2025-01-04

This essay delves into the complexities of copyright ownership in Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). Traditionally, many FOSS projects assign copyrights to non-profits, but this practice has become controversial. The author argues that most FOSS contributors' copyrights are actually owned by their employers, weakening the protection afforded by copyleft licenses. Shifting away from centralized copyright assignment could leave corporations in control, potentially hindering GPL enforcement. The article urges FOSS contributors to carefully consider copyright ownership, suggesting proactive measures to protect their rights and uphold the interests of the open-source community, preventing copyleft from becoming ineffective.

(sfconservancy.org)

Development

Non-invasive Analysis Unveils Secrets of the Alexander Mosaic

2025-01-27

Non-invasive Analysis Unveils Secrets of the Alexander Mosaic

This PLOS ONE study employed non-invasive analytical techniques to thoroughly investigate the world-renowned Alexander Mosaic. Researchers used portable microscopy, infrared thermography, multispectral imaging, portable X-ray fluorescence, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy to characterize the mosaic's constituent materials, mineral components, and old protective materials. Findings revealed the geological origins of ten colors used in the mosaic and provided crucial scientific insights for its restoration. The research highlights the immense potential of non-destructive analysis in cultural heritage preservation.

(journals.plos.org)

Tech non-destructive analysis Alexander Mosaic

Klavis AI: Effortless Production-Ready MCP Integration

2025-05-05

Klavis AI: Effortless Production-Ready MCP Integration

Klavis AI makes connecting to production-ready MCP servers and clients at scale effortless. Integrate with your AI application in under a minute and scale to millions of users using their open-source infrastructure, hosted servers, and multi-platform clients. Klavis AI lowers the barrier to using MCPs by providing stable production-ready MCP servers, built-in authentication, high-quality servers, MCP client integration, 100+ tool integrations, and customization options. Create new MCP server instances via API key and set up auth tokens or use their in-house OAuth flow.

(github.com)

AI Server Integration

Comet: A Portable Hardware KVM Powerhouse

2025-03-16

Comet: A Portable Hardware KVM Powerhouse

Comet is a compact and powerful Remote KVM offering 2K resolution at 60FPS for smooth video. Powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, it boasts Gigabit Ethernet for fast networking and USB 2.0 for peripherals like finger switches. Type-C power, HDMI-IN for video input, and a USB device port for a mouse ensure versatility. Compatible with mini PCs, desktops, laptops, servers, industrial PCs, and TV boxes.

(www.gl-inet.com)

Hardware Remote KVM Portable Hardware

Going Mouseless: Building a Productive Keyboard-Only Desktop

2025-02-01

Tired of your mouse? This author shares their journey to a mouse-free desktop. By leveraging tools like the PaperWM scrollable tiling window manager, Firefox bookmark keywords, the Vimium browser extension, and the terminal-based email client Aerc, along with GNOME's Quake Terminal extension and Input Remapper, the author dramatically increased productivity and improved ergonomics. The article details how to use and configure these tools, and shares their experience hiding Emacs's menus and toolbars to further reduce mouse reliance.

(lwn.net)

Development mouseless desktop environment

China's Ambitious Space Program Challenges NASA's Dominance

2025-03-28

China's Ambitious Space Program Challenges NASA's Dominance

Amidst potential budget cuts at NASA, China's ambitious space program presents a compelling challenge to US leadership in space exploration. While China has achieved significant successes, its ambitious objectives are technically demanding and may face setbacks. Simultaneously funding both crewed lunar missions and robotic exploration requires substantial resources. Success, however, would greatly enhance China's international standing. NASA isn't without options; Congress may block drastic budget cuts, and cheaper satellite launch technologies could enable more deep-space exploration with less funding. The ultimate victor remains uncertain, but for the first time since the 1960s, NASA has a credible competitor.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech

GrapheneOS: A Privacy-Focused Android Rebuilt

2025-07-25

GrapheneOS is an open-source project aiming to bolster Android's security and privacy. Based on the Android Open Source Project, it removes substantial code and adds numerous security features, including a hardened malloc() library and control-flow integrity enhancements. While support is limited to select Google Pixel devices, GrapheneOS leverages hardware memory tagging for robust OS protection. A firsthand installation experience reveals a more secure and private Android, albeit with an initial setup time investment. The author highlights its strong privacy features but acknowledges the ongoing challenge of balancing functionality with a complete rejection of proprietary apps.

(lwn.net)

Development

SearchMySite.net: A Search Engine for the IndieWeb

2025-03-25

SearchMySite.net is a niche search engine focusing on the 'indieweb' – personal and independent websites free from commercial content. Unlike mainstream search engines, it indexes only user-submitted and moderated sites, avoiding spam and clickbait. It's ad-free, prioritizing user privacy and a sustainable, non-advertising based operating model. Transparency is key; the entire platform is open-source. If you're looking for in-depth personal experiences or unique perspectives, bypassing the noise of commercial websites, SearchMySite.net offers a refreshing alternative.

(searchmysite.net)

Tech

CRAN's Reverse Dependency Checks: A Unique Approach to Software Maintenance

2025-09-20

CRAN's Reverse Dependency Checks: A Unique Approach to Software Maintenance

A seasoned software engineer initially baffled by R's package manager, CRAN, and its reverse dependency checks, shares their experience. Unlike npm or PyPI, CRAN checks all packages depending on a submitted package before publication. The author recounts how CRAN's approach impacts software maintenance, highlighting its contribution to the stability of the R ecosystem. This experience ultimately shifted the author's perspective on software maintenance, leading to an understanding of the 'monorepo mindset'—developers taking responsibility for all projects relying on their code.

(jtibs.substack.com)

Development

Soviet Family Albums: Silent Witnesses to a Shifting Collective Identity

2025-08-11

Soviet Family Albums: Silent Witnesses to a Shifting Collective Identity

In Visible Presence meticulously examines over 50 Soviet family photo albums, revealing photography's crucial role in constructing and sustaining a shared Soviet identity. The authors uncover a surprising prevalence of strangers within these albums, demonstrating that these images transcended personal narratives to reflect broader socio-political shifts and collective memory. Analyzing both photographs and interviews, the book explores themes of silence, oblivion, and the evolving political significance of imagery across different eras. It offers a nuanced understanding of the interplay between societal repression, personal memory, and the enduring power of images, providing a fresh perspective on photographic and social memory studies.

(www.publicbooks.org)

Misc Soviet photography social memory collective identity

Jefit's 15-Year Grind: From Dad's Living Room to Silicon Valley

2025-07-18

Jefit founder Ying shares the story of building his fitness app from a personal project in his dad's living room to a company with over 13 million users. Starting with a small loan and facing numerous challenges—funding issues, team building, and relocating to Silicon Valley—Ying persevered, creating a platform focused on user experience and quality. The article highlights the struggles and perseverance of entrepreneurship, and the importance of teamwork and user loyalty.

(www.jefit.com)

Startup Fitness App User Loyalty

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