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A Hilarious Compendium of Absurd Open Source Licenses

2025-02-26

A Hilarious Compendium of Absurd Open Source Licenses

This article compiles a collection of ridiculous, funny, and downright bad open-source licenses. From licenses that allow copying but forbid running the software, to licenses restricting use based on race and sexual orientation, the absurdity knows no bounds. Some licenses require users to be gay and commit crimes, others prohibit use with NFTs or blockchain, and still others invoke biblical morality. The author's disclaimer: Don't use these licenses!

(github.com)

Development open source licenses legal

Truss to Launch 'Uncensorable' Social Media Platform This Summer

2025-04-18

Truss to Launch 'Uncensorable' Social Media Platform This Summer

Former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss plans to launch an "uncensorable" social media platform this summer, aiming to combat what she calls the "deep state." Announced at CPAC in Washington, where she declared Britain to be in a "Dark Age," the platform promises uncancellable free speech, a counter to what Truss describes as "the West's war against itself." While details remain scarce, Truss confirmed a summer launch, promising further updates soon.

(www.thetimes.com)

Tech Liz Truss

Open-Source Tool Unveils the Inner Workings of Large Language Models

2025-05-29

Open-Source Tool Unveils the Inner Workings of Large Language Models

Anthropic has open-sourced a new tool to trace the "thought processes" of large language models. This tool generates attribution graphs, visualizing the internal steps a model takes to arrive at a decision. Users can interactively explore these graphs on the Neuronpedia platform, studying behaviors like multi-step reasoning and multilingual representations. This release aims to accelerate research into the interpretability of large language models, bridging the gap between advancements in AI capabilities and our understanding of their inner workings.

(www.anthropic.com)

AI

World's Second Worst Graphics Card: A TTL Gate Masterpiece?

2025-09-22

World's Second Worst Graphics Card: A TTL Gate Masterpiece?

Inspired by Ben Eater's 'world's worst video card', Leoneq built something even... worse? This text-mode graphics card, boasting a VGA resolution of 800x600@60Hz (accessible 400x300), uses only TTL gates and a surprisingly low 21 IC count. Featuring support for Latin, Polish, and even the Standard Galactic Alphabet, the card leverages EPROMs and SRAM for character storage. While plagued by glitches, noise sensitivity, and a generally unimpressive image, this project is a testament to resourcefulness and a humorous take on hardware limitations. It's a testament to the power of ingenuity even when facing a 'terrible idea'.

(github.com)

Hardware

Amazon Issues Proactive Refunds for Unverified Returns

2025-05-21

Amazon Issues Proactive Refunds for Unverified Returns

Amazon recently proactively refunded a small subset of customers whose returns hadn't been processed. An internal review revealed that these refunds were stalled due to an inability to verify the correct item had been returned. Amazon stated they should have communicated more clearly and sooner with these customers to understand the return status and facilitate resolution. Given the time elapsed, Amazon opted to prioritize customer experience and simply complete the refunds.

(financialpost.com)

Misc Refunds Customer Experience

CERN Releases Feasibility Study for Future Circular Collider

2025-04-12

CERN Releases Feasibility Study for Future Circular Collider

After years of intense work, CERN and its international partners have completed a feasibility study for a Future Circular Collider (FCC). The report details various aspects of the potential project, including physics goals, engineering, environmental impact, and cost. The FCC proposes a roughly 91-km circumference particle collider to succeed the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in the 2040s. Key scientific goals include deeper investigation of the Higgs boson and other fundamental particles, aiming to unlock the universe's secrets. The report estimates the cost of the FCC's electron-positron collider stage at 15 billion Swiss francs, with construction taking about 12 years. The project emphasizes sustainability and public engagement. The report will be reviewed by the CERN Council, which is expected to decide on the FCC's future around 2028.

(home.cern)

Tech collider

YouTube's 20th Anniversary: 20 Trillion Videos and Counting

2025-04-23

YouTube's 20th Anniversary: 20 Trillion Videos and Counting

Twenty years ago, Jawed Karim uploaded the first ever YouTube video, "Me at the zoo." Today, YouTube is a behemoth, with over 20 million videos uploaded daily and over 100 million comments posted daily in 2024. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, YouTube announced major updates to its TV app, including easier navigation, playback improvements, and streamlined access to comments and channel info. YouTube TV will also add a highly requested multi-view feature, allowing up to four channels to play simultaneously. YouTube CEO Neal Mohan highlighted that TV viewing has surpassed mobile as the primary viewing device in the US. YouTube's massive scale continues to drive its dominance in streaming video.

(www.hollywoodreporter.com)

Tech video platform

A GeoJSON-Powered Timezone Lookup Server

2025-05-20

A GeoJSON-Powered Timezone Lookup Server

This project creates a simple PHP server that matches time zones to longitude/latitude coordinates. Leveraging GeoJSON data from the Timezone Boundary Builder project, it builds an efficient database for fast timezone lookups. The server uses 'domain rectangles' for quick filtering and a 'winding number' algorithm for precise matching. Users simply send longitude/latitude coordinates to receive the standard TZ timezone designator. The project is open-source under the MIT license.

(github.com)

Development

The Fall of Stereotype Threat: A Reckoning for Social Psychology

2024-12-19

The Fall of Stereotype Threat: A Reckoning for Social Psychology

This article revisits stereotype threat, a once-dominant theory in social psychology explaining how negative stereotypes impact the performance of marginalized groups. Author Michael Inzlicht recounts its rise and fall, detailing how groundbreaking initial research ultimately failed to replicate in large-scale studies. This led to a critical examination of the theory's validity and broader methodological issues within social psychology. Inzlicht candidly reflects on past questionable research practices, including data manipulation, and concludes that the stereotype threat effect is far weaker and less consistent than previously believed. The article calls for greater rigor and self-correction within the field.

(www.speakandregret.michaelinzlicht.com)

AI stereotype threat replication crisis

Amiga 3000UX and Sun: A Deal That Never Was?

2025-07-05

This article investigates unsubstantiated rumors of a deal between Amiga 3000UX and Sun Microsystems. Conflicting accounts from Commodore engineers Dave Haynie and Bryce Nesbitt—one claiming Sun's interest in OEMing the Amiga 3000UX, the other suggesting Commodore's attempt to license Amiga UNIX to Sun—are analyzed. The author casts doubt on these narratives by examining the market and technological context, suggesting they are likely embellished internal rumors. The article concludes that a lack of concrete evidence prevents confirmation of a substantial deal; joint marketing efforts are a more plausible explanation.

(www.datagubbe.se)

Tech

Mars Atmosphere Loss: Sputtering Caught in the Act

2025-05-30

Mars Atmosphere Loss: Sputtering Caught in the Act

For the first time, scientists have directly observed atmospheric sputtering, a key driver of Mars' ongoing atmospheric erosion. Nine years of satellite data revealed a correlation between argon density at high altitudes and the orientation of the solar wind's electric field, confirming sputtering and showing its strength is over four times higher than previously predicted. Solar storms dramatically increased the effect. This discovery is crucial for understanding Mars' atmospheric and water loss, and the habitability of early Solar System planets. The research is published in Science Advances.

(www.sciencealert.com)

Tech Atmospheric Sputtering

Reverse Engineering VanMoof's E-Shifter: Decoding the Mystery

2025-01-19

Reverse Engineering VanMoof's E-Shifter: Decoding the Mystery

A hacker successfully reverse-engineered the communication protocol of VanMoof's e-bike shifter. Using a logic analyzer and PulseView, they determined a 9600bps data rate and identified the use of Modbus RTU. Analysis of request and response packets revealed the bike sends register read commands, with the shifter returning data. While the exact register meanings remain unclear, this work provides a crucial foundation for building a replacement module to address the shifter's notorious unreliability, a major factor in VanMoof's bankruptcy.

(mikecoats.com)

Hardware e-shifter

Blue Origin's NS-32 Mission: Six Passengers Experience Space

2025-06-01

Blue Origin's NS-32 Mission: Six Passengers Experience Space

On May 31, Blue Origin successfully launched its New Shepard rocket on the NS-32 mission, sending six passengers, including New Zealand's first space tourist, Mark Rocket, into space. The flight lasted approximately three minutes, during which passengers experienced weightlessness and breathtaking views of Earth. The diverse crew included a lawyer, entrepreneurs, educators, and an aerospace executive, all hailing from various countries and united by their passion for space. This flight marked Blue Origin's 12th human spaceflight and showcases the company's continued growth in the space tourism sector.

(www.space.com)

Tech Human Spaceflight

Retro Gaming UI Showcase: A Blast from the 80s Past

2025-04-27

This article showcases a vast collection of user interface screenshots from classic 80s home computers and consoles, including the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, and Amstrad CPC. The screenshots depict UIs for various games and programs, spanning programming languages like BASIC, FORTH, and ASM. Classic games such as Boulderdash and Bomb Jack are represented, showcasing the simple yet charming UI designs of the era.

(floooh.github.io)

Game 80s home computers

AI-Powered: Revolutionizing Smart Card Creation

2024-12-31

This new technology leverages artificial intelligence to automate card creation. Users simply input keywords or descriptions, and the system automatically generates cards with rich content and aesthetically pleasing layouts, significantly improving efficiency and lowering the barrier to creation. This is revolutionary for industries requiring large numbers of cards, such as education and marketing. It not only saves time and labor costs but also ensures consistent and professional card quality.

(handwritten-card.vercel.app)

AI card generation

Last Letters: Facing Mortality, Understanding Life

2025-05-20

Last Letters: Facing Mortality, Understanding Life

In a Bordeaux bookshop, the author discovers a collection of last letters written by those executed by Nazi firing squads during WWII. These poignant missives offer a raw glimpse into the human condition facing imminent death, revealing stages of grief and the precious memories clung to in final moments. The author reflects on how these letters, far from merely documenting wartime atrocities, force a profound contemplation of life's meaning and the importance of cherishing every moment.

(aeon.co)

Misc

Gemini's New Video Generation Model: Veo 2

2025-04-15

Gemini's New Video Generation Model: Veo 2

Gemini Advanced users can now generate and share videos using Veo 2, Google's state-of-the-art video generation model. Transform text prompts into dynamic videos, easily shareable to platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts. Veo 2, also accessible through Google Labs' Whisk, produces high-resolution, detailed videos with cinematic realism. Simply describe your scene, and let Gemini bring your vision to life.

(blog.google)

AI

Lightweight Job Scheduling with Wasp and PgBoss: A Surprisingly Elegant Solution

2025-05-30

Lightweight Job Scheduling with Wasp and PgBoss: A Surprisingly Elegant Solution

This article explores lightweight job scheduling in React and Node.js applications using Wasp and PgBoss. PgBoss leverages PostgreSQL's reliability and scalability to manage background jobs efficiently, while Wasp simplifies job definition and configuration. The article uses a tennis score tracking app to demonstrate creating both one-time scheduled jobs (e.g., sending a daily match summary email) and recurring jobs (e.g., daily digest emails). This setup is perfect for small projects or early-stage startups, eliminating the need for complex external services. However, for high-load or computationally intensive tasks, a dedicated job processing system is recommended.

(wasp.sh)

Development Job Scheduling

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

Apple's Container: A Native macOS Linux Container Tool

2025-06-11

Apple's Container: A Native macOS Linux Container Tool

Apple has open-sourced Container, a developer tool on GitHub offering a novel approach to running Linux containers directly on macOS. Unlike Docker or Podman, it integrates deeply with macOS frameworks, creating lightweight VMs for each container, boosting security and privacy. While minor issues exist, such as memory management and macOS version compatibility, it showcases Apple's commitment to native Linux container development on macOS, providing developers with a more native option.

(nerds.xyz)

Development

Guadagnino to Direct OpenAI Drama 'Artificial'

2025-06-04

Guadagnino to Direct OpenAI Drama 'Artificial'

Luca Guadagnino is set to direct 'Artificial,' a film recounting the tumultuous events at OpenAI in 2023, including the firing and rehiring of CEO Sam Altman. Amazon MGM Studios is fast-tracking the project, aiming for a summer shoot in San Francisco and Italy. Andrew Garfield, Monica Barbaro, and Yura Borisov are reportedly in talks to star, potentially portraying Altman, CTO Mira Murati, and co-founder Ilya Sutskever respectively. The film marks Guadagnino's third collaboration with Amazon MGM.

(www.hollywoodreporter.com)

Tech

Pope Francis Dies at 88

2025-04-21

Pope Francis Dies at 88

The Vatican has announced the death of Pope Francis at the age of 88. He became Pope in 2013, succeeding Benedict XVI. His passing follows years of health concerns and a lengthy hospital stay earlier this year. Known for his compassion for the poor and marginalized, he was often called the "People's Pope." His death will be mourned by an estimated 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide.

(news.sky.com)

Misc

Alien Languages: Stranger Than We Imagine

2025-05-12

Alien Languages: Stranger Than We Imagine

Fictional alien languages, like the Heptapod language in Arrival, while bizarre, share surprisingly similar underlying structures to human languages. This prompts philosophical reflection on the "space of possible languages": true alien languages might be far stranger than we've imagined, constructed in ways radically different from human tongues. The article explores four levels of language: signs, structure, semantics, and pragmatics, analyzing how alien languages might differ in each. This includes using non-human sensory modalities (smells, electrical impulses), possessing unique grammatical structures, and even lacking the concept of 'meaning' as we understand it. Preparing for truly alien languages requires abandoning anthropocentrism and actively exploring the possibilities of language. This is not only crucial for potential extraterrestrial contact but also for a deeper understanding of our own language and cognitive abilities.

(aeon.co)

AI alien language philosophy of language

A 25-Year Odyssey in AI/ML: From Games to Program Synthesis

2025-01-02

A 25-Year Odyssey in AI/ML: From Games to Program Synthesis

This post recounts a 25-year journey in AI/ML. It begins with simple games in VB6, progressing to using state machines and higher-order functions to enhance game dynamics. Graduate studies introduced first-order logic, support vector machines, and neural networks, applied to projects like low-bandwidth video chat and code editor log analysis. As a professor, the author focused on intelligent developer tools, exploring predictive models to identify and correct programmer misconceptions. His work at Microsoft's program synthesis team involved LLMs to improve code assistance. The author emphasizes the importance of thoughtful AI application, prioritizing clear user problems and avoiding over-reliance on LLMs.

(austinhenley.com)

AI Program Synthesis

X Server: The Unsung Hero of Your GUI

2025-09-23

X Server: The Unsung Hero of Your GUI

The X server is the foundation of your graphical user interface. It accepts requests from client applications to create windows—these windows are virtual screens where client programs can draw. The X server (or a separate compositor) composes windows onto the actual screen as directed by the window manager, which usually interacts with the user via graphical controls like buttons, draggable title bars, and borders. For more info, check out the Xorg mailing list, Bugzilla, and code repository.

(github.com)

Development

DIY Nissan LEAF Battery Widget: A Clever Hack Using GitHub Actions and IFTTT

2025-04-14

DIY Nissan LEAF Battery Widget: A Clever Hack Using GitHub Actions and IFTTT

Frustrated by the lack of a battery status widget in Nissan's official app and the unavailability of third-party alternatives, the author devised a clever workaround. By ingeniously combining GitHub Actions, IFTTT, and Apple Shortcuts, they created a free solution. A scheduled GitHub Actions workflow retrieves data, sends an email, and IFTTT transforms the email content into an iPhone home screen widget displaying the LEAF's battery level. While not perfect, this successful hack avoids the cost of additional hardware or subscriptions, showcasing the author's creativity and technical prowess.

(kevintechnology.com)

Development

Playing the NES with a Family BASIC Keyboard: A Retro Hardware Hack

2025-01-17

Linus Akesson connected a Family BASIC keyboard to an NES using a custom adapter to play its unique triangle waveform live. He details the adapter's creation, covering the Family BASIC keyboard's matrix layout, the NES controller port's signal characteristics, and the use of an ATtiny85 microcontroller for multiplexing and serializing the signals. The result? A successful performance of a tune called "Platform Hopping," showcasing impressive retro hardware hacking skills.

(www.linusakesson.net)

Hardware

Heavy Metals Found in Fire Retardant Used in California Wildfires

2025-04-06

Heavy Metals Found in Fire Retardant Used in California Wildfires

Following recent California wildfires, LAist partnered with USC researchers to test samples of MVP-FX, a fire retardant used in the Palisades and Eaton fires. The tests revealed the presence of toxic heavy metals including lead, arsenic, cadmium, and chromium. While the manufacturer, Perimeter Solutions, claims the levels are below EPA limits and naturally occurring, their safety data sheet omits this information. Cal Fire and the US Forest Service dismissed the findings, citing potential contamination of the field samples. This investigation raises concerns about the safety and transparency of fire retardants, highlighting potential health risks to firefighters and the public, as well as long-term environmental impacts on aquatic ecosystems.

(laist.com)

Tech fire retardant environmental safety

Evaluating the Hijacking Risk of AI Agents: Adversarial Testing Reveals Vulnerabilities

2025-03-16

Evaluating the Hijacking Risk of AI Agents: Adversarial Testing Reveals Vulnerabilities

The US AI Safety Institute (US AISI) evaluated the risk of AI agent hijacking using the AgentDojo framework, testing Anthropic's Claude 3.5 Sonnet model. Key findings highlight the need for continuous improvement of evaluation frameworks, adaptive evaluations to account for evolving attack methods, and the importance of analyzing task-specific attack success rates. The study introduced new attack scenarios like remote code execution, database exfiltration, and automated phishing, demonstrating their effectiveness across different environments. This research underscores the need for iterative improvements in AI security evaluation frameworks to address the ever-evolving threat of AI agent hijacking.

(www.nist.gov)

AI Agent Hijacking

AI Coding Assistants: The 70/30 Rule and the Enduring Human Role

2025-03-14

AI Coding Assistants: The 70/30 Rule and the Enduring Human Role

AI coding assistants automate roughly 70% of software development, handling boilerplate and routine tasks. However, the remaining 30%—complex requirements, architecture, edge cases, and ensuring correctness—demands human expertise. This article explores the crucial skills engineers need to thrive alongside AI, including system design, handling edge cases, code review, debugging, communication, and continuous learning. Senior engineers should leverage their experience to guide AI and mentor junior developers, while junior developers should focus on fundamentals, problem-solving, and testing. AI accelerates development but doesn't replace human judgment; the article emphasizes the enduring importance of critical thinking, design, quality assurance, and problem-solving in the age of AI.

(addyo.substack.com)

Development Coding Assistants

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