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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol Impeached Over Martial Law Decree

2024-12-14

South Korea's parliament impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday over his controversial six-hour-long martial law declaration. The National Assembly voted 204-85 in favor of impeachment, suspending Yoon's powers and duties. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo assumed presidential authority. The Constitutional Court has 180 days to decide whether to remove Yoon from office; a new election would follow within 60 days if he is dismissed. The impeachment followed days of political turmoil and widespread protests, with public opinion overwhelmingly in favor of removing Yoon. While Yoon declared the martial law as a measure against the opposition, his actions are seen by many as an attempt to undermine democratic processes. The US and Japan expressed support for South Korea's democratic process.

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(apnews.com)
Misc South Korea Impeachment Yoon Suk Yeol

Security Vulnerabilities Stemming from Dart/Flutter's Weak PRNG

2024-12-13

Zellic's research uncovered multiple security vulnerabilities caused by a weak pseudorandom number generator (PRNG) in Dart/Flutter. A flaw in the initialization of the `Random()` function within the Dart SDK resulted in insufficient entropy in generated keys, making them susceptible to brute-force attacks. This allowed attackers to easily gain access to the Dart Tooling Daemon, enabling them to read or write workspace files and even execute arbitrary code. Furthermore, Proton Wallet and SelfPrivacy projects were also affected by this weak PRNG, experiencing encryption vulnerabilities and predictable password issues, respectively. While the vulnerability has been patched, developers are urged to exercise caution when using the `Random()` function and utilize `Random.secure()` when cryptographically secure random numbers are required.

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(www.zellic.io)
Development Security Vulnerability

OpenAI Outage: Unexpected Load from New Telemetry Service Causes Major Disruption

2024-12-16

OpenAI experienced a major service disruption on December 11th, stemming from a newly deployed telemetry service. Intended to improve reliability, this service unexpectedly generated massive Kubernetes API server load, saturating the servers and causing the Kubernetes control plane to fail in most large clusters. This led to the breakdown of DNS-based service discovery. The incident highlights the unpredictable interactions within complex systems and the challenges of testing for failure modes that only appear under full load. OpenAI restored service by scaling down clusters, blocking network access to Kubernetes admin APIs, and scaling up API servers.

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(surfingcomplexity.blog)
Development API server saturation service disruption

How Big Data Revolutionized the Modern Dairy Cow

2024-12-15

This article chronicles the US dairy industry's transformation into a global leader in cattle genetics, driven by big data and public-private partnerships. Starting with cow-testing cooperatives and the Babcock test, advancements like artificial insemination and cryogenic preservation, culminating in genomic sequencing, dramatically increased milk production. However, this success has led to inbreeding and climate change concerns. The future of dairy genetics requires balancing high yields with sustainability, necessitating industry collaboration and innovation.

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(worksinprogress.co)
Tech Big Data Cattle Genetics Agricultural Technology

Unveiling the Deep Connection Between Maximum Likelihood Estimation and Loss Functions

2024-12-15

This article delves into the intrinsic relationship between Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) and commonly used loss functions. Starting with the fundamentals of MLE, the author meticulously explains its close connection to KL divergence. The article then uses Mean Squared Error (MSE) and Cross-Entropy as examples, demonstrating how these functions are naturally derived from MLE rather than being arbitrarily chosen. By assuming data distributions (e.g., Gaussian for linear regression, Bernoulli for logistic regression), maximizing the likelihood function via MLE directly leads to MSE and Cross-Entropy loss functions. This provides a clear path to understanding the theoretical underpinnings of loss functions, moving beyond mere intuition.

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(rish-01.github.io)
AI Maximum Likelihood Estimation Loss Functions

18th-Century Dental Horror Stories: When Tooth Extraction Could Mean Losing Your Jaw

2024-12-14

This article recounts cases from Thomas Berdmore's 1768 treatise on dental disorders, painting a grim picture of 18th-century dentistry. Patients suffered immensely from oral ulcers, tartar buildup, and the often disastrous consequences of unqualified practitioners. One case describes a barber-surgeon removing a tooth along with a walnut-sized piece of jawbone! These stories highlight the primitive techniques and significant risks of the time, contrasting sharply with modern dentistry. While progress has been made, the article serves as a reminder of the ongoing challenges of access and affordability in dental care.

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(thequackdoctor.substack.com)
Misc 18th-century dentistry medical history dental treatment

Four's Company: The Ideal Number for Engaging Conversations

2024-12-14

Research by Professor Robin Dunbar of Oxford University suggests that four is the magic number for enjoyable conversations. In groups of five or more, the likelihood of shared laughter decreases significantly, with conversations often devolving into a lecture-style dynamic. While known for 'Dunbar's number' – the theory that most people can maintain around 150 social connections – his latest research focuses on smaller group dynamics, concluding that groups of four optimize engaging and enjoyable social interactions.

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(www.thetimes.com)
Misc social interaction group size conversation

LLM Benchmark: Pelican on a Bicycle

2024-12-16

Simon Willison created a unique LLM benchmark: generating an SVG image of a pelican riding a bicycle. This unusual prompt aimed to test the models' creative abilities without relying on pre-existing training data. He tested 16 models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, and Meta (Llama on Cerebras), revealing significant variations in the quality of generated SVGs. Some models produced surprisingly good results, while others struggled.

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(simonwillison.net)
AI Image Generation

Tailscale Subnet Routers: A Simple Solution for Complex Network Connections

2024-12-14

Tailscale typically requires installing a client on every device, but this isn't always feasible for embedded devices or existing VPCs. That's where subnet routers come in. They enable devices to communicate using Tailscale's powerful NAT traversal technology, regardless of whether they're running Tailscale. This article explains how Tailscale subnet routers work, including installation and configuration on Windows and Linux. For large network migrations or connecting AWS VPCs, subnet routers offer a fast and easy way to get started. Personal use is free and doesn't count against device limits.

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(tailscale.com)
Development Subnet Router NAT Traversal

Antimatter Propulsion: The Future of Space Exploration?

2024-12-14

A groundbreaking technology, antimatter propulsion, holds the potential to revolutionize space exploration. Antimatter annihilation offers the highest known energy density, with 100% efficiency, theoretically enabling voyages across the solar system in mere weeks or even days. However, significant challenges remain in producing, storing, and controlling antimatter, keeping the technology firmly in the theoretical realm for now. Further research and development are crucial to unlock its immense potential.

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(www.sciencedirect.com)
Tech antimatter space exploration propulsion technology

Farewell to Endless Meetings: A New Approach to High-Velocity Software Development

2024-12-15

Tired of endless meetings and lengthy planning? This article introduces a high-efficiency software development method: code-centric, rapid iteration. The author uses baking as an example to illustrate the concept of achieving the optimal solution through rapid experimentation, frequent testing, and continuous improvement. This method emphasizes reducing documentation, expressing ideas directly in code, using mock data and hot-reloading tools to speed up development, and improving code readability through concise code style and naming conventions. The author advocates breaking down projects into independently executable files, minimizing restart time, and using default language tools for debugging. Although this method may seem like a "chaotic lab," it can efficiently complete projects and avoid the redundancy and inefficiency of traditional methods.

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(mihaiolteanu.me)
Development agile development efficient programming

Spark vs. DuckDB vs. Polars: Benchmarking Performance for Small to Medium Workloads

2024-12-15

This article benchmarks Spark, DuckDB, and Polars, comparing their performance, cost, and development ease on 10GB and 100GB datasets. Results show that for large datasets and ETL tasks, Spark remains dominant due to its distributed computing capabilities and mature ecosystem. DuckDB and Polars excel at interactive querying and data exploration on smaller datasets. The author recommends a strategic mix-and-match approach, using Spark for ETL, DuckDB for interactive queries, and Polars for niche scenarios, tailoring engine choice to specific needs.

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(milescole.dev)
Development data processing engines benchmark

Advent of Code on the Nintendo DS: A Rust Programming Challenge on an Embedded System

2024-12-16

The author tackled Advent of Code 2024 using Rust on a Nintendo DS. This detailed account chronicles the journey, from setting up a cross-compilation environment and writing Rust code for a runtime-less embedded system to overcoming challenges in memory management, interrupts, and screen output. The author successfully displays the Advent of Code solution on the DS screen. The article showcases strong programming skills and deep understanding of embedded systems, highlighting the techniques and enjoyment of programming in resource-constrained environments.

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(sailor.li)
Development Nintendo DS

WASM Program Bypasses node:wasi Filesystem Sandbox

2024-12-15

This project demonstrates a proof-of-concept showcasing how a WASM program can bypass the preopens directory restriction in node:wasi to access files outside the sandbox. Normally, WASM programs are limited to accessing pre-opened directories. However, by cleverly using symbolic links to replace files at a precise moment and running an external process, this limitation can be circumvented. This is not a practical security vulnerability in node:wasi, but rather a potential edge case. The project highlights that one shouldn't rely on node:wasi to completely prevent malicious code from accessing external files.

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(github.com)
Development

Exploring Climate Classification Systems: Beyond Köppen-Geiger

2024-12-14

This article delves into climate classification systems for Earth and beyond. It begins by introducing the widely used Köppen-Geiger system and its limitations. The author then analyzes various modifications and alternatives, including Trewartha, FAO, and Holdridge systems, comparing their differences in parameter selection, seasonality representation, and applicability. Ultimately, the author highlights the Prentice et al. BIOME1 model as a superior option due to its parameter choices and predictive accuracy, offering valuable insights for building more versatile climate classification systems.

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(worldbuildingpasta.blogspot.com)
Tech climate classification Köppen-Geiger BIOME1 model

Century-Scale Digital Storage: A Race Against Time

2024-12-14

This article explores the challenge of storing digital data for 100 years. From the invention of IBM's first hard drive-equipped computer, RAMAC, to the prevalence of cloud storage today, the author analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of various storage methods, including hard drives, cloud storage, removable media, and physical imprinting or printing. The article highlights the threats to long-term data preservation, such as physical damage to hardware, software updates, institutional changes, and market fluctuations. Ultimately, the author argues that the key to century-scale digital storage lies in establishing a culture that values maintenance and preservation, requiring a collective effort from all sectors of society to combat the erosion of time and safeguard humanity's digital heritage.

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(lil.law.harvard.edu)
Tech data storage digital archive long-term preservation

Astonishing Patterns of Prime Numbers in Polar Coordinates

2024-12-16

This article explores the phenomenon of prime numbers plotted on polar coordinates exhibiting spiral or linear patterns. The author uses Python code, employing SymPy to generate prime numbers and Matplotlib for visualization. Results show that as the number of primes increases, the pattern transitions from spirals to straight lines. This isn't unique to primes; it's related to rational approximations of $2pi$. The article explains the underlying mathematics and explores the connection between prime distribution and pattern sparsity.

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(jaketae.github.io)
Misc polar coordinates

Disruptive Country Ranking: The Baby Money Index (BMI) Emerges

2024-12-15

An economics article introduces a new country ranking metric—the Baby Money Index (BMI), which multiplies per capita Gross National Income by the square of the fertility rate. Unlike the traditional Human Development Index (HDI), the BMI focuses more on the long-term impact of population growth on the economy. The article points out that high income and high fertility are difficult to achieve simultaneously; many oil-rich or tax-haven countries top the list, while some developed countries rank lower due to low fertility rates. The United States outperforms any country with a population over 40 million, including the entire G12, due to its high BMI.

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(www.atvbt.com)
Misc country ranking baby money index economics

PhD Advisor Automates Writing Improvement with Shell Scripts

2024-12-14

To improve his PhD students' writing, an advisor created three shell scripts to detect passive voice overuse, weasel words, and duplicate words. Integrated into their LaTeX build system, these scripts encourage conscious choices for clarity and precision, rather than blind adherence to grammar rules. The advisor advocates for programmers using automation to combat writing weaknesses and recommends resources like "Style: The Basics of Clarity and Grace".

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(matt.might.net)
Development Shell scripts Technical writing Automation

Taming the Chaos: Centralizing and Structuring Error Handling in Go

2024-12-18

This article details the author's journey in tackling escalating error handling issues in a growing Go project. Initially, the simple approach to error handling devolved into chaos with confusing logs and untraceable errors. To solve this, a new error handling framework was designed and implemented. This framework employs a centralized, structured system using namespace codes to make errors meaningful and traceable. The core is a centralized declaration of error codes; each service layer returns only its own namespace codes, enriched with context information. The article thoroughly explains the design decisions, implementation, lessons learned, and migration strategy, offering valuable practical experience.

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(olivernguyen.io)
Development Error Handling Software Architecture

From Animal 'Factories' to Synthetic Biology: A Revolution in Biopharming

2024-12-15

Historically, many medicines and materials relied on animal extraction, such as antivenom from horse blood, endotoxin detection from horseshoe crab blood, and silk from silkworms. This article traces the journey from ancient Phoenicians using snails to extract Tyrian purple dye to the modern use of biotechnology to synthesize insulin, antibodies, and vaccines. While synthetic biology technologies can now replace many animal-derived products, some areas still rely on animals due to regulatory lag, molecular complexity, and challenges in scaling production, such as influenza vaccine production. The article highlights the enormous potential of synthetic biology to improve efficiency and reduce animal use, but also reminds us of the importance of protecting biodiversity, as the development of biotechnology also relies on exploration and utilization of the natural world.

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(worksinprogress.co)
Tech animal welfare

Scientists Discover Four New Species of Portuguese Man-of-War

2024-12-14

Recent research has uncovered four new species of the Portuguese man-of-war, challenging our understanding of this venomous creature. Far from being a single organism, the man-of-war is a colony of four or five distinct individuals, each responsible for functions like floating, stinging, digestion, and reproduction. This unique colonial structure is a marvel of natural engineering. Adding to its intrigue, the man-of-war inflates its float using carbon monoxide and reproduces via a mysterious process with poorly understood larval development. Furthermore, a parasitic fish, the bluebottle, feeds on the man-of-war's tentacles and gonads, further highlighting the species' complexity.

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(crookedtimber.org)
Tech Portuguese man-of-war new species marine biology

A New Paradigm for AI Interaction: Models as Computers

2024-12-15

This article explores the future of AI interaction, proposing a new paradigm: treating large language models (LLMs) as 'computer applications' instead of 'people'. The author argues that the current anthropomorphic approach is inefficient and limits the potential of LLMs. He suggests that LLMs should generate graphical interfaces, not just text conversations, to improve efficiency and discoverability, allowing users direct manipulation like with typical applications. This 'model-as-computer' paradigm will transform human-computer interaction and lead to novel experiences, such as dynamically generating interfaces tailored to user needs, potentially even replacing operating systems. The article cites existing technological prototypes and looks towards future developments.

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(willwhitney.com)
AI AI interaction Human-Computer Interaction

nCompass: Revolutionizing AI Inference Cost

2024-12-16

nCompass Technologies has developed innovative AI inference serving software that reduces the cost of serving AI models at scale by up to 50%. By utilizing custom AI inference software and a hardware-aware request scheduler with Kubernetes autoscaling, nCompass maintains high-quality service on fewer GPUs, resulting in up to a 4x improvement in response time and significantly reduced GPU infrastructure costs. Users access open-source models via API with no rate limits and receive a $100 signup credit. On-premises solutions are also available for businesses demanding cost-effectiveness and responsiveness.

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(www.ncompass.tech)
AI AI inference cost optimization

Programming Languages: Balancing Safety and Power

2024-12-15

This article explores the trade-off between safety and power in programming languages. The traditional view is that powerful languages, like C with its manual memory management, are inherently unsafe. However, the author argues this is outdated. Modern language research shows that greater expressiveness allows for both safety and power. The evolution of macros in Lisp, Scheme, and Racket exemplifies this, demonstrating how improved design can enhance macro capabilities while maintaining safety. Racket's macro system is presented as a best practice, combining hygienic code with powerful manipulation capabilities. The article concludes that safe and reliable systems build more capable and reliable software, and recommends resources for further learning about Racket macros.

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(lambdaland.org)
Development programming languages safety macros

Sensirion SGP41 TVOC Sensor Accuracy Test: Relative Changes, Not Absolute Values

2024-12-15

AirGradient conducted accuracy and precision tests on the Sensirion SGP41 TVOC sensor used in their air quality monitors. The tests revealed that the sensor effectively tracks relative changes in TVOC levels – detecting increases or decreases – but cannot provide precise absolute values. This is due to limitations inherent in low-cost VOC sensors, including lack of specificity, cross-sensitivity, environmental sensitivity, and baseline drift. While the sensor cannot precisely measure TVOC concentrations, it still offers practical value in identifying TVOC sources and for environmental monitoring. Future testing by AirGradient will explore sensor performance under various conditions to further understand its capabilities and limitations.

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(www.airgradient.com)
Hardware TVOC sensor air quality monitoring sensor accuracy

Visual Proof: a² – b² = (a + b)(a – b)

2024-12-15

Futility Closet's blog post presents a visual proof of the mathematical formula a² – b² = (a + b)(a – b), quoting Sophie Germain's insightful words: “It has been said that algebra is but written geometry and geometry is but diagrammatic algebra.” The post uses an easily understood diagram to demonstrate the formula, highlighting the elegance of mathematics and the strong relationship between algebra and geometry.

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(www.futilitycloset.com)
Misc mathematical proof geometry algebra

TeaVM 0.11.0 Released: New WebAssembly Backend

2024-12-15

TeaVM 0.11.0 has been released, featuring a brand new WebAssembly backend. The old WebAssembly backend, while functional, lacked adoption due to insignificant performance gains and a poor developer experience. The new backend, leveraging the WebAssembly GC proposal, addresses these issues, improving interaction with browser JS APIs and reducing binary file size. While currently slightly less feature-rich than the JS backend, it already supports JSO (Java-to-JS interaction API), aiming for parity in the next release. This release also includes bug fixes in BitSet implementation and adds support for various JS APIs, such as file reading, touch events, the Popover API, and Navigator.sendBeacon.

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(teavm.org)
Development
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