Mixin: A Powerful Bytecode Weaving Framework for Java

2024-12-28
Mixin: A Powerful Bytecode Weaving Framework for Java

Mixin is a trait/mixin and bytecode weaving framework for Java using ASM, hooking into the runtime classloading process via pluggable services. It supports Mojang's LegacyLauncher (deprecated in favor of the more extensible ModLauncher), and is compatible with Java 8 and later. Mixin offers extensive documentation, Maven repositories, and tooling, including an Annotation Processor for handling obfuscation tasks, and integration with Eclipse and IntelliJ IDEA. Its version history details feature additions and bug fixes, aiding developers in choosing the appropriate version.

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Unthinkable Reconciliation: Rwandan Genocide Survivors Forgive Their Attackers

2025-01-12
Unthinkable Reconciliation: Rwandan Genocide Survivors Forgive Their Attackers

Thirty years after the Rwandan genocide, which claimed half a million lives in 100 days, an extraordinary reconciliation is underway. Survivors and perpetrators, through a community-based sociotherapy program called 'Mvura Nkuvure' (I heal you, you heal me), are forging unlikely friendships. The therapy focuses not on forgiveness, but on helping individuals cope with trauma and rebuild their lives. Through 15 weekly sessions, participants learn trust, care, and respect, ultimately focusing on the future. Many participants describe the therapy as life-changing, fostering connection and hope in a deeply scarred society.

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hyveOS: Serverless Swarm Orchestration for Drones and Robots

2025-01-17

hyveOS is a decentralized system for coordinating swarms of robots and drones, eliminating the need for internet connection or central servers. Developers can install hyved on various devices (like Raspberry Pis) and use diverse SDKs (including Python, Rust, JavaScript, etc.) to build applications. Its core strength lies in its decentralized architecture, enabling flexible and reliable swarm control adaptable to complex scenarios. Sample applications are provided for easy onboarding.

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Development

Npflared: A Free, Self-Hostable Private npm Registry

2024-12-24

Npflared is a free and open-source, self-hostable private npm registry built on Cloudflare's Worker, D1, and R2 services, allowing you to host it for free. Fully compatible with existing npm clients, Npflared provides a secure way for you and your team to manage private npm packages. Get the benefits of a full-fledged private registry with ease and enhance your development workflow.

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Development private registry

Google Search Now Requires JavaScript: Security or Something Else?

2025-01-17
Google Search Now Requires JavaScript: Security or Something Else?

Google has announced that its search engine now mandates JavaScript for use. The stated reason is to better protect against malicious activity like bots and spam, improving the overall user experience. However, this move may inconvenience users relying on accessibility tools and has sparked speculation about Google's intent to limit third-party search trend analysis tools. While Google claims the affected user percentage is minuscule, the sheer volume of daily Google searches means millions are still impacted, leading to widespread discussion.

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Zombie Mastermind: How Wasps Turn Caterpillars into Bodyguards

2025-03-19
Zombie Mastermind: How Wasps Turn Caterpillars into Bodyguards

Glyptapanteles wasps employ a horrifying life cycle: females inject up to 80 eggs into caterpillars. The larvae feed, then collectively emerge, leaving the caterpillar alive but manipulated. The larvae control the caterpillar, turning it into a bodyguard protecting their cocoons until it starves to death. Research by ecologist Arne Janssen at the University of Amsterdam shows this manipulation drastically improves the wasps' survival rates. This isn't simple parasitism; it's a brutal, efficient survival strategy showcasing nature's darker wonders.

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HTMX v2.0.4 Release Notes: Bug Fixes and Improvements

2024-12-14
HTMX v2.0.4 Release Notes: Bug Fixes and Improvements

The HTMX v2.0.4 release notes detail numerous bug fixes and improvements. This release focuses on stability and compatibility enhancements, including fixes for nested shadow root issues, improved `hx-boost` behavior on forms, better support for Web Components and Shadow DOM, and updated extensions for improved performance and reliability. Adjustments to the `htmx.ajax` function and optimizations to `hx-trigger` event handling are also included.

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Development Release Bug Fixes

Reverse-Engineering the Stone Age: An Experimental Archaeologist's Lab

2025-01-07
Reverse-Engineering the Stone Age: An Experimental Archaeologist's Lab

Metin Eren, an archaeologist at Kent State University, runs an experimental archaeology lab where he and his team recreate and test ancient technologies. Their work ranges from flint knapping and spear throwing to analyzing bullet ricochet marks and butchering bison with ancient tools. Eren emphasizes the rigorous scientific method behind his seemingly playful experiments, publishing numerous papers annually. His research highlights the limitations of traditional archaeology and the value of hands-on experimentation in understanding past cultures and technologies. The lab's focus is on using experimental archaeology to understand cultural evolution and the limitations of the archeological record.

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FTC Slams GoDaddy for Lax Data Security

2025-01-28
FTC Slams GoDaddy for Lax Data Security

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is taking action against GoDaddy for allegedly failing to implement reasonable security measures, leading to multiple data breaches since 2018. The FTC alleges GoDaddy misled customers about its data security protections. The proposed settlement requires GoDaddy to establish a comprehensive data security program and undergo independent security assessments. This action highlights the importance of robust security practices for web hosting providers and underscores the FTC's commitment to protecting consumer data.

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Data, Not Compute: The Next AI Bottleneck

2025-09-03
Data, Not Compute: The Next AI Bottleneck

For years, we've misinterpreted the Bitter Lesson; it's not about compute, but data. Increasing GPUs requires a 40% data increase, otherwise it's wasted resources. The internet's data is nearing saturation. The future lies in 'alchemists' (high-risk, high-reward data generation) and 'architects' (steadily improving model architecture), not just compute. The article analyzes the pros, cons, and risks of both paths, concluding that solving data scarcity in 2025 will determine AI company survival in 2026.

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Google Maps Timeline Data Lost: Technical Glitch Leaves Users with No Recovery Options

2025-03-24
Google Maps Timeline Data Lost: Technical Glitch Leaves Users with No Recovery Options

A technical issue with Google Maps has resulted in the loss of Timeline data for numerous users. Google recently transitioned Timeline data storage from the cloud to local devices to improve privacy. However, a technical glitch during this transition led to the accidental deletion of location history for many. Google has confirmed the issue; only users who proactively created encrypted cloud backups can recover their data.

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Tech Data Loss

Biomachining: Using Bacteria to Machine Metal

2025-01-28

Biomachining is a novel machining process employing lithotrophic bacteria, such as Thiobacillus ferrooxidans and Thiobacillus thiooxidans, to remove material from metal parts. These bacteria utilize the chemical energy from iron or copper oxidation to remove material from a metal surface when immersed in a culture fluid. Unlike traditional chemical or physical machining, biomachining offers a low material removal rate and a superior surface finish, making it ideal for micromachining. This process has been successfully used on pure iron and copper, and involves masking the areas not to be machined, similar to chemical milling. The process's depth is influenced by factors like stirring rate and temperature.

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Is Your Authorization System About to Explode? Five Warning Signs

2025-05-22
Is Your Authorization System About to Explode? Five Warning Signs

This article outlines five signs indicating potential problems with your application authorization system: permissions are a simple dictionary; updating role permissions requires changes in many places; inability to clearly answer 'what can an admin do?'; future need for custom roles and permissions; plans to break up the monolith into microservices. The article suggests using a declarative authorization model, centralizing authorization logic into a single service, and choosing an authorization platform designed for scalability and distributed systems, such as Oso, to address these issues.

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Development

Shared Unix Hosting vs. the Cloud: A Veteran Blogger's Migration Tale

2025-02-17

After 15 years with Dreamhost, a veteran blogger migrated their oils.pub domain to Mythic Beasts due to instability in Dreamhost's FastCGI support. The post explores the trade-offs between shared Unix hosting and cloud services. The author argues that while cloud services appear modern, they lack open protocols and long-term stability; shared hosting, while limited in options, offers better programmability and portability based on Unix, making it more suitable for lightweight scripting and long-term maintenance. Several shared hosting providers are compared, ultimately recommending Mythic Beasts and OpalStack for their strong Unix support.

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Development shared hosting

How AI is Changing the Tech Interview

2025-02-07
How AI is Changing the Tech Interview

AI's growing proficiency in complex tasks like coding is challenging traditional technical interview methods. The author recounts their experience, highlighting the shortcomings of LeetCode and system design interviews: overemphasis on algorithms and formulaic approaches, disconnect from real-world work. AI can now easily pass some technical interviews, forcing companies to rethink their processes. The author proposes incorporating code reviews, as they better assess candidates' ability to evaluate code quality, security, performance, etc. – crucial in the age of AI.

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Development Technical Interview

From $60M to Physics in Hawaii: A Former CEO's Journey of Self-Discovery

2025-01-02

After selling his company, a former CEO found himself adrift despite immense wealth and freedom. His journey involved forays into robotics, scaling a Himalayan peak, and working for DOGE, ultimately leading him to study physics in Hawaii. This dramatic tale reflects his inner turmoil and search for meaning. He ultimately realized that embracing uncertainty and foregoing grand ambitions is true freedom.

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Cloudflare's 2025 Internet Predictions: AI Everywhere, Privacy Takes Center Stage

2025-01-06
Cloudflare's 2025 Internet Predictions: AI Everywhere, Privacy Takes Center Stage

In a Cloudflare TV episode, Cloudflare CTO John Graham-Cumming reflects on 2024's achievements – advancements in Workers, AI capabilities, and hardware innovations – and offers predictions for 2025. He anticipates AI's seamless integration into daily life, but highlights the crucial balance between AI and privacy. Other key trends include quantum-resistant encryption, cybersecurity threats, IoT device proliferation, DDoS attacks, and zero-trust architecture adoption. Cloudflare's commitment to energy efficiency and reducing AI's carbon footprint is also emphasized.

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Tech

The Dopamine Economy: How Tech Giants Manipulate Your Brain

2025-02-01
The Dopamine Economy: How Tech Giants Manipulate Your Brain

This article explores how the 'addiction economy' manipulates the dopamine reward system to influence industries ranging from food to social media. The author argues that many of history's most successful companies rely on addictive mechanisms to create demand and profit, citing examples from tobacco, food, and pharmaceutical industries. The piece analyzes how tech companies, especially social media platforms, utilize algorithms to maximize user engagement, leading to addiction and mental health issues. Ultimately, the author warns that this addictive mechanism, combined with inherent human biases and conflict tendencies, can lead to severe societal consequences, urging caution regarding the risks of technological advancements.

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The Illustrated Guide to a PhD: A Visual Journey

2025-01-12

This article visually explains the PhD journey. Knowledge is represented as a circle, and a PhD is depicted as pushing the boundaries of that circle, making a dent representing the contribution of original research. The author uses simple diagrams to illustrate the stages involved, from undergraduate studies to the final breakthrough. The article emphasizes perseverance and the importance of seeing the bigger picture.

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Amazon Unveils Alexa+, the Next-Gen AI Assistant

2025-02-26
Amazon Unveils Alexa+, the Next-Gen AI Assistant

Amazon introduced Alexa+, its next-generation AI assistant powered by generative AI. Alexa+ is more conversational, intelligent, and personalized, helping users accomplish tasks ranging from entertainment and learning to organization, summarizing complex information, and engaging in diverse conversations. It can manage a smart home, make reservations, help discover new artists, and search for and purchase items online, offering personalized suggestions based on user interests. Simply ask, and Alexa+ delivers.

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AI

CONL: The Markdown of Configuration Files?

2025-04-26

Tired of the complexities of JSON, YAML, and TOML? A software engineer created CONL, a minimalist configuration file format aiming to be the "Markdown" of configuration files. CONL is easy to read and edit, features a JSON-like data model, and is simple to implement. It supports various data types including scalars, lists, and maps, with good support for multiline strings. The author also provides implementations for Rust and Go, along with a language server and Zed extension.

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Development configuration files

Salt Typhoon Continues Telecom Attacks Despite US Sanctions

2025-02-15
Salt Typhoon Continues Telecom Attacks Despite US Sanctions

Despite US sanctions, the Chinese government-linked hacking group Salt Typhoon continues its attacks on telecommunication providers, according to Recorded Future. Five telecom firms were breached between December 2024 and January 2025, including a US affiliate of a major UK provider, and companies in Italy, South Africa, and Thailand. Salt Typhoon exploited vulnerabilities in Cisco devices and conducted reconnaissance on Myanmar's Mytel. Universities were also targeted, possibly for research access. While the US Treasury sanctioned Sichuan Juxinhe Network Technology, linked to Salt Typhoon, Recorded Future expects the attacks to persist.

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Tech

No Silver Bullet: 10 Ways to Keep Secrets Out of Logs

2025-09-07

This blog post tackles the persistent problem of sensitive data leaking into logs. The author argues there's no single solution, but a multi-layered defense strategy is key. Six common causes are identified, including direct logging and error objects containing secrets. Ten solutions are proposed, ranging from architectural changes and data transformations to custom data types, read-once objects, log formatters, unit testing, sensitive data scanners, log pre-processors, taint checking, and team training. The author stresses a layered approach for robust protection.

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GitHub Project: Daily Dutch Vocabulary Email Automation

2024-12-27
GitHub Project: Daily Dutch Vocabulary Email Automation

This GitHub project automates the daily delivery of an email containing three C1-level Dutch words, their English translations, and example sentences. The author created this project due to a lack of suitable learning tools, leveraging ChatGPT for word suggestions and AWS services (including Lambda, DynamoDB, and SES) for automation. The project architecture is straightforward but offers room for improvement, such as refactoring the Python code for better performance.

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The Royal Navy's Century-Long Battle Against Lightning Rods

2025-03-07
The Royal Navy's Century-Long Battle Against Lightning Rods

In the mid-18th century, Benjamin Franklin elucidated the nature of lightning and advocated for lightning rods. Yet, a century later, the British Navy remained unconvinced. Dr. William Snow Harris invented a shipborne lightning rod system and demonstrated its principles through an ingenious booklet with interactive, gold-leafed illustrations. Despite his decades-long efforts, backed by data, experiments, and key lightning incidents, the Navy resisted. Only after political maneuvering was Harris finally successful in 1842, getting his lightning rods installed on all Royal Navy vessels. His victory was short-lived, however; the advent of ironclad ships rendered them obsolete. This story highlights the enduring struggle between scientific discovery and political decision-making.

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Diablo Speedrun Champion Exposed as Cheater

2025-02-15
Diablo Speedrun Champion Exposed as Cheater

Maciej "Groobo" Maselewski reigned supreme in Diablo speedrunning for years, his 3-minute, 12-second Sorceror run seemingly unbeatable. However, a team of speedrunners, attempting to replicate his seemingly lucky dungeon runs using external software, uncovered inconsistencies. An automated search through billions of legitimate Diablo dungeons proved Groobo's run impossible within the game's legitimate parameters. This revelation sparked controversy within the speedrunning community, exposing years of unearned praise and accolades based on fraudulent gameplay.

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Contribute to Transitous: An Open Source Public Transit Routing Service

2025-06-16

Transitous, a community-run public transport routing service built on the MOTIS engine and thousands of global datasets, powers features in apps like GNOME Maps. This post details how to contribute data improvements: First, verify Transitous data against reality; then, learn how to add and improve GTFS static data, GTFS Realtime data (including trip updates, service alerts, and vehicle positions), GBFS shared mobility data, and GTFS-Flex on-demand service data. Finally, it encourages contributions to OpenStreetMap data, particularly indoor floor level information. Transitous welcomes contributions of all kinds, whether code, data, math, transportation expertise, or IT operations.

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Development data contribution

Terminator 2D: No Fate - A Retro Sidescroller Revisits a Classic

2025-03-01
Terminator 2D: No Fate - A Retro Sidescroller Revisits a Classic

After a six-year hiatus, the Terminator franchise is roaring back with a retro-style sidescrolling game, Terminator 2D: No Fate. Players take on the roles of Sarah Connor, the T-800, and adult John Connor, experiencing diverse gameplay including stealth, shooting, and post-apocalyptic gunfights. The game adapts iconic scenes from Terminator 2: Judgment Day while also introducing original content and multiple endings, encouraging replayability as players navigate different paths to saving or dooming humanity. Launching September 5th on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, with retro platform releases planned later.

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Bypassing Windows Kernel Mitigations: A Deep Dive into Violet Phosphorus

2024-12-13

This post delves into bypassing modern Windows 10 and 11 kernel mitigations like SMEP and VBS. The author details Violet Phosphorus, a universal VBS/SMEP bypass technique, providing PoC code and a ROP chain. It explains SMEP and VBS, demonstrating how to exploit a vulnerability in the HackSysExtremeVulnerableDriver to use ROP gadgets and the MiGetPteAddress function to modify page table entries for kernel code execution. The author also shows how to use Kristal-G's SYSRET shellcode to return to user mode. This is a valuable resource for kernel exploit development and security researchers, categorized as Development.

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Statistical Formulas for Programmers: A Cheat Sheet

2025-03-13

This article compiles commonly used statistical formulas for programmers, covering averages, proportions, count data, and distribution comparisons. Each formula is explained concisely with context and references provided for further learning. This practical guide empowers programmers to enhance their data analysis skills, turning raw data into insightful conclusions.

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