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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

McKinsey to Pay $650 Million in Opioid Settlement, But Executives Avoid Charges

2024-12-14

Global consulting giant McKinsey & Company agreed to pay $650 million to settle a federal probe into its role in boosting opioid sales. While McKinsey admitted its strategies led to unsafe and unnecessary opioid prescriptions, and a former senior partner pleaded guilty to destroying documents, other executives escaped criminal charges. This highlights the ongoing issue of large corporations paying hefty fines for their role in the opioid crisis while their top executives rarely face consequences, raising concerns about corporate accountability.

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(www.npr.org)
Misc opioid crisis McKinsey corporate accountability

UK Tech Firms Face New Online Safety Regulations

2024-12-16

The UK's Online Safety Act has come into force, placing new safety responsibilities on tech companies. Ofcom has published its first codes of practice and guidance, requiring firms to assess and mitigate the risks of illegal content on their platforms, such as terrorism, hate speech, and child sexual abuse. New rules mandate enhanced content moderation, improved reporting mechanisms, and measures to protect children from sexual exploitation, including default settings to hide children's personal information. Ofcom will closely monitor tech companies' actions and impose strict penalties for non-compliance.

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(www.ofcom.org.uk)
Tech online safety UK tech companies

Fast LLM Inference Engine Built From Scratch

2024-12-15

This article details the author's journey in building an LLM inference engine from scratch using C++ and CUDA, without relying on any libraries. The process provided a deep dive into the full stack of LLM inference, from CUDA kernels to model architecture, showcasing how optimizations impact inference speed. The goal was to create a program capable of loading weights from common open-source models and performing single-batch inference on a single CPU+GPU server, iteratively improving token throughput to surpass llama.cpp. The article meticulously outlines the optimization steps on both CPU and GPU, including multithreading, weight quantization, SIMD, kernel fusion, and KV cache quantization, while analyzing bottlenecks and challenges. The final result achieves near state-of-the-art performance for local LLM inference.

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(andrewkchan.dev)
Development LLM inference

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

Buzee: Open-Source Full-Text Search App Released

2024-12-14

Buzee is a cross-platform, full-text search application built with Rust and Svelte. It allows for fast searching of local files, folders, browser history, and more, even extracting text from PDFs and images using OCR. Developed over two years, this project showcases a robust architecture using Tauri for performance, SQLite and Tantivy for indexing, and a clean Svelte frontend. While feature-rich, it still has some areas for future development, and the author is releasing it open-source for others to contribute.

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(github.com)
Development full-text search

Wikipedia's Fundraising: A Closer Look at the Millions

2024-12-16

Wikipedia, known for its free information, conducts aggressive fundraising campaigns. This article reveals the Wikimedia Foundation has amassed hundreds of millions of dollars, far exceeding the site's operational needs. The vast sums aren't used to compensate volunteer editors but instead fund a large staff (550 employees) and high executive salaries, leading to discontent among volunteers. The article urges readers to reconsider donating, questioning the efficiency and transparency of funds and highlighting potential political biases.

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(unherd.com)
Misc fundraising financial transparency

Battery-Free Energy-Harvesting Holiday Card Unveiled

2024-12-14

In 2024, Jeff Keacher, Sean Beever, and Sophie created a battery-free electronic holiday card. This ingenious card cleverly harvests ambient radio waves and light energy (not from a traditional solar panel) to power its LEDs and is remotely controllable via a 2.4 GHz WiFi network. Designed for maximum power efficiency, it averages just 400 nanowatts of power consumption and can even be powered by the RF energy leaked from a microwave oven.

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(www.keacher.com)
Tech energy-harvesting battery-free wireless control

SVC16: The Simplest Virtual Computer Challenges Programmers

2024-12-15

SVC16 is a minimalist 16-bit virtual computer designed for ultimate simplicity. It features no CPU registers, performing all operations within a single memory chunk. The instruction set is extremely streamlined, lacking bells and whistles like sound or variable screen size. Programmers are challenged to write machine code and compilers themselves, creating amazing feats with the simplest of tools. The project provides an emulator to run user-created programs and even games. This is a perfect project for learning low-level computer principles and honing programming skills.

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(github.com)
Development virtual computer 16-bit programming challenge

OCR Challenge: Digitizing Saint-Simon's Memoirs

2024-12-17

The author spent several weeks using OCR to digitize a late 19th-century edition of the 18th-century French memoirs, *Les Mémoires de Saint-Simon*. This 45-volume behemoth, containing over 3 million words, is available online as images, but is difficult to read. The goal was to create a readable, searchable, and copyable text version. Challenges included poor image quality and parsing different page zones (headers, main text, margin comments, footnotes, etc.). Google Vision API was used for OCR, with a Python program processing the results to identify and separate text from different areas. While LLMs failed to reliably handle footnote references, the author improved the program and incorporated manual review, resulting in the release of the first volume.

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(blog.medusis.com)
Development Text Processing Digital Humanities

Make Your QEMU 10 Times Faster: A Weird Trick

2024-12-17

While debugging NixOS tests, Linus Heckemann discovered painfully slow data copying times (over 2 hours) in a QEMU virtual machine. Performance analysis with `perf` revealed that QEMU's 9p server used an inefficient linked list (O(n) complexity) for file lookups. By switching to a hash table provided by glib (O(1) complexity), he reduced the test time to 7 minutes and successfully contributed the optimization to the QEMU project.

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(linus.schreibt.jetzt)
Development 9p protocol

Fractional Jobs: The Rise of the Fractional Workforce

2024-12-15

Fractional Jobs is a job board specializing in fractional work, connecting companies with expert part-time talent. Offering a flexible alternative to full-time hires, the platform features a wide range of roles across various functions, from engineering and marketing to design and finance. Companies benefit from access to specialized skills on a monthly retainer basis, while professionals can build their careers and earn supplemental income. The platform boasts a large network of pre-screened candidates and promises quick matches between companies and talent.

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(www.fractionaljobs.io)
Startup fractional work part-time jobs freelance

Exotic New Superconductors Delight and Confound

2024-12-13

Three new types of superconductors were discovered this year, challenging our understanding of this phenomenon. These two-dimensional materials, like graphene, exhibit unprecedented flexibility, switching between insulating, conducting, and superconducting states with simple adjustments. One even defies expectations by strengthening in a magnetic field. These discoveries deepen the mystery of superconductivity while offering hope for room-temperature superconductors, potentially revolutionizing energy and transportation.

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(www.quantamagazine.org)
Physics superconductors 2D materials quantum physics

The Cyclic Identity for Partial Derivatives: Unraveling the Mystery of -1

2024-12-16

This article explores the cyclic identity for partial derivatives: ∂z/∂x * ∂x/∂y * ∂y/∂z = -1, rather than the intuitive 1. Through examples and various proof methods, including differential forms and geometric interpretations, the article reveals the mathematical principles behind this seemingly counterintuitive identity. The author also discusses its applications in physics and offers intuitive explanations.

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(johncarlosbaez.wordpress.com)
Misc partial derivatives differential forms mathematical physics

Engineer Implements Reversible 1D Cellular Automata Using Bitwise Operations

2024-12-12

Richard Palethorpe, an engineer, created a demo using the GFXPrim library showcasing a one-dimensional binary cellular automaton and its reversible counterpart. The automaton evolves based on rules where each cell's state is determined by its own state and those of its left and right neighbors. The article details bitwise operation optimizations, such as parallel processing of multiple cells using 64-bit integers and bit rotation to simulate neighbor interaction. Reversible implementation is achieved by XORing with the previous state. The author explores compiler optimization and vectorization impacts on performance and ultimately implements an efficient rendering method.

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(richiejp.com)
Development cellular automata bitwise operations reversible computing

The Robot Dance: A Co-evolution of Technology and Art

2024-12-15

This article explores the evolution of the robot dance in art and technology. Starting with Kraftwerk's song "We Are the Robots," the author traces the shift in dance styles from mechanical to organic, and the human fascination with the machinic aesthetic. The author points out that modern robots have transcended traditional robotic movements, exhibiting more fluid and lifelike motions. This shift reflects the co-evolution of technology and art, and humanity's perception of machinery has transformed from initial fear and alienation to closeness and acceptance.

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(contraptions.venkateshrao.com)
AI robots art

From New Grad to Meta Staff Engineer in 3 Years: Evan King's Success Story

2024-12-14

Evan King shares his journey of rapidly advancing from a new graduate to a Staff Engineer at Meta in just three years. His six key principles for success include: prioritizing speed and efficiency to free up time for growth; broadening perspective to think strategically like a higher-level engineer; embracing uncertainty and sharing ideas freely; focusing on problem-solving over technical complexity; building goodwill and strong relationships; and maintaining a positive attitude. While acknowledging the role of luck and timing, Evan emphasizes the importance of cultivating sustainable habits that compound over time, focusing on core competencies and strategically utilizing the extra bandwidth created by efficiency.

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(www.developing.dev)
Development career growth promotion software engineering

Vim: A Programming Language Beyond an Editor

2024-12-15

Vim is more than just a text editor; it's a language for interacting with your computer. Its concise and efficient command structure is easy to learn and remember, and also easy for a computer to interpret. While Vim itself is powerful, its core strength lies in the fact that its mode has been integrated into almost every mainstream code editor, allowing developers to flexibly choose their preferred editor interface while retaining Vim's efficient command language. Therefore, NeoVim, as the most complete and consistent implementation of the Vim language, is valuable for providing this efficient editing language, not just the editor itself.

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(blog.jonas.foo)
Development editor

Graphene Interconnects Could Rescue Moore's Law

2024-12-14

Destination 2D, a California-based startup, claims to have solved two longstanding challenges in integrating graphene into chip manufacturing: high-temperature deposition and low charge carrier density. They've developed a technique to deposit graphene interconnects at 300°C, compatible with traditional CMOS processes. Furthermore, using intercalation doping, they've achieved graphene current densities 100 times that of copper. This technology promises to extend Moore's Law and support future generations of semiconductor technology.

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(spectrum.ieee.org)
Hardware graphene Moore's Law semiconductors

Farebox: A Multimodal Routing Project in Rust

2024-12-14

Farebox is a fast RAPTOR implementation in Rust designed for memory-constrained machines. It leverages Valhalla for transfers and first/last mile routing, supporting multi-agency and timezone-aware routing. The project aims to supplement OpenTripPlanner, providing infill service for areas not covered by existing instances. Memory mapping is used for timetables to enable planet-scale coverage with a single instance and reduce hosting costs. Future plans include GTFS-RT support and potentially rRAPTOR for simultaneous itinerary calculation across various departure times.

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(github.com)
Development Routing

Home Assistant's Internet Accessibility Security Flaw

2024-12-15

Frederik Braun attempted to use Home Assistant for remote smart home control but discovered a significant security vulnerability. While Home Assistant offers username/password and two-factor authentication, its inability to handle URLs with embedded credentials and its requirement for root path deployment prevent additional security layers like web server authentication or obfuscated paths. This leaves Home Assistant's security solely reliant on its internal mechanisms, creating a security risk. The author calls on the Home Assistant community to improve its security configuration flexibility.

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(frederikbraun.de)
Development Remote Access

Mammoths Were a Staple Food Source for Ancient Americans

2024-12-14

New research reveals that mammoths and other large animals were a primary food source for ancient Americans. Using stable isotope analysis, scientists modeled the diet of the mother of an infant found at a 13,000-year-old Clovis burial site in Montana. Results showed that approximately 40% of her diet consisted of mammoth, with other large animals like elk and bison making up the remainder. Small mammals played a minimal role. This supports the hypothesis that Clovis people specialized in hunting large game, explaining their rapid expansion across North and South America. The study also highlights the researchers' collaboration and respect for Indigenous communities and their heritage.

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(www.uaf.edu)
AI mammoths Clovis people ancient diet

Victorian Novels Highlight Fragility of Public Health

2024-12-15

Victorian-era novels reveal the shockingly high child mortality rates from infectious diseases, underscoring the fragility of public health today. The article highlights that in the first half of the 19th century, 40-50% of children in the U.S. died before age 5, with similar rates in UK slums. Tuberculosis, smallpox, and diphtheria were major killers. However, advancements in sanitation, regulations (food safety), and medicine (vaccines, antibiotics) have drastically reduced child mortality. Victorian novels, with their poignant depictions of grief over lost children, serve as a cautionary tale: the progress made is not guaranteed and complacency regarding public health measures, such as vaccination rates, could lead to a resurgence of deadly diseases.

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(theconversation.com)
Misc public health child mortality Victorian era

Clojure Error Handling: No Silver Bullet, Only Choices

2024-12-14

Clojure offers a diverse range of error-handling approaches, with no single best practice. The article explores several methods: throwing native exceptions, using `ex-info` for data-carrying exceptions, returning error maps, and utilizing various libraries for more sophisticated error handling flows, such as the `anomalies` library or options like `pact` and `failjure`. The author emphasizes that the choice depends on the specific context and that a mix of approaches can coexist within a single project. Developers are empowered to select the most appropriate solution for their needs; Clojure embraces this freedom.

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(www.daveliepmann.com)
Development error handling

GNU Make's New --shuffle Mode: Uncovering Hidden Bugs in Parallel Builds

2024-12-16

For eleven years, elusive bugs plagued parallel builds in GNU Make. Inspired by this, a new `--shuffle` mode was developed to randomly reorder Makefile targets, simulating non-deterministic build order. This effectively revealed hidden bugs in over 30 packages, including gcc, vim, and ghc. Now part of GNU Make 4.4, this mode is accessible via `make --shuffle` or the `GNUMAKEFLAGS=--shuffle` environment variable. This powerful feature helps developers identify and resolve parallel build issues, highlighting the continuous improvement of software development tools.

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(trofi.github.io)
Development parallel build bug fixing

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

Breakthrough in Reachability Analysis of the Domain Name System

2024-12-12

Researchers have presented the first decision procedure for verifying the Domain Name System (DNS), establishing its complexity as 2ExpTime. The study formalizes DNS semantics and uses a novel abstraction based on positive prefix-testable languages, reducing the DNS verification problem to the verification problem for pushdown systems. This approach effectively models attack vectors in DNS, such as amplification attacks and rewrite blackholing, providing a new theoretical foundation for ensuring DNS security and reliability.

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(arxiv.org)
Development DNS security formal verification reachability analysis

Microsoft Unveils Phi-4: A Small Language Model Excelling in Complex Reasoning

2024-12-15

Microsoft has introduced Phi-4, a new 14-billion parameter small language model (SLM) that outperforms larger models in complex reasoning tasks, particularly in mathematics, surpassing even Gemini Pro 1.5 on math competition problems. This achievement is attributed to high-quality synthetic and organic datasets and post-training innovations. Currently available on Azure AI Foundry under an MSRLA, Phi-4 will launch on Hugging Face next week. Microsoft emphasizes its commitment to responsible AI development, integrating robust safety features into Phi-4's design and deployment.

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(techcommunity.microsoft.com)
AI small language model complex reasoning

IRATA.ONLINE: Retro Computing Community Gets PLATOTerm Updates

2024-12-14

IRATA.ONLINE, a PLATO-based online service for retro-computing enthusiasts, has released updated versions of its PLATOTerm terminal emulator. Now supporting Atari 8-bit, C64, Amiga, and Android, IRATA.ONLINE offers a multi-user graphical interface, multiplayer games, social features, and a development environment. This platform aims to revive the PLATO system, providing a unique social and development experience for users.

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(irata.online)
Game terminal emulator
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