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Hospitals Reporting Mothers to Child Welfare After Administering Medications During Childbirth

2024-12-14

A surge in reports to child welfare agencies is occurring across the U.S. Hospitals are administering medications like pain relievers and sedatives during labor, then reporting mothers to child welfare when subsequent drug tests on the mother or newborn come back positive for the same substances. These positive tests, often false positives due to commonly prescribed medications, lead to police involvement, child welfare investigations, and even child removal. The investigation reveals a lack of verification procedures and excessive surveillance of pregnant women. Experts call for improved hospital drug testing and reporting protocols to prevent harm to mothers and families.

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(www.themarshallproject.org)
Misc Medical Malpractice Drug Testing Child Welfare

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

Carta's Difficult Subscription Cancellation Process Sparks Outrage Among Founders

2024-12-12

Funding management software Carta is facing criticism for its cumbersome subscription cancellation process. Several founders have taken to social media to complain about the difficulty of cancelling their subscriptions, citing mandatory meetings scheduled well after their renewal dates. While Carta attributes the issue to a temporary staffing shortage, competitors highlight their straightforward cancellation methods, involving simple clicks or emails. This controversy raises concerns about Carta's customer service and cancellation policies, underscoring the importance of careful consideration when choosing service providers.

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(techcrunch.com)
Startup subscription cancellation startup

Repurposing Old Smartphones as Kubernetes Cluster Nodes with postmarketOS

2024-12-13

The author built a functional Kubernetes cluster using discarded smartphones and the postmarketOS operating system. The article details the process, including the reasons for choosing old smartphones (substantial computing power, built-in batteries), the advantages of postmarketOS (Alpine Linux-based, uses the mainline Linux kernel), and challenges encountered during setup (kernel modules, network configuration). Solutions to these challenges are thoroughly explained. The author successfully repurposed old smartphones as Kubernetes nodes, efficiently utilizing resources and promoting sustainability.

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(blog.denv.it)
Development smartphone repurposing

Hacking Physics with a Napkin

2024-12-14

This article explores unconventional approaches to solving physics problems using simple estimation and dimensional analysis. The author demonstrates the power of these methods by calculating the speed of falling raindrops, the length of the E. coli genome, and the mass of a proton, among other examples. The article suggests this napkin-based approach can greatly enhance physics education and learning. Further techniques like Fermi estimation and random walks are introduced and applied to problems like estimating the E. coli genome length and determining the optimal speed for walking or running in the rain, showcasing their practicality.

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(hapax.github.io)
Misc dimensional analysis Fermi estimation

Philosophical Dead Ends in Evolutionary Theory

2024-12-15

This review examines Richard Dawkins's "The Genetic Book of the Dead" and Sara Imari Walker's "Life as No One Knows It." Dawkins continues his "selfish gene" theory, arguing that genes are the central driving force of evolution. However, the review points out that this view is outdated and fails to adequately consider factors such as development, epigenetics, and niche construction. Walker's book attempts to explain the origin of life from the perspective of assembly theory, but the review argues that it is overly simplistic and fails to fully clarify the essence of life. The article concludes that popular science books often tend towards simplistic narratives, ignoring the complexity and diversity of the field of biology.

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(lareviewofbooks.org)
AI evolution genes origin of life

AI Revolutionizes Protein Design: New Tool Unveiled

2024-12-15

Scientists have developed a groundbreaking AI-powered tool, RoseTTAFold, for designing novel proteins. This tool predicts the amino acid sequence of a protein based on a user-specified target structure, generating stable and functional proteins. This breakthrough promises to accelerate advancements in drug discovery, materials science, and bioengineering, offering new possibilities for addressing various challenges facing humanity. The technology holds the potential to revolutionize biomedicine by creating proteins with specific functions for treating diseases or developing new materials.

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(artexplorer.ai)
AI Protein Design Biomedicine

Is Creating a Perfectly Spherical Prince Rupert's Drop Possible?

2024-12-14

An engineering question explores the possibility of creating a perfectly spherical Prince Rupert's drop. Prince Rupert's drops are glass objects formed by dripping molten glass into cold water, their unique internal stresses making them incredibly tough except at the tail. The article discusses how, theoretically, in a zero-gravity environment by controlling the cooling rate and removing the effects of gravity, a spherical Prince Rupert's drop could be made, but significant practical challenges remain.

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(engineering.stackexchange.com)
Tech Prince Rupert's Drop Glass Material Science

Git Project Deadlocked Over Rust Integration

2024-12-13

The Git project is embroiled in a heated debate over the integration of the Rust programming language. Proponents argue that Rust's memory safety and ease of refactoring would enhance Git's security and developer experience. However, opponents express concerns that Rust integration could compromise support for niche platforms like NonStop, potentially hindering Git's long-term viability. NonStop's prevalence in the financial sector, its reliance on Git, and the lack of a Rust compiler for the platform complicate the issue. The discussion ultimately reached no resolution, leaving the Git project grappling with a critical decision between maintaining broad platform support and improving security and developer experience.

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(lwn.net)
Development Platform Support

Pink Floyd's 'The Wall': A Descent into Isolation and the Search for Meaning

2024-12-12

Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' is a groundbreaking concept album chronicling the fictional Pink's journey from childhood trauma to self-imposed isolation. Haunted by the loss of his father in World War II, a domineering mother, and the crushing weight of fame, Pink constructs a metaphorical wall to shield himself from emotional pain. This wall, built brick by brick through life's hardships, leads him to the brink of insanity. Yet, the narrative explores themes of freedom and responsibility, culminating in a theatrical mental trial that leaves the listener questioning the nature of life, loss, and redemption. Inspired by Roger Waters' personal experiences and disillusionment with stardom, 'The Wall' remains a powerful and enduring piece of musical art.

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(thewallanalysis.com)
Game The Wall Concept Album

ChatGPT's Name Filters Spark Controversy

2024-12-12

The AI chatbot ChatGPT has sparked controversy due to its built-in name filters. These filters prevent users from mentioning certain names, such as Brian Hood, Jonathan Turley, and Jonathan Zittrain, causing chat interruptions. The reason for filtering these names stems from previous instances where ChatGPT incorrectly generated information about these individuals, leading to legal disputes. While OpenAI claims the filtering of "David Mayer" was a glitch, the incident highlights the challenges LLMs face in handling sensitive information and the potential problems hard-coded filters can create.

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(arstechnica.com)
AI name filters

Svader: A Svelte Library for GPU-Rendered Components

2024-12-14

Svader is a library for creating GPU-rendered Svelte components using WebGL and WebGPU fragment shaders. Developers can write programs in fragment shaders to customize pixel colors and control rendering effects through parameter passing. Supporting Svelte 4 and 5, it offers WebGL and WebGPU rendering modes with built-in parameters like resolution, scale, and time. Svader simplifies GPU rendering with easy-to-use components and provides fallback rendering in environments lacking WebGL or WebGPU support.

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(github.com)
Development

The Science of Routing Print Orders at Canva

2024-12-14

Canva's engineering team built a configurable rules system for graph traversal to optimize print order routing. Decoupling graph building, traversal, and decision-making ensures high availability and scalability. It uses relational databases for data management and asynchronously generates a cached graph for fast querying. A rules engine and a modified minimum-cost flow algorithm find the optimal route in milliseconds, minimizing transport distance and carbon emissions, enhancing user experience and operational efficiency.

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(www.canva.dev)
Development graph traversal rules engine order routing

The World of Tomorrow: Why Did Progress Lose Its Glamour?

2024-12-12

This article explores the allure and subsequent fading of the 'World of Tomorrow' vision prevalent in the mid-20th century. It traces the evolution of societal yearnings for a better future, from the pursuit of efficiency, order, and speed to desires for exploration, adventure, and achievement, and finally, the longing for security, comfort, and ease. However, as technological advancements became reality, their flaws emerged, such as the blandness of industrialized food and the destructive nature of urban renewal projects. The author argues that disillusionment with progress stems from a misunderstanding of progress itself – the pursuit of 'one best way' rather than acknowledging diversity and individual preferences. To regain progress's charm, understanding contemporary aspirations and providing possibilities for various lifestyles, rather than a single future blueprint, is crucial.

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(worksinprogress.co)
Misc Technological Progress Cultural Shift Social Trends

The Secret to High-Performing Teams: Transactive Memory Systems

2024-12-15

This article explores the cornerstone of high-performing teams: Transactive Memory Systems (TMS). It's not about individual memory strength, but how teams effectively share and leverage members' knowledge and skills. Three types of team memory are introduced: working, long-term, and transactive memory, with a focus on how TMS enhances team performance. TMS comprises two elements: collaborative patterns and individual expertise. By building a TMS, teams unlock collective intelligence and overcome the impact of member changes. The article recommends methods like the Capability Comb, Team Manual, and deliberate practice to help teams quickly establish and improve their TMS.

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(emilywebber.co.uk)
Development knowledge sharing transactive memory system

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

NASA Visualizes Global Internal Ocean Tides

2024-12-13

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has released a stunning visualization of global internal ocean tides, created using satellite altimetry data and simulations. The animation showcases how internal tidal waves, generated by the interaction of underwater topography, such as the Hawaiian Ridge, and tidal energy, propagate across the ocean. While these waves have a subtle surface expression, they play a significant role in ocean mixing and circulation. The visualization also highlights other regions with strong internal tidal activity, including Tahiti, the Southwest Indian Ocean, and the Luzon Strait, offering new insights into ocean dynamics.

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(svs.gsfc.nasa.gov)
Tech ocean tides data visualization

Major Breakthrough in Nuclear Clock Technology Promises Ultraprecise Timekeeping

2024-12-13

An international research team led by scientists at JILA, a joint institute of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado Boulder, has made a significant advance in developing a novel nuclear clock. Nuclear clocks use energy transitions within an atom's nucleus to measure time, promising greater accuracy and resistance to external disturbances compared to atomic clocks. The team used a specially designed ultraviolet laser to precisely measure the frequency of an energy jump in thorium nuclei and an optical frequency comb to count the cycles. This breakthrough paves the way for more precise navigation, faster internet speeds, and advancements in fundamental physics research, potentially even aiding in the detection of dark matter or verifying the constancy of nature's constants.

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(www.nist.gov)
Tech nuclear clock ultraprecise timekeeping physics

Maker Builds Laser Shooting Game: From Legoland Ride to ESP32-Powered Halloween Fun

2024-12-13

Inspired by a Legoland Egyptian adventure ride, the author decided to create a similar shooting game. Using inexpensive ESP32 microprocessors, infrared laser guns, and homemade targets, he successfully built a Halloween-themed shooting game. Along the way, he learned Arduino and MicroPython programming, overcoming challenges in hardware connections, power supply, and communication. The game was a hit at school and home events. Future plans include improving target design, lighting effects, and circuit boards to enhance the gaming experience.

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(blog.langworth.com)
Development Maker

Microsoft Open-Sources MarkItDown: A File-to-Markdown Conversion Tool

2024-12-13

Microsoft has open-sourced MarkItDown, a Python tool that converts various files (including PDF, PowerPoint, Word, Excel, images, audio, and HTML) into Markdown format. The tool boasts a simple API, supports a wide range of file types, and incorporates OCR and speech transcription for enhanced functionality, making it ideal for text analysis or indexing. Contributions are welcome, and the project adheres to the Microsoft Open Source Code of Conduct.

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(github.com)
Development Markdown conversion file conversion Python tool

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

Open Source Pen Plotter Robot Project

2024-12-13

Robertleoj has open-sourced a project on GitHub called Pen Plotter Robot, a pen plotting robot. The project includes the robot's design, construction, and control program, aiming to help makers and enthusiasts learn about robotics and mechanical design. The code and documentation are publicly available for learning and improvement.

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(github.com)
Hardware pen plotter

Blogger Resurfaces 2004 MIT Spam Conference Talk Intro Video

2024-12-13

Blogger John Graham-Cumming recently shared on his blog the intro video from his 2004 MIT Spam Conference talk. The video cleverly uses the "All your base are belong to us" meme, adapting it to discuss spam and machine learning, and paying homage to Paul Graham. It showcases early machine learning applications in anti-spam and the blogger's creative and humorous approach to tech communication.

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(blog.jgc.org)
AI machine learning anti-spam

Node.js EPUB Library @smoores/epub Released

2024-12-13

A new Node.js library, @smoores/epub, has been released. It allows developers to inspect, modify, and create EPUB 3 publications. The library offers high-level APIs that simplify interaction with the EPUB specification, such as setting the title and retrieving author information. Lower-level APIs provide granular control over the EPUB structure, enabling tasks like adding chapters and metadata. Built upon fast-xml-parser, @smoores/epub provides robust XML parsing and manipulation capabilities, facilitating efficient handling of EPUB file XML content.

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(www.npmjs.com)
Development Library

NES Expansion Port Finally Awakens After 39 Years

2024-12-12

After 39 years of dormancy, the Nintendo Entertainment System's long-forgotten expansion port is finally being utilized in commercial products. This article explores the history of the NES expansion port and why it remained largely unused for so long, examining factors such as Nintendo's strategy, technological limitations, and the market environment. Now, thanks to the efforts of the open-source hardware community and enthusiasts, the expansion port is being used to add features like Bluetooth controller support and Famicom Disk System compatibility, marking a breakthrough in retro gaming console modding.

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(tedium.co)
Game expansion port retro gaming console modding

Hugging Face Spaces Launches ZeroGPU: Dynamic GPU Allocation for Enhanced AI Model Efficiency

2024-12-15

Hugging Face Spaces has introduced ZeroGPU, a shared infrastructure that dynamically allocates NVIDIA A100 GPUs to optimize GPU usage for AI models and demos. ZeroGPU offers free GPU access, multi-GPU support, and lowers the barrier to entry for deploying AI models. Users simply select ZeroGPU hardware when creating a Gradio Space and use the `@spaces.GPU` decorator for GPU-dependent functions. ZeroGPU is compatible with PyTorch and optimized for Hugging Face's transformers and diffusers libraries, but currently only works with the Gradio SDK. Personal accounts (PRO users) can create up to 10 ZeroGPU Spaces, while organization accounts (Enterprise Hub) can create up to 50.

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(huggingface.co)
AI GPU allocation

New Hash Functions Rain Hashes: Speed and Security Combined

2024-12-13

DOSAYGO Research has released Rain Hashes, a new family of hash functions featuring Rainbow and Rainstorm algorithms. Rainbow boasts exceptional speed, making it ideal for general-purpose hashing. Its C++ implementation has passed all SMHasher3 tests and is characterized by its concise and efficient code. Rainstorm prioritizes security; while not formally audited, its design incorporates elements from cryptographic hash functions and offers output sizes from 64 to 512 bits. The project provides C++, WASM, and Node.js implementations, along with a command-line tool and benchmark tests for easy evaluation and usage.

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(github.com)
Development hash function

Tenstorrent: An Analysis of the AI Hardware Startup Landscape

2024-12-15

This article delves into a deep dive analysis of Tenstorrent, an AI hardware startup. Initially skeptical, the author, after meeting with the Tenstorrent team and gaining a thorough understanding of their architecture (a mesh topology featuring high-performance RISC-V CPU cores and AI cores) and software stack, revised their opinion. The article details Tenstorrent's technical specifications, including its unique Baby RISC-V cores and efforts to reduce latency. The author argues that Tenstorrent's open-source strategy, strong engineering team, and rational business model give it a unique advantage in the competitive AI hardware market, expressing optimism for its future.

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(irrationalanalysis.substack.com)
AI AI hardware
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