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Finishing Side Projects with LLMs and Cursor

2025-01-04
Finishing Side Projects with LLMs and Cursor

This blog post details how the author dramatically improved their side project completion rate using LLMs and the Cursor IDE. Facing time constraints, they leveraged AI to refine project specifications, bootstrap code generation, and iterate effectively. A habit tracker website serves as a case study, walking through the process from initial spec (refined with ChatGPT) to deployment via GitHub Actions. Key strategies include using Vite for project setup, Cursor's agent mode for code generation, iterative development with a divide-and-conquer approach, and providing ample context to the LLMs. The author emphasizes the importance of choosing the right LLM and Cursor mode for different tasks, ultimately delivering a functional v1 of the habit tracker.

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(zohaib.me)
Development AI-assisted development productivity tools

GNU Make Standard Library: A Powerful Function Library for Makefiles

2025-02-05

The GNU Make Standard Library (GMSL) is a collection of functions implemented using native GNU Make functionality. It provides list and string manipulation, integer arithmetic, associative arrays, stacks, and debugging facilities. Released under the BSD License, GMSL includes a test suite and offers features like logical operators, list/string manipulation, set operations, integer arithmetic, associative arrays, named stacks, function memoization, and debugging tools. It simplifies complex Makefile creation.

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(gmsl.jgc.org)
Development Function Library

Modeling the Fellowship's Social Network with SQL

2025-02-17

This code snippet demonstrates a simple relational database model depicting friendships within Tolkien's Lord of the Rings universe. Using SQL `INSERT` statements, it defines 'friend' edges connecting characters like Frodo, Sam, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Bilbo, illustrating their social network. This provides foundational data for analyzing character relationships and building a social graph.

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(www.richard-towers.com)
Development relational model

Visualizing Your Python Project's Dependency Graph with Tach

2025-01-25

This article demonstrates how to visualize your Python project's dependency graph using the Tach tool. In just a few steps—installing Tach, defining module boundaries, syncing dependencies, and viewing the dependency graph—developers gain a clear understanding of project structure and inter-module dependencies. This facilitates code refactoring, improves code quality, and helps avoid circular dependencies. Tach also allows enforcing module boundaries and defining strict interfaces, leading to cleaner, more maintainable projects.

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(www.gauge.sh)
Development Dependency Graph

Ancient Galaxy's Oxygen Discovery Challenges Early Universe Theories

2025-03-20
Ancient Galaxy's Oxygen Discovery Challenges Early Universe Theories

Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have detected oxygen in JADES-GS-z14-0, the most distant galaxy ever confirmed. Light from this galaxy traveled 13.4 billion years to reach us, showing it as it was when the universe was just 300 million years old. The surprising discovery of significant amounts of oxygen, a heavy element, suggests the galaxy is far more chemically mature than expected—a 'teenager' instead of an 'infant.' This challenges prevailing theories about galaxy formation in the early universe and prompts a rethink of how rapidly galaxies evolved.

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(www.eso.org)
Tech galaxy evolution ALMA telescope

Firefox Enforces Certificate Transparency, Boosting Web Security

2025-03-01
Firefox Enforces Certificate Transparency, Boosting Web Security

Firefox is mandating Certificate Transparency (CT) on desktop platforms, a significant advancement in web security. Starting with version 135, Firefox will reject certificates not meeting CT requirements, ensuring high transparency standards for all trusted certificates. This means website owners should verify their certificates are logged and publicly discoverable in CT logs. While most websites require no action, checking the Certificate Authority (CA) for CT support and monitoring certificates is crucial. Firefox's embrace of tile-based logs further strengthens the CT ecosystem, resulting in a safer browsing experience for users.

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(blog.transparency.dev)
Tech certificate transparency

Designing the w3m Logo: Minimalist Elegance

2025-01-04

This article details the design process of a logo for w3m, a text-mode web browser. The author cleverly uses three similar shapes, inspired by the three letters in 'w3m', and leverages SVG's and tags to create a simple, understandable, and easily reproducible logo. The final design omits an initial skew to better align with w3m's minimalist philosophy.

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(toast.al)
Design logo design minimalism

Migrating a Large-Scale Game Server from Scala 2.13 to Scala 3: A Year-Long Odyssey

2025-02-06
Migrating a Large-Scale Game Server from Scala 2.13 to Scala 3: A Year-Long Odyssey

This post details the author's journey migrating a four-year-old, production-ready multiplayer mobile game server from Scala 2.13 to Scala 3. An initial attempt failed due to the removal of key features in Scala 3 (macro annotations, type projections) and the massive code changes required. A year later, a successful migration was achieved through a multi-pronged approach: preemptively applying Scala 3 syntax in the Scala 2 codebase, leveraging IntelliJ's code inspection tools, custom sbt source generators to produce Monocle lenses, and creative workarounds for type projections. Challenges encountered included dependency conflicts and slow compile times, resolved by forking a library, optimizing code using Scala 3's Tuple.Map, and other techniques. Despite the hurdles, the migration highlights the power and value of Scala 3's metaprogramming capabilities.

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(blog.pierre-ricadat.com)
Development

Heap Explorer: A Powerful Glibc Heap Debugger

2025-02-06
Heap Explorer: A Powerful Glibc Heap Debugger

`explore_heap` is a glibc heap debugger loaded via `LD_PRELOAD` that allows interactive inspection and manipulation of a program's heap memory. By loading `libheap_explorer.so` and interrupting the program with a SIGINT signal (Ctrl+C), users enter a REPL to allocate, free chunks, and print freelists, tcache, fastbin, and bin lists, aiding in debugging memory-related issues. Currently tested on Arch Linux's glibc 2.41+, adaptation for other modern glibc versions requires adjusting constants.

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(github.com)
Development heap debugging memory management

GitHub: Surface-Stable Fractal Dithering

2025-01-23
GitHub: Surface-Stable Fractal Dithering

Rune Skovbo Johansen invented a novel surface-stable fractal dithering technique. This allows dither patterns in 3D scenes to stick to surfaces while maintaining approximately constant dot size and spacing on screen, even as surfaces move. This GitHub repository provides a Unity example project, shader and texture source files, and details on dither properties and global options like radial compensation and quantized layers. The technique achieves this by dynamically adding or removing dots, and offers 3D textures of varying dot densities. Licensed under MPL-2.0, encouraging community contributions.

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(github.com)
Development 3D Graphics Dithering

Why You Should Never Use Your ISP's Router

2025-02-02

This blog post delves into the numerous reasons why you should avoid using your internet service provider's (ISP) modem and router. The author cites countless examples demonstrating the security vulnerabilities, poor performance, lack of updates, and potential for surveillance inherent in ISP-provided equipment. Security risks include default passwords leaving devices vulnerable to hacking, while functionality is often limited, impacting user experience. Finally, the long-term cost of renting often exceeds purchasing your own. The author strongly advocates for buying your own router and modem for superior security and performance.

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(routersecurity.org)
Tech

Google Utopia Gone Wrong: Locked Out of Paradise

2025-06-17
Google Utopia Gone Wrong: Locked Out of Paradise

A devoted Google fanboy moves into a Google-designed smart city. Initially, life is idyllic, but a seemingly arbitrary violation of terms of service results in him being locked out of his apartment and all his Google-connected devices. His attempts to regain access lead to a Kafkaesque legal battle and imprisonment. The story satirizes over-reliance on technology, loss of autonomy, and the potential dangers of unchecked corporate control over personal lives.

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(theandrewbailey.com)
Misc Privacy Risks Tech Dependence

Mistral CEO: Nations Must Build Their Own AI Infrastructure to Avoid Economic Dependence

2025-03-24
Mistral CEO: Nations Must Build Their Own AI Infrastructure to Avoid Economic Dependence

Mistral CEO Arthur Mensch argues that AI will have a double-digit impact on every country's GDP in the coming years. He urges nations to build independent AI systems to avoid economic dependence on others, likening it to the importance of building electricity factories a century ago. He sees AI not just as technology, but as a vehicle for cultural and societal values, requiring greater involvement. Mistral, a rapidly growing European AI company, is focused on developing open-source large language models, competing with companies like OpenAI, and boasts faster model speeds. Mensch is a strong advocate for open-source, believing it accelerates AI development, a principle that guided Mistral's creation.

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(www.businessinsider.com)
Tech economic dependence

Desmos: Free and Beautiful Math

2025-01-28

Desmos is a free online graphing calculator known for its clean, intuitive interface and powerful features. Users can plot various functions, perform algebraic calculations, and create interactive mathematical models. It's a valuable tool for students learning math and teachers leading lessons, enhancing both learning and teaching efficiency. Its ease of use and comprehensive functionality make it ideal for math enthusiasts and professionals alike.

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(www.desmos.com)
Education math tools

The Magic of Metalinguistic Programming: Simplifying Code with Interpreters

2025-01-01
The Magic of Metalinguistic Programming: Simplifying Code with Interpreters

This article explores the power of metalinguistic programming, specifically using interpreters to simplify complex code. The author uses Lisp expression simplification as an example, showing how building an 80-line Scheme interpreter and 30 rules can accomplish a task that would otherwise require thousands of lines of code. The key is shifting the programming paradigm to data-driven rule matching, avoiding significant code duplication. While not magic, the author argues this metalinguistic abstraction is a powerful tool worthy of further exploration.

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(ericnormand.substack.com)
Development Metalinguistic Programming Interpreter Code Simplification

Revolutionizing the Moon Phase Watch Mechanism: The Lunase Approach

2025-01-18

This article delves into the accuracy issues of moon phase displays in watches. Traditional mechanisms use simple occluding disks, failing to accurately simulate the elliptical terminator and its varying speed during the lunar cycle. The author presents Lunase, a novel mechanism using multiple semi-circular gears working in concert to more precisely mimic the waxing and waning moon. A clever cam mechanism resets the phase automatically. The article also explores alternative moon phase display solutions, analyzing their feasibility and accuracy. The Lunase project culminated in a working prototype desk clock, proving the mechanism's viability.

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(genuineideas.com)
Design watch design mechanical design moon phase display

The Hidden Engineering of Wildlife Crossings

2024-12-21
The Hidden Engineering of Wildlife Crossings

The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, a $92 million project near Los Angeles, is the world's largest wildlife crossing of its kind. This article delves into the engineering behind these vital structures, addressing the challenges of habitat fragmentation, noise pollution, and wildlife-vehicle collisions caused by roads. It explores various design aspects, including site selection, crossing types (underpasses, overpasses, culverts), fencing strategies, and attracting animals to use the crossings. The article highlights the different crossing behaviors of various species and corresponding engineering solutions, such as elevated bridges for large animals and culverts for smaller ones. Design considerations include animal behavior, topography, vegetation, and ensuring the crossings blend seamlessly into the landscape, minimizing human-wildlife conflict.

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(practical.engineering)
Tech Wildlife Crossings Engineering Ecology

Apple Cancels AR Glasses Project, Signaling Vision Pro Struggles

2025-01-31
Apple Cancels AR Glasses Project, Signaling Vision Pro Struggles

Apple has canceled its project to build advanced augmented reality glasses (codenamed N107), designed to pair with its devices. This follows the underwhelming reception of the $3,499 Apple Vision Pro headset. The N107 project aimed for a more consumer-friendly, affordable AR experience, but faced challenges in technology and cost. The cancellation represents a setback for Apple's AR ambitions and highlights the difficulty in creating successful consumer AR devices. While Apple continues development on Vision Pro successors and other AR technologies, the N107 cancellation impacts morale and underscores ongoing challenges in the market.

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(finance.yahoo.com)
Tech AR glasses

Apple's AI Backfires: Rewording Scam Messages to Look Legit

2025-01-09
Apple's AI Backfires: Rewording Scam Messages to Look Legit

Apple's new AI feature, "Apple Intelligence," aims to summarize and prioritize notifications. However, it's inadvertently rewording scam emails and texts to appear more legitimate, even flagging them as priority. This raises concerns that it could lead to more people falling victim to scams. Screenshots from users show the feature failing to distinguish between genuine and fraudulent messages, even prioritizing obvious scams. Experts warn this could make users more susceptible to scams due to the trust placed in Apple's AI summaries. Apple has yet to respond.

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(www.crikey.com.au)
Tech Scam Messages

Kaggle Competition: A Biased Metric and the Unexpected Power of XGBoost

2025-02-23

The author participated in a Kaggle competition to predict survival chances after a bone marrow transplant. The competition's evaluation metric is a stratified concordance score designed to avoid overly disparate predictions for different racial groups. However, this metric has flaws: improving the score for one group doesn't always improve the overall score; it can even decrease it. While using an XGBoost model, the author found that simple decision tree ensemble models were more effective than complex statistical models, and explored the differences between statistical and machine learning approaches. Finally, the author discovered that adjusting the scale parameter of the AFT distribution significantly impacted model accuracy and posed several open questions for improving the model.

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(blog.griffens.net)
Development

Programmer Focus Indicator: The Birth of FlowLight

2024-12-15

Inspired by a research paper on the impact of work interruptions, programmer Shae Erisson DIYed a system called FlowLight to indicate whether a programmer is in a focused "flow" state. The system monitors idle time in the Emacs editor; when the programmer is inactive for a period, an Adafruit MagTag board's LED changes color (green for idle, red for busy). Erisson also wrote an HTTP server in CircuitPython to remotely control the LED color and display status. While the system has room for improvement, such as more granular idle time monitoring and a more visually appealing display, it effectively helps programmers avoid interruptions and improve productivity.

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(www.scannedinavian.com)
Development programmer focus flow

SAP's Ex-CTO Paid €7.1M After Sexual Harassment Allegations

2025-03-03
SAP's Ex-CTO Paid €7.1M After Sexual Harassment Allegations

Former SAP CTO Jürgen Müller received a €7.1 million severance package after leaving the company following allegations of sexual harassment. The incident occurred at a company event, and Müller admitted to inappropriate behavior and apologized. The investigation concluded, resulting in a mutual agreement for his departure. Meanwhile, other executives, Scott Russell and Julia White, received severance payments of €12.6 million and €9 million respectively. Despite these high-profile departures and significant payouts, SAP reported strong 2024 results, with cloud and software revenue reaching €29.96 billion and operating profit exceeding expectations. SAP's share price has also increased by approximately 50 percent in the past year.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech sexual harassment executive departures severance packages

How 168 Spanish Soldiers Conquered a Million-Strong Inca Empire

2025-03-29
How 168 Spanish Soldiers Conquered a Million-Strong Inca Empire

This article recounts the incredible story of 168 Spanish soldiers conquering the Inca Empire, a civilization boasting millions of inhabitants. The author delves into Pizarro's conquest, examining his background, Spanish military technology (cavalry, iron weaponry, firearms), tactical superiority, and fortuitous circumstances like the Inca civil war and smallpox epidemic. A comparison with Cortes's conquest of the Aztecs is drawn, highlighting leadership, diplomacy, and brutality. Ultimately, the article argues that the Spanish success stemmed not only from technological and tactical advantages but also from the exceptional decision-making and strategic acumen of Pizarro and other conquistadors.

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(mattlakeman.org)
Tech Spanish Conquest Inca Empire Military History

UK Online Safety Act Forces Shutdown of Long-Running Zombie MMO

2025-03-05
UK Online Safety Act Forces Shutdown of Long-Running Zombie MMO

The UK's Online Safety Act, coming into full effect in 2025 with substantial fines, has forced the closure of Urban Dead, a text-based zombie MMO developed by Kevan Davis. The act's stringent regulations on user interaction and age restrictions, coupled with the threat of hefty penalties, made continued operation unsustainable for the solo developer. Urban Dead, a nearly 20-year-old game with a dedicated fanbase, will shut down on March 14th, 2025.

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(www.gamesradar.com)
Game

Internet Folklore: From Printer Fails to National Security Breaches

2025-01-14

This collection compiles hilarious internet anecdotes, ranging from OpenOffice's Tuesday printing woes to a national security breach caused by Windows Sound Recorder, a 25-year-old font's resurgence, and various bizarre hardware malfunctions and software bugs. These stories highlight the humorous side of the tech world and reflect the often comical challenges faced by programmers and users alike.

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(dbrgn.ch)
Misc internet folklore programmer stories tech humor

Website Load Failure: JavaScript or Browser Issue

2025-01-31

An error occurred while loading the website, indicating that JavaScript is disabled or there are network issues, browser extensions, or browser settings problems. It is recommended to check your network connection, disable any ad blockers, or try using a different browser.

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(pypi.org)
Misc

Nostr Protocol Basics: Events, Signatures, and Communication

2024-12-23
Nostr Protocol Basics: Events, Signatures, and Communication

Nostr's NIP-01 outlines its core mechanics. Each user has a keypair, using Schnorr signatures on the secp256k1 curve. The core is the event, containing fields like ID, pubkey, timestamp, kind, tags, content, and signature. The event ID is the SHA256 hash of the serialized event data. Tags reference other events or users, with three standard tags defined: e (references an event), p (references a user), and a (references an addressable event). Event kinds define their meaning; NIP-01 defines two basic kinds: user metadata and text notes, and specifies how different kind ranges are handled (regular, replaceable, ephemeral, and addressable). Clients communicate with relays via websockets, sending events, requesting events, and closing subscriptions. Relays return events matching filters and send OK, EOSE, CLOSED, and NOTICE messages.

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(github.com)
AI blockchain decentralized social

Port of Coherent UNIX's `lc` Command

2025-01-10
Port of Coherent UNIX's `lc` Command

This GitHub project is a port of the `lc` command-line utility from Mark Williams Company's Coherent UNIX. `lc` lists files in categories and columns. This port adds support for symbolic links. It's a handy tool for managing and viewing files.

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(github.com)
Development
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