Liu Jiakun Wins 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize

2025-03-14

Liu Jiakun, an architect from Chengdu, China, has been awarded the prestigious 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize, architecture's highest honor. His work masterfully blends seemingly opposing elements – utopia and daily life, history and modernity, collectivism and individualism – creating buildings that respect cultural history while remaining deeply connected to the lives of ordinary citizens. He prioritizes public spaces, cleverly balancing density and openness in crowded cities, integrating buildings seamlessly into the fabric of urban life as infrastructure, landscape, and public space all at once. His designs demonstrate a reverence for culture, history, and nature, incorporating elements of classic Chinese architecture with modern design sensibilities. Examples include the gently sloping eaves of the Suzhou Museum and the window walls of the Chengdu Egret Gulf Wetland Park, showcasing both tradition and innovation.

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The Parnassus Plays: A Hilarious Look at Elizabethan Academia and the Job Market

2025-03-12
The Parnassus Plays: A Hilarious Look at Elizabethan Academia and the Job Market

The Parnassus Plays, a trilogy of Elizabethan comedies written between 1598 and 1602, offer a satirical look at university life and the struggles of graduates entering the workforce. Following two students, Philomusus and Studioso, the plays use allegory and realistic portrayals to depict their academic journey and subsequent challenges in finding meaningful employment. The plays are rife with allusions to Shakespeare and other contemporary writers, reflecting the intellectual climate of the time and the tensions between university-trained scholars and professional playwrights. Despite the mystery surrounding their authorship, the plays remain a valuable insight into Elizabethan society and the anxieties of ambitious young scholars.

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Microlightning: A New Hypothesis for the Origin of Life

2025-03-15
Microlightning: A New Hypothesis for the Origin of Life

Challenging the established Miller-Urey experiment, Stanford University research suggests that 'microlightning' discharges between water droplets from splashing waves or waterfalls on early Earth, rather than large lightning strikes, may have been the key to life's origin. The study found that the small electrical charges produced by water spray were sufficient to trigger chemical reactions in a mixture of gases—nitrogen, methane, carbon dioxide, and ammonia—thought to be present on early Earth, resulting in the formation of organic molecules including uracil, a building block of life. This offers a new perspective on abiogenesis, addressing criticisms of the Miller-Urey hypothesis concerning the infrequency of large lightning strikes and the vastness of the ocean.

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The Curious History of JavaScript Comments: Why `<!--` and `-->` Work

2025-03-12

This article unravels the curious history behind the use of `` as comment characters in JavaScript. Initially, to ensure compatibility with older browsers, developers would wrap their JavaScript code within HTML comments inside `` tags. Surprisingly, modern browsers still support this syntax due to historical browser compatibility burdens and the standardization committee's commitment to 'not breaking the web'. The article explains how this syntax works and why `-->` must appear at the beginning of a line.

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Development

Quantum Algorithm DQI: A Breakthrough in Optimization?

2025-03-17
Quantum Algorithm DQI: A Breakthrough in Optimization?

Google Quantum AI's team has developed a new quantum algorithm called Decoded Quantum Interferometry (DQI) that outperforms all known classical algorithms in solving a wide class of optimization problems. The algorithm wasn't designed for a specific problem but rather by translating the problem into quantum waves and applying decoding techniques to find the best solution. While lacking sufficient quantum hardware for empirical testing and the possibility of future classical algorithm rivals, DQI's potential advantage in optimization problems and its applications in coding and cryptography have sparked excitement in the quantum computing community. It's considered a significant breakthrough in quantum algorithms.

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RubyLLM: An Elegant Ruby Library for AI Interaction

2025-03-15
RubyLLM: An Elegant Ruby Library for AI Interaction

RubyLLM is a clean and easy-to-use Ruby library that simplifies interaction with various AI models, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, and DeepSeek. It provides a unified API and data format, eliminating the headaches of juggling incompatible APIs from different AI providers. RubyLLM supports a wide range of AI functionalities, such as chat, image and audio analysis, PDF processing, image generation, vector embeddings, and custom tool integration. Seamless integration with Rails allows for easy persistence of chat history. Its design philosophy prioritizes elegant Ruby code over complex configurations and callbacks, making AI interaction a joy.

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Development

New Bill Aims to Tackle IoT Device Security Risks

2025-03-17
New Bill Aims to Tackle IoT Device Security Risks

Consumer Reports, Secure Resilient Future Foundation, and others have drafted the "Connected Consumer Products End of Life Disclosure Act." This bill mandates manufacturers and ISPs to clearly disclose the support lifecycle of connected devices, including software and security update durations. The initiative addresses the growing security risk posed by outdated IoT devices, often exploited by malicious actors after support ends. A survey reveals 72% of US smart device owners support mandatory disclosure of device support lifecycles.

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Tech

Global Fossil Fuel Subsidies: A Climate Action Roadblock

2025-02-23
Global Fossil Fuel Subsidies: A Climate Action Roadblock

Massive government subsidies for fossil fuels are hindering climate change efforts worldwide. Despite pledges to reduce them, progress remains slow due to political and economic factors. Subsidies take many forms, from direct price controls to tax breaks and the externalization of environmental costs, artificially lowering fossil fuel prices and increasing consumption and emissions. The article analyzes the stubborn persistence of these subsidies, exploring opportunities and challenges for reform during energy price volatility, highlighting the need to balance climate goals with socioeconomic stability.

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A Toast to Douglas Adams: The Humorist of the Cosmos

2025-03-15
A Toast to Douglas Adams: The Humorist of the Cosmos

Today marks the anniversary of Douglas Adams' birth. This article humorously remembers the science fiction master known for works like *The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*, filled with absurd cosmic imaginings and profound reflections on the human condition. The author argues that Adams' work not only brought laughter but also changed how we think about technology, extinction, and the very nature of reality itself; his humorous philosophy continues to guide us in navigating an increasingly complex world.

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Firefox's Ticking Time Bomb: Critical Root Certificate Expiring Soon!

2025-03-11
Firefox's Ticking Time Bomb: Critical Root Certificate Expiring Soon!

Users of older Firefox versions face a critical deadline: March 14, 2025. A crucial root certificate expires then, disabling add-ons and breaking streaming services (like Netflix) if you haven't updated to Firefox 128 (or ESR 115.13+). This also compromises security features. Check your version now and update to avoid broken add-ons, streaming issues, and security vulnerabilities!

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General Fusion Achieves Global First: Steam-Driven Plasma in Fusion Reactor

2025-03-16
General Fusion Achieves Global First: Steam-Driven Plasma in Fusion Reactor

General Fusion, a Canadian fusion energy company, has achieved a world-first: generating plasma in a reactor driven by steam. This milestone was reached in their Lawson Machine 26 (LM26) prototype reactor, using magnetized target fusion (MTF), a technology employing steam-powered pistons to compress plasma instead of lasers. After 23 years of dedicated research, this breakthrough represents a significant step, although commercial power generation remains a future goal. The achievement offers promising advancements in clean energy technology.

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Tech

Game Devs Boycott GDC Over US Political Climate

2025-03-16
Game Devs Boycott GDC Over US Political Climate

A Swedish game developer is boycotting events like GDC in the US due to concerns about the increasingly extreme political climate, particularly the crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights. She cites feeling unsafe and scared in the US as an LGBTQ+ person. Other developers share similar concerns, viewing the US as no longer a safe place to conduct business and calling for the game industry to become more globally minded, moving beyond a North American-centric approach. While GDC organizers report business as usual, the boycott reflects the impact of the US political environment on the international gaming industry.

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Game

Bluesky's Controversial AI Data Scraping Proposal

2025-03-17
Bluesky's Controversial AI Data Scraping Proposal

Bluesky, a social network, proposed a new system allowing users to opt in or out of having their data used for generative AI training and public archiving. This sparked controversy, with some users accusing Bluesky of breaking its promise not to sell user data to advertisers or use user posts for AI training. CEO Jay Graber responded that generative AI companies already scrape public data, including from Bluesky, and that the platform is trying to create a new standard similar to robots.txt, but without legal enforceability. Users can choose to allow or disallow their data for generative AI, protocol bridging, bulk datasets, and web archiving. While some consider it a good proposal, others worry that scrapers might disregard user preferences.

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Cracked Sudoku: A New Sudoku Variant Based on Voronoi Diagrams

2025-03-13
Cracked Sudoku: A New Sudoku Variant Based on Voronoi Diagrams

Tired of traditional Sudoku? Cracked Sudoku is here! This new Sudoku variant uses irregular Voronoi diagrams as its game board. The rules remain familiar to Sudoku fans, but 'rows' and 'columns' are replaced by 'runs'—connected sequences of cells without repeating numbers. The shapes of these runs are determined by the Voronoi diagram, creating a unique solving experience. The author shares the design philosophy and algorithms, and calls for experienced puzzle constructors to collaborate on creating more sophisticated levels, injecting more vitality into this innovative game.

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AI Coding Assistants: The 70/30 Rule and the Enduring Human Role

2025-03-14
AI Coding Assistants: The 70/30 Rule and the Enduring Human Role

AI coding assistants automate roughly 70% of software development, handling boilerplate and routine tasks. However, the remaining 30%—complex requirements, architecture, edge cases, and ensuring correctness—demands human expertise. This article explores the crucial skills engineers need to thrive alongside AI, including system design, handling edge cases, code review, debugging, communication, and continuous learning. Senior engineers should leverage their experience to guide AI and mentor junior developers, while junior developers should focus on fundamentals, problem-solving, and testing. AI accelerates development but doesn't replace human judgment; the article emphasizes the enduring importance of critical thinking, design, quality assurance, and problem-solving in the age of AI.

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Development Coding Assistants

The Five-Week Solo Startup: A Mad Dash to Launch

2025-03-16
The Five-Week Solo Startup: A Mad Dash to Launch

This article outlines a five-week plan for launching a startup, not promising overnight success but offering a framework for rapid iteration. It emphasizes personal development for founders (communication, networking), securing a first paying customer, continuously improving the product and service, and securing funding. The plan covers marketing, team building, and aims to establish a sustainable business model.

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Global Privacy Control (GPC): A User-Powered Solution to Web Tracking?

2025-03-16
Global Privacy Control (GPC): A User-Powered Solution to Web Tracking?

Unlike its predecessor, Do Not Track (DNT), the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal has backing from the California Attorney General and aims for alignment with the EU's GDPR, empowering users like never before. DNT's ineffectiveness stemmed from its lack of legal enforcement, but GPC changes that. It transmits users' "Do Not Sell" requests to websites, compelling compliance. With support from browsers like Mozilla Firefox, Brave, and DuckDuckGo's Privacy Browser, GPC signals a potential turning point in the fight against web tracking.

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Hacker News: A Decade of Tech Growth

2025-03-18
Hacker News: A Decade of Tech Growth

Starting in 2011, the author began using Hacker News, initially understanding very little of the technical jargon and companies mentioned. However, through daily reading and deep dives into unfamiliar concepts, the author transformed from a data analyst into an engineer confidently deploying code to millions of users. Hacker News provided not only learning resources but also a supportive community, helping the author improve technical skills and writing, ultimately leading to a significant career leap.

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Development technical learning

Git's Tiny Patch, Huge Potential: Optimizing `bundle-uri` for Faster Clones

2025-03-16
Git's Tiny Patch, Huge Potential: Optimizing `bundle-uri` for Faster Clones

This post details an author's journey optimizing Git clone speed using the `bundle-uri` feature. While using a local file as a starting point significantly sped up cloning, using a CDN proved unexpectedly slow. The root cause? Git only copies `refs/heads` references, ignoring others. A tiny patch was submitted to fix this, resulting in faster clones downloading only incremental data. Future Git servers may automatically utilize `bundle-uri`, reducing server load and boosting clone efficiency.

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Development

Bird Mimicry: Courtship, Defense, or Accident?

2025-03-15
Bird Mimicry: Courtship, Defense, or Accident?

The Northern Mockingbird and Gray Catbird, well-known North American mimics, learn and reproduce a wide variety of sounds, including other birds, car alarms, etc., to attract mates and showcase their survival skills and experience. Some birds, such as the Indigo bird in Africa, use mimicry to deceive host birds, thus protecting their offspring. Other species occasionally mimic other vocalizations, but their function remains unclear. Studies suggest that incorrect mimicry may lead to reproductive failure and thus be selected against.

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Pink: A Surprising History of a Color

2025-03-14
Pink: A Surprising History of a Color

This book explores the surprising history of pink, tracing its evolution from an 18th-century aristocratic favorite to its association with femininity and eventual decline into a color considered dowdy and bourgeois. Using the 'Pink Prince' as a starting point, the narrative reveals how pink's meaning shifted across different periods, reflecting societal norms and cultural changes in fashion, cosmetics, and beyond.

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Hollywood's Unsung Architect: The Paul R. Williams Story

2025-03-14
Hollywood's Unsung Architect: The Paul R. Williams Story

The documentary "Hollywood's Architect: The Paul R. Williams Story" chronicles the life of Paul Revere Williams, the first African American member of the American Institute of Architects. Overcoming immense racial barriers, Williams designed iconic buildings like LAX and homes for Hollywood legends. The film not only celebrates his extraordinary talent but also highlights the lack of diversity in architecture and the importance of preserving his legacy, prompting reflection on racial equality and cultural heritage preservation.

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NVIDIA's Global Website Directory

2025-03-18
NVIDIA's Global Website Directory

NVIDIA provides a comprehensive list of its regional websites, allowing users to access localized content, pricing, and retailer information based on their country. The list includes links to sites for Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Germany, Spain, France, India, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Middle East, Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Peru, Poland, Rest of Europe, Romania, Singapore, Finland, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, CIS, Korea, Mainland China, Taiwan, and Japan.

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The Collatz Conjecture and Cryptography: A Tale of Computational Complexity

2025-03-15
The Collatz Conjecture and Cryptography: A Tale of Computational Complexity

This article explores the infamous Collatz conjecture and its surprising connection to ARX algorithms in cryptography (e.g., ChaCha). The Collatz conjecture describes a simple iterative function; whether it always converges to 1 remains unproven. The article draws an analogy between the Collatz function and a Turing machine, highlighting how carry propagation in its bitwise implementation creates unpredictable complexity. This contrasts interestingly with ARX algorithms, which use addition, rotation, and XOR to achieve efficient diffusion. The article suggests the Collatz conjecture's unsolved nature might stem from the inherent complexity of computation, similar to the halting problem.

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ProtonMail: Top Features of a Privacy-Focused Email Service

2025-03-14
ProtonMail: Top Features of a Privacy-Focused Email Service

ProtonMail prioritizes user privacy with its core features: end-to-end encryption ensuring only the recipient can read emails; zero-access encryption, preventing even ProtonMail servers from accessing messages; open-source and audited code for transparency and security confidence; and anti-phishing tools to protect against cyber threats. These features combine to create a robust privacy shield.

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Tech

A 16-Year-Old's Transputer OS: A 1995 Retrocomputing Odyssey

2025-03-13
A 16-Year-Old's Transputer OS: A 1995 Retrocomputing Odyssey

In 1995, a 16-year-old author built a self-contained operating system for a Transputer using only 128KB of RAM. This ambitious project included a basic OS, text editor, Small-C compiler, and assembler. He painstakingly extended the compiler, eventually running complex programs like a chess program from the IOCCC and a ray tracer. A 3D polygonal modeler was also developed. Years later, the author revisited this project, detailing the challenges of restoring the OS, including byte order issues, memory management, and floating-point errors. The article culminates in a successful emulation of the OS and provides instructions to rebuild it. This story showcases impressive ingenuity and perseverance in the face of limited resources.

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arXivLabs: Experimenting with Community Collaboration

2025-03-14
arXivLabs: Experimenting with Community Collaboration

arXivLabs is an experimental framework enabling developers to build and share new arXiv features directly on the website. Participants must embrace arXiv's values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. Got an idea to enhance the arXiv community? Explore arXivLabs.

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Development

My Decade-Old MacBook Pro Died, Can My iPad Pro Replace It?

2025-03-12
My Decade-Old MacBook Pro Died, Can My iPad Pro Replace It?

The author's decade-old MacBook Pro died, prompting an attempt to replace it with an M2 iPad Pro. However, the experience proved vastly different. This isn't just a matter of habit; it's a fundamental difference in operating systems and hardware design. The iPad's touch interface contrasts sharply with the Mac's keyboard and mouse experience, and the lack of a terminal, root access, and development tools like Python severely limits the iPad's capabilities for software development. Furthermore, restrictive policies from Apple and Microsoft limit device flexibility—Microsoft, for example, refuses to let older Surface Go devices run Windows 11. The author ultimately decides to purchase an M4 MacBook Air and expresses concerns about the future evolution of operating systems and services, questioning whether AI can resolve these issues.

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Tech

Windows 10's End of Life Leaves Charities in a Bind

2025-03-15
Windows 10's End of Life Leaves Charities in a Bind

With Windows 10's free security updates ending this October, millions of PCs unable to upgrade to Windows 11 face obsolescence. This poses a significant challenge for charities that rely on these older machines. They're faced with a difficult decision: provide insecure Windows 10, switch to Linux, or scrap the computers. While Linux offers a viable alternative, the learning curve for unfamiliar users, especially seniors and students, is steep and could lead to increased tech support issues. The article explores this problem, showcasing different charities' strategies and the resulting e-waste dilemma.

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Founding Applied AI Engineer at Kastle: Revolutionizing Mortgage Servicing with AI

2025-03-16
Founding Applied AI Engineer at Kastle: Revolutionizing Mortgage Servicing with AI

Kastle, an AI-powered platform serving major US mortgage lenders, seeks a Founding Applied AI Engineer. With backing from Y Combinator and other prominent investors, Kastle is redefining loan servicing. This role requires 3+ years of experience in applied AI, proficiency in Python and deep learning frameworks, and experience fine-tuning LLMs. Responsibilities include integrating AI into their platform, designing AI workflows, ensuring regulatory compliance (FDCPA, RESPA, TILA), and optimizing for performance and scalability. This is a unique opportunity to build the foundation of a rapidly growing AI startup.

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AI
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