Webtagr - Technology News Summarizer

Popular：

Virtualization DNS security formal verification reachability analysis compiler errors macro conflict web extension development framework Bitmap Graphics API inconsistencies All Tags

Bluesky CEO's Anti-Zuckerberg Statement: The Rise of Decentralized Social Networks

2025-03-11

Bluesky CEO's Anti-Zuckerberg Statement: The Rise of Decentralized Social Networks

At SXSW 2025, Bluesky CEO Jay Graber wore a t-shirt reading “Mundus sine caesaribus” (A world without Caesars), a subtle jab at Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. This was a direct response to Zuckerberg's previous “Aut Zuck aut nihil” (Either Zuckerberg or nothing) statement. Bluesky, as a decentralized and open-source social network, empowers users with direct participation in platform development and greater autonomy. In contrast to Meta's controversial policies, Bluesky's openness has attracted a significant user base. While still significantly smaller than Meta, its unique philosophy and cultural impact secure its place in the social media landscape.

(techcrunch.com)

Tech

Cursor: AI Coding Assistant – Hype vs. Reality

2025-03-12

Cursor: AI Coding Assistant – Hype vs. Reality

AI coding tools like Cursor are generating mixed reactions, with some claiming to build entire SaaS applications in three days, while others deem them useless. This author, an AI skeptic, shares tips for maximizing Cursor's efficiency. Key strategies include creating a `.cursorrules` file and iteratively refining its rules to avoid excessive input; clearly specifying code locations and relevant context; using Composer (Agent) for simple changes and Chat (Ask) for complex ones; carefully reviewing and refactoring AI-generated code; and thoroughly communicating with the AI before tackling complex tasks. The author concludes that AI coding tools are useful when mentally fatigued, but caution is advised against over-reliance, acknowledging potential skill atrophy.

(www.nickcraux.com)

Development

86Box: A Journey Back to the x86 Era

2024-12-30

86Box: A Journey Back to the x86 Era

86Box is a powerful x86 emulator capable of running older operating systems and software designed for IBM PC compatible systems from 1981 through the PCI bus era. Featuring a user-friendly interface and high customizability, it allows users to run MS-DOS, older Windows versions, OS/2, and other vintage systems and applications. It supports a wide range of peripherals, including video cards, sound cards, and network adapters. Several manager applications simplify handling multiple virtual machines. Whether you're nostalgic or interested in retro computing, 86Box provides a fascinating glimpse into the past.

(github.com)

Development x86 emulator

iPhone 15 Pro to Get Visual Intelligence in Software Update

2025-02-20

iPhone 15 Pro to Get Visual Intelligence in Software Update

Apple has confirmed that the iPhone 15 Pro will receive Visual Intelligence, a Google Lens-like feature, in a future software update. Initially launched with the iPhone 16, this feature, which identifies objects via the camera, will be accessible on the iPhone 15 Pro through the Action button and Control Center. While the specific update wasn't revealed, it's speculated to arrive with iOS 18.4.

(www.theverge.com)

Tech Visual Intelligence iOS Update

Vanguard's No-Go on Bitcoin ETFs: A Long-Term Investor's Perspective

2025-01-26

Vanguard's No-Go on Bitcoin ETFs: A Long-Term Investor's Perspective

Vanguard recently announced it won't be launching a Bitcoin ETF or other crypto products. Their reasoning centers on Bitcoin's immaturity as an asset class, extreme volatility, and lack of inherent economic value. Vanguard views Bitcoin as speculation, not investment, unsuitable for long-term, buy-and-hold investors. They emphasize their investor-first philosophy, citing past decisions to reject leveraged/inverse funds and over-the-counter stocks as examples of prioritizing client protection.

(corporate.vanguard.com)

Tech Bitcoin ETF Long-term investing

Fragments of Poetry: Dong Li's The Orange Tree

2025-03-11

Fragments of Poetry: Dong Li's The Orange Tree

Dong Li's debut collection, *The Orange Tree*, tells the story of a family shattered by the political turmoil of 20th-century China, using fragmented, evocative poetry. The poems blend personal emotion with historical suffering, exploring themes of memory, identity, and homeland. Li's concise yet deeply moving style, reminiscent of an enduring orange tree, weaves together a powerful narrative. This collection is both a poignant reflection on history and a profound exploration of poetic language, resulting in a truly remarkable work.

(www.mcsweeneys.net)

Misc Chinese literature family history

The TAKE IT DOWN Act: A Threat to Free Speech?

2025-03-08

The TAKE IT DOWN Act: A Threat to Free Speech?

The Senate is debating the TAKE IT DOWN Act, aiming to expedite the removal of non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII). However, the bill's mandated 48-hour notice-and-takedown system lacks safeguards, potentially leading to censorship of lawful speech and threatening user privacy and due process. The bill's broad definitions and tight deadlines could force online services to rely on automated filters, wrongly flagging legitimate content. Furthermore, the Act threatens encrypted services, potentially leading to the abandonment of privacy protections. Existing laws already provide sufficient tools to address NCII; Congress should focus on enforcing and improving these, rather than implementing a broad takedown regime prone to abuse.

(www.eff.org)

Tech

The Spectacular Failure of Britain's Land Value Tax: A Cautionary Tale

2025-03-13

The Spectacular Failure of Britain's Land Value Tax: A Cautionary Tale

In the early 1900s, the British Liberal Party attempted to implement a land value tax, inspired by Henry George's theories, to solve local government funding crises. However, the initiative proved disastrous. Complex calculations, high administrative costs, and a crippling blow to the construction industry led to its repeal. The episode serves as a cautionary tale about the practical challenges of implementing a pure land value tax and the importance of considering administrative realities and economic impacts.

(worksinprogress.co)

Tech land value tax British history

Real-time Home Occupancy Detection with S2

2025-03-06

Real-time Home Occupancy Detection with S2

This article details a real-time home occupancy detection system built using an AMG8833 infrared thermal imaging sensor, a Raspberry Pi, and the S2 streaming data platform. The system streams sensor data to S2, which is then used by a Next.js frontend to display a live heatmap. Simple image processing determines occupancy. S2's low cost and ease of use make this a budget-friendly solution, costing around $2 per month.

(s2.dev)

Hardware

Bangladesh's Garment Industry: Smart Manufacturing's Double-Edged Sword

2025-03-06

Bangladesh's Garment Industry: Smart Manufacturing's Double-Edged Sword

Facing rising wages and competition, Bangladesh's garment factories are embracing "smart manufacturing," including devices like "Nidle" that monitor worker productivity. While automation boosts efficiency and factory owners claim it allows for higher wages, workers and unions argue wage increases stem from protests, not automation. Automation has led to job losses, particularly for women, and increased pressure, forcing workers to forgo breaks to meet targets. This raises concerns about whether automation exacerbates worker exploitation and questions the responsibility of international brands.

(restofworld.org)

Tech smart manufacturing Bangladesh garment industry worker exploitation

Firefly: AI-Powered Real-Time Fitness Feedback

2025-03-11

Firefly is a unique workout app offering real-time form feedback using a reliable pose tracker and trainer data. Unlike apps that only suggest routines, Firefly rates your form and provides instant corrections for every rep, ensuring proper technique and injury prevention. Its speed and accuracy surpass competitors, leveraging proprietary trainer data instead of unreliable third-party sources. Firefly provides continuous feedback, helping you improve even when making mistakes.

(www.firefly.fitness)

AI AI fitness pose tracking real-time feedback

fastplotlib: Streamlined Scientific Visualization in Python

2025-03-11

fastplotlib: Streamlined Scientific Visualization in Python

fastplotlib is a new Python library for scientific visualization that prioritizes fast interactive visualization and an easy-to-use API. Its core design treats data as arrays, simplifying data interaction and event handling via simple callback functions. Users can perform dynamic manipulations (e.g., changing colors, data) and build interactive visualizations, such as defining click events, without needing to learn complex, library-specific API features. This streamlined API design lowers the barrier to entry and improves visualization efficiency.

(medium.com)

Development Scientific Computing

Zero-Downtime Database Migration Verified with PlusCal

2025-03-11

This blog post details how the author used PlusCal, a DSL for TLA+, and formal verification to ensure the correctness of a zero-downtime database migration. A PlusCal model was built simulating user Upsert, Delete, and Get operations on a database, along with a background migration process. By simulating a system without migration and one with migration, and verifying the consistency of Get operation results across all states, the author ensured the correctness of the migration algorithm. Formal verification helped in early detection of flaws, such as improper handling of TOMBSTONES, and highlighted the importance of atomic operations, like the atomicity of checking and inserting data during migration.

(biradarganesh25.github.io)

Development

Nuanced: Giving LLMs Precise Call Graph Context for AI Coding Assistants

2025-03-12

Nuanced: Giving LLMs Precise Call Graph Context for AI Coding Assistants

Nuanced is an open-source Python library that provides LLMs with precise call graph context by analyzing function relationships and generating a structured representation of code dependencies. It addresses the limitations of current AI coding assistants, which lack understanding of code structure and rely on limited context windows and embeddings. Nuanced leverages static analysis to build a traversable graph of function relationships, offering `init` (to generate the call graph) and `enrich` (to query specific functions) commands. This allows AI tools to access the same structured program understanding developers rely on, improving code comprehension and efficiency. Future development will include function purity analysis, code complexity metrics, and more.

(www.nuanced.dev)

Development code analysis

DuckDB Now Has a Built-in Local UI!

2025-03-12

DuckDB Now Has a Built-in Local UI!

The DuckDB team and MotherDuck are thrilled to announce a built-in local UI for DuckDB! This powerful web interface runs locally, eliminating the need for extra software. It features interactive notebooks, database browsing, table data preview, and data analysis tools, making interacting with DuckDB significantly easier. All queries are processed locally for enhanced data security. The UI also offers optional connection to MotherDuck cloud services for seamless data sharing and collaboration.

(duckdb.org)

Development Local UI

AI Dev Tools: Building a Prototype in 48 Hours – and the Implications for Silicon Valley

2025-03-14

AI Dev Tools: Building a Prototype in 48 Hours – and the Implications for Silicon Valley

The author recounts building a working app prototype in just 48 hours using AI development tools, shattering preconceived notions about software development speed. This experience revealed flaws in his initial idea and sparked a broader reflection on AI's impact on Silicon Valley. The author argues that while AI accelerates product iteration, it also risks a surge in products lacking domain expertise, ultimately favoring individuals with deep knowledge and unique insights.

(benn.substack.com)

Development

WebUSB Bypass: Controlling a Raspberry Pi Pico via a U2F Exploit

2025-03-14

WebUSB Bypass: Controlling a Raspberry Pi Pico via a U2F Exploit

Control a Raspberry Pi Pico from your browser without WebUSB! This article details a method that exploits a vulnerability in the U2F security key protocol. By emulating a U2F security key, data is disguised as a signature, bypassing browser security restrictions to control the Pico's LED. While this leverages a U2F flaw, it's not a security vulnerability in itself, only working on devices intentionally designed with this vulnerability. The article stresses the risks of connecting unknown USB devices.

(github.com)

Hardware

Utah's App Store Age Verification Bill Sparks Constitutional Concerns

2025-03-06

Utah's App Store Age Verification Bill Sparks Constitutional Concerns

Utah's legislature passed the "App Store Accountability Act," mandating age and identity verification for all app store users. This bill raises serious privacy and free speech concerns, potentially disproportionately harming at-risk youth. While passed by both houses, the bill now awaits the governor's signature. Critics argue it infringes on privacy rights and jeopardizes First Amendment protections, echoing concerns raised when a similar bill was blocked by a federal judge last year.

(progresschamber.org)

Tech

Website Cookie Policy Explained

2025-03-06

Website Cookie Policy Explained

This website uses cookies to enhance your experience. Necessary cookies are stored in your browser as they are essential for the website's basic functionality. We also use third-party cookies to analyze and understand how you use this website; these are only stored with your consent. You can opt out of these cookies, but this may affect your browsing experience.

(driesdepoorter.be)

Misc Cookie Policy

OODA Loops: Applying Military Strategy to Software Development

2025-03-13

OODA Loops: Applying Military Strategy to Software Development

This article explores the application of the OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act), a military strategic model, to software development. The author argues that in software development, the primary 'enemy' is ourselves and our environment. By focusing on rapid iteration, plan variety, swift execution, and team harmony, we can accelerate the OODA loop and improve software development efficiency. The article highlights the importance of trust, psychological safety, and initiative in team collaboration, suggesting the adoption of methods from agile development and lean product design, such as MVPs and spikes, to encourage initiative and rapid iteration.

(spin.atomicobject.com)

Development OODA Loop

Ecosia and Qwant Team Up to Build a European Search Index

2025-03-09

Ecosia and Qwant Team Up to Build a European Search Index

Ecosia and Qwant have announced a partnership to create the "European Search Perspective," an independent European search index. This marks a significant step in both companies' pursuit of technological autonomy and data sovereignty. The new index database, initially supporting French and German searches, is slated for launch in 2025 and will provide a foundation for future AI technologies. This initiative aims to enhance the transparency and security of search results and reduce reliance on major tech companies like Google and Bing, ultimately creating a more free environment for green tech development.

(blog.ecosia.org)

Tech tech independence

Shark-Skin Inspired Laser Etching Creates Antibacterial Cutting Boards

2025-03-11

Shark-Skin Inspired Laser Etching Creates Antibacterial Cutting Boards

Researchers have developed a novel solution to prevent bacterial buildup on food processing surfaces. Inspired by the naturally antimicrobial textures of shark skin and cicada wings, they used lasers to etch micro- and nanoscale textures onto metal surfaces. This prevents bacteria from attaching, effectively eliminating the need for constant cleaning and reducing biofilm formation. The laser texturing technique avoids the use of chemicals, making it a safer and more sustainable alternative. Future work involves machine learning models to optimize the process for industrial applications.

(www.morningagclips.com)

Tech antibacterial materials

Subtle C++/WinRT Invoke Issue and its Fix

2025-03-09

Subtle C++/WinRT Invoke Issue and its Fix

A C++/WinRT pull request fixed an ambiguity in `winrt::impl::promise_base::set_completed`'s call to `invoke`, caused by Argument-dependent Lookup (ADL). The upgrade to C++20 coroutines expanded the ADL search space, unexpectedly finding `std::invoke` instead of the intended `winrt::impl::invoke`. The article details the ADL mechanism and provides a patch for older C++/WinRT versions: declaring a better-matching `invoke` function in the `winrt::Windows::Foundation` namespace to guide the compiler. This patch also includes a static assertion to ensure it's automatically removed after upgrading C++/WinRT.

(devblogs.microsoft.com)

Development

Infisical Hiring: Full-Stack Engineer to Revolutionize Secret Management

2025-03-09

Infisical Hiring: Full-Stack Engineer to Revolutionize Secret Management

Infisical, the #1 open-source secret management platform, is seeking a full-stack engineer. You'll build, optimize, and maintain the core product, ensuring a great user experience and exploring AI-driven secret management. Ideal candidates possess strong full-stack skills: infrastructure management, Docker/Kubernetes, cloud-native architecture (AWS preferred), TypeScript/Go. This is a fast-growing team; within 18 months, you'll impact thousands of users and potentially own key platform components.

(www.ycombinator.com)

Development

Uber and Waymo Team Up: Austin Gets RoboTaxi Choice

2025-03-08

Uber and Waymo Team Up: Austin Gets RoboTaxi Choice

Uber and Waymo have officially launched "Waymo on Uber" in Austin, offering users a choice between a Waymo robotaxi and a human-driven vehicle at the same price. This collaboration marks a shift in the relationship between the two former rivals, with Waymo handling vehicle technology and Uber managing fleet operations. The service hints at future partnerships in the autonomous vehicle industry and underscores Uber's strategic moves in the robotaxi market. The partnership builds on a previous collaboration in Phoenix and anticipates expansion to Atlanta.

(techcrunch.com)

Tech robotaxi Uber-Waymo partnership

daylight: Command-Line Sunrise/Sunset Tracker

2025-03-12

daylight: Command-Line Sunrise/Sunset Tracker

daylight is a command-line program that tracks sunrise, sunset, solar noon, and day length, projecting these changes over the next ten days. It uses your IP for location and timezone, working in polar regions and with VPNs. Installation is via Homebrew (MacOS/Linux) or manual installation (including Windows). Features include custom location/date overrides and a short summary mode. Built in Go as a learning project, issues are welcome!

(github.com)

Development sunrise/sunset

Integrated Sensing and Communication System Based on Space-Time Coding Metasurface

2025-03-07

Integrated Sensing and Communication System Based on Space-Time Coding Metasurface

Researchers propose an integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) system based on a space-time coding metasurface (STCM). The system uses the STCM to simultaneously control the propagation direction of the fundamental frequency wave for communication and generate spatially distributed harmonics for wireless sensing. By adjusting the STCM's coding pattern, the system can sense the direction of arrival (DOA) in real-time and autonomously configure the coding pattern to establish a reliable communication link. Experimental results validate the feasibility of the system, achieving simultaneous wireless sensing and communication without mutual interference.

(www.nature.com)

Tech metasurface integrated sensing and communication space-time coding

Corporate Software Piracy: The Invisible Hand

2025-03-06

Corporate Software Piracy: The Invisible Hand

This article exposes a hidden truth: widespread corporate use of pirated software, often without consequence. From a National Guardsman in Iraq downloading pirated Microsoft software for a quick network setup to small business owners using cracked software to save costs, and employees in large companies using pirated software to meet deadlines, the author argues that software piracy is ubiquitous in businesses. Companies leverage employee actions and complex workflows to shift the risk of piracy onto individual employees, reaping all the benefits with zero risk. This invisible hand benefits proprietary software companies by preventing businesses from scrutinizing licensing, reducing the urgency to streamline processes or explore open-source alternatives.

(davegutteridge.com)

Startup software piracy corporate behavior

Ecosia: A Steward-Owned Company Committed to Planting Trees, Not Profits

2025-03-10

Ecosia: A Steward-Owned Company Committed to Planting Trees, Not Profits

Ecosia founder Christian Kroll has doubled down on his commitment to environmentalism by transforming the company into a steward-owned entity. This legally binding structure prevents the sale of shares for profit and prohibits profit extraction. The focus is squarely on maximizing tree planting, not shareholder returns, challenging the traditional business model and inspiring other companies to prioritize purpose over profit.

(blog.ecosia.org)

Startup corporate social responsibility

The Demise of 2G: A Balancing Act Between Progress and Inclusion

2025-03-07

The Demise of 2G: A Balancing Act Between Progress and Inclusion

As countries globally phase out 2G networks to free up spectrum for 4G and 5G, millions reliant on basic feature phones face a digital divide. Vietnam successfully navigated this transition by providing free 4G feature phones to low-income users, offering a model for others. However, nations like South Africa delayed shutdowns due to concerns about digital exclusion and disruption to existing devices. India grapples with complex social factors, including gender disparities and economic constraints, making the 2G phase-out more challenging. Companies like CloudMosa are attempting to bridge the gap with cloud-powered 4G feature phones. Ultimately, the sunset of 2G is not just a technological shift, but a test of societal equity and inclusivity.

(restofworld.org)

Tech 2G network 4G feature phones

← Previous 1 2 … 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 … 261 262 Next →