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

UK Watchdog to Issue New Guidance on Smart Device Data Privacy

2024-12-16

The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) will issue new guidance addressing data privacy concerns surrounding smart home devices. A Which? report revealed that some air fryers and other smart devices sent user data to servers in China. The ICO stated that consumers feel overwhelmed by the amount of data collected and lack control over its use. New guidelines, launching Spring 2025, will cover consent procedures, privacy information provision, and tools enabling users to exercise their rights.

(news.sky.com)

Tech data privacy information security

Canada's First Pirate Site Blocking Order Expires

2024-12-16

Canada's first pirate site blocking order, targeting the IPTV service GoldTV, quietly expired this week. Rightsholders Bell and Rogers chose not to seek an extension, despite many targeted domains remaining online. The decision likely reflects cost considerations and shifting priorities. Initially approved in 2018 and upheld against appeals in 2021, the order had a significant impact on piracy. However, the rightsholders have now shifted focus to broader, more dynamic blocking efforts targeting live sports streams and other platforms.

(torrentfreak.com)

Tech piracy site blocking

Negotiating with Infringers: A Better Option for Creative Professionals

2024-12-16

When a creative professional's copyright is infringed, litigation isn't the only option. This article's author, a lawyer, suggests considering negotiation with the infringer. Negotiation is quicker and cheaper than litigation and may yield benefits beyond monetary compensation, such as promotion and collaboration opportunities. The author points out that most infringements are not malicious but due to negligence. Through negotiation, adversaries can be transformed into collaborators, leading to long-term success. Of course, if negotiations fail, litigation remains a last resort.

(www.thelegalartist.com)

Startup intellectual property copyright infringement negotiation

A Software Engineer's CAD and 3D Printing Journey: An Overengineered Webcam Raiser

2024-12-16

A seasoned software engineer, tired of the virtual world of coding, yearned to create in the real world. He acquired a Bambu Lab X1C 3D printer and quickly mastered 3D printing. He then started learning Fusion 360 CAD software, surprisingly finding its constraint concepts similar to iOS UI constraints, and parametric CAD design echoing functional programming. His first project: an overengineered webcam raiser to solve the issue of the webcam obstructing his screen. This project not only provided him with the joy of 3D printing and CAD design but also a deep understanding of the manufacturing, material, and other details that need to be considered during the design phase.

(fangpenlin.com)

Development 3D printing CAD design Software engineering

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.

(johncarlosbaez.wordpress.com)

Misc partial derivatives differential forms mathematical physics

Adélie Linux 1.0-BETA6 Released: Enhanced Compatibility and Richer Features

2024-12-16

Adélie Linux has released its 1.0-BETA6, supporting 32-bit and 64-bit ARM, POWER, and x86 architectures, spanning smartphones, game consoles, and supercomputers. This release boasts over 35 new packages, updates to GCC 13, LLVM 18, Rust 1.80, and Linux kernel 6.6 LTS, along with improved GRUB and Wayland support. Numerous bugs have been squashed, and the user experience has been enhanced. While some known issues remain, the Adélie team is actively working on solutions and welcomes bug reports and feedback.

(blog.adelielinux.org)

Development Linux distribution

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.

(jaketae.github.io)

Misc polar coordinates

Revolutionary WM12 Energy Recovery Ventilator: Fresh Air Year-Round

2024-12-16

The WM12 is an innovative decentralized energy recovery ventilator (ERV) designed for window installation. Combining two TW4 modules in a durable polypropylene foam casing, it efficiently exchanges indoor and outdoor air while recovering approximately 90% of heat energy. This ensures fresh air without significant heating or cooling costs. Boasting a quiet operation, extremely long lifespan (>50 years), and compatibility with smart home systems, the WM12 offers superior energy efficiency and environmental benefits. Currently in beta, interested users can contact the company via email for more information.

(www.openerv.ca)

Hardware energy recovery ventilator energy efficiency smart home

Cyphernetes: Automating Cloud-Native Kubernetes Cluster Management

2024-12-16

Cyphernetes is a project that automates the management of cloud-native Kubernetes clusters. It significantly reduces operational complexity by simplifying deployment, upgrades, and management processes. Imagine effortlessly scaling your cluster to handle surges in traffic, automatically repairing failures, and ensuring service stability—all without manual intervention. Cyphernetes acts like an expert Kubernetes cluster administrator, safeguarding your applications 24/7, allowing you to focus on innovation.

(cyphernet.es)

Development Automated Operations

Nottingham Scientists Discover New Type of Magnetism with Potential to Revolutionize Digital Devices

2024-12-16

Researchers at the University of Nottingham have discovered a new class of magnetism called 'altermagnetism,' where magnetic building blocks align antiparallel but with a rotated structure. Published in Nature, this finding could revolutionize digital devices. Altermagnets promise a thousand-fold increase in the speed of microelectronic components and digital memory, while offering improved robustness and energy efficiency, and reducing reliance on rare and toxic heavy elements. The team used X-ray imaging at the MAX IV facility in Sweden to confirm the existence and controllability of this new magnetic order.

(www.nottingham.ac.uk)

Tech new magnetism digital devices microelectronics

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.

(unherd.com)

Misc fundraising financial transparency

Adult Basic Skills Test Scores Decline Sparks Concern

2024-12-16

An international test of adults' "basic skills" reveals a growing number of Americans struggling with moderately complex reading and math tasks. U.S. adults scored below the OECD average in literacy and numeracy, with scores declining since 2017. While a correlation with declining children's test scores exists, the connection isn't straightforward. The largest score drops were among older adults, suggesting the issue extends beyond the education system. The test itself may be flawed, potentially measuring complex text comprehension more than pure reasoning. The article suggests education can bridge the gap by improving knowledge reserves and understanding of complex syntax, better preparing individuals for such tests.

(nataliewexler.substack.com)

Misc adult education basic skills test

PLATO: How a 1960s Educational Computer System Shaped the Future

2024-12-16

PLATO, a groundbreaking educational computer system from the 1960s, significantly impacted the development of modern computing. Preceding its time, it pioneered features like forums, instant messaging, and multiplayer games. Its innovative gas plasma display, the TUTOR authoring language, and its advanced networking capabilities for simultaneous users were revolutionary. While PLATO's home market success was limited, its influence on graphic displays, networking, and user interfaces remains undeniable. Its legacy continues through emulators and modern reimaginings, preserving a piece of computing history and its vision for the future of education and interactive technology.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech Educational Technology

Dillo Browser: 25 Years of History, a Resurrection Story

2024-12-16

The Dillo web browser, born in 1999, has weathered 25 years of development. It has stalled several times but persevered. Initially led by Jorge Arellano Cid, it went through major GTK and FLTK phases, with key developers changing hands and the project experiencing ups and downs. In 2024, Rodrigo Arias Mallo took over, and with community help, released version 3.1.1, bringing this veteran browser back into the spotlight. Dillo's story exemplifies the spirit of open source and is a legendary tale of technological legacy and innovation.

(dillo-browser.github.io)

Development open-source browser

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.

(techcommunity.microsoft.com)

AI small language model complex reasoning

Best-of-N Jailbreaking: A Novel Attack on AI Systems

2024-12-15

Researchers have developed a new AI attack algorithm called Best-of-N (BoN) Jailbreaking. This black-box algorithm repeatedly modifies prompts—randomly shuffling or capitalizing text, for example—until it elicits a harmful response from the AI system. BoN achieved impressively high attack success rates (ASRs) on closed-source language models like GPT-4o (89%) and Claude 3.5 Sonnet (78%), effectively circumventing existing defenses. Furthermore, BoN seamlessly extends to vision and audio language models, highlighting the vulnerability of even advanced AI systems to seemingly innocuous input variations. This research underscores significant security concerns in the field of AI.

(arxiv.org)

AI AI security AI attack Best-of-N Jailbreaking

Conquering iPhone NFC Compatibility: Reviving Magic MIFARE Tags

2024-12-15

The author encountered a tricky NFC issue: some Magic MIFARE cards couldn't be read by iPhones. Using a Proxmark3 tool, they tried wiping card data and formatting with ndefformat, but the iPhone still refused to recognize them. Finally, after writing data using the iPhone's NFC Tools app in "compatibility mode", the iPhone successfully read the card. The author also demonstrates how to use the ndeflib library to create and write NDEF records, ultimately enabling the Magic MIFARE card to work on iPhones.

(ewpratten.com)

Misc

RAM Data Remanence Times: Significant Differences Between DDR4 and DDR5

2024-12-15

3mdeb conducted research testing data remanence times in different RAM types (DDR4 and DDR5). Results showed DDR5 data vanishes almost instantly after power loss, while DDR4 data persists for significantly longer, up to two minutes. This highlights critical differences in data security between RAM types. A custom UEFI application was used, writing and comparing memory patterns while accounting for temperature and humidity. This research is significant for understanding memory data security and designing more secure systems.

(blog.3mdeb.com)

Hardware RAM data remanence

PuzzleZilla: Online Jigsaw Puzzle Maker Launches

2024-12-15

PuzzleZilla is a new online platform allowing users to create custom jigsaw puzzles from any image uploaded from their device or the internet. The site offers a wide variety of pre-categorized puzzles, including cars, babies, cities, animals, flowers, nature, girls, landscapes, dinosaurs, castles, movies, anime, cats, dogs, paintings, food, and fantasy themes. Users can easily create and play their puzzles online.

(puzzlezilla.com)

Game online jigsaw puzzle image upload custom puzzle

Hyperbola GNU/Linux-libre: A Lightweight OS Committed to Freedom and Long-Term Support

2024-12-15

Hyperbola GNU/Linux-libre is a community-driven operating system project aiming to provide a fully free, stable, secure, simple, and lightweight long-term support distribution. It leverages Arch Linux's package management and Debian's security patches, adhering to the GNU Free System Distribution Guidelines. Supporting i686 and x86_64 architectures, Hyperbola plans to release a BSD-based system, HyperbolaBSD. Recent news includes continued support for 32-bit systems, discontinuation of Debian patchsets beyond version 12, and concerns expressed regarding the Free Software Foundation's statement on machine learning.

(www.hyperbola.info)

Development Operating System Free Software

Displaying Website Content on an E-Ink Display: A Family Tech Solution

2024-12-15

To address the inconvenience of checking the school timetable, the author designed a low-power e-ink display that automatically fetches and displays the school website's timetable. The project overcame challenges of website login and API absence by using Playwright for web scraping, and a server-side application to generate the image, which is then displayed on the e-ink screen. This solution tackles a family's daily problem and showcases the combined application of low-power hardware and web scraping technologies. The project initially explored MicroPython, but ultimately utilized the Arduino library for better reliability and functionality.

(mfasold.net)

Tech e-ink display low-power

AI Visualization: Similar City Road Networks

2024-12-15

The website similar-cities uses AI to visualize the relationships between cities by comparing the similarities of their road networks. It employs a unique 'drunkard's walk' algorithm, calculating the similarity of random paths within the road networks to assess structural similarity. Data is sourced from OpenStreetMap, encompassing roughly 2500 cities. The project is open-source, providing detailed algorithm explanations and code, and welcomes more city data for improved accuracy.

(github.com)

AI Visualization Road Networks

GitHub Project Map: Visualizing 400,000+ Projects

2024-12-15

Developer Anvaka created an interactive map visualizing over 400,000 GitHub projects using publicly available data. The project uses Jaccard similarity to calculate relationships between projects and the Leiden algorithm for clustering. The result is a visually stunning representation of the GitHub ecosystem, allowing users to search and explore connections between projects, revealing its complexity and richness.

(github.com)

Development project relationships

Elon Musk's Government Reform Attempt: A Battle Against Bureaucracy

2024-12-15

This article explores Elon Musk's attempts to reform government inefficiency. The author argues that Democrats haven't prioritized addressing government inefficiency, and Musk's intervention is not a solution but may exacerbate the problem. Insiders are watching Musk's reform attempts with skepticism, believing that even billionaires can't easily shake the entrenched bureaucratic system. The article points out that lengthy legal procedures and resistance from vested interests are huge obstacles to reform, and the courts also play a significant role in worsening the problem. Ultimately, the author calls for a re-evaluation of government reform strategies and a clear understanding of the difficulty and complexity of reform.

(www.eatingpolicy.com)

Misc government reform bureaucracy Elon Musk

Vercel Launches ƒun: A Local Serverless Function Runtime

2024-12-15

Vercel has released ƒun, a local development runtime for serverless functions, enabling developers to emulate the AWS Lambda environment locally. Supporting various runtimes like Node.js and Python, ƒun allows for quick testing and debugging of serverless functions without cloud deployment. While striving for a close approximation of the real Lambda environment, ƒun has some key differences, notably in process sandboxing and user permissions.

(github.com)

Development Function Computing Local Development

Unveiling the Deep Connection Between Maximum Likelihood Estimation and Loss Functions

2024-12-15

This article delves into the intrinsic relationship between Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) and commonly used loss functions. Starting with the fundamentals of MLE, the author meticulously explains its close connection to KL divergence. The article then uses Mean Squared Error (MSE) and Cross-Entropy as examples, demonstrating how these functions are naturally derived from MLE rather than being arbitrarily chosen. By assuming data distributions (e.g., Gaussian for linear regression, Bernoulli for logistic regression), maximizing the likelihood function via MLE directly leads to MSE and Cross-Entropy loss functions. This provides a clear path to understanding the theoretical underpinnings of loss functions, moving beyond mere intuition.

(rish-01.github.io)

AI Maximum Likelihood Estimation Loss Functions

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.

(www.fractionaljobs.io)

Startup fractional work part-time jobs freelance

Drag and Drop Images into Bevy 0.15 on the Web

2024-12-15

This post demonstrates integrating web native APIs via WASM with Bevy 0.15 to enable drag-and-drop image functionality in a web browser. It details using wasm-bindgen, gloo, and bevy_channel_trigger to handle DOM events in Rust, extract file data, and pass it to the Bevy engine for image loading and rendering. The process mirrors JavaScript implementation but leverages Rust's capabilities, addressing error handling and event listener memory leaks. The result is a Bevy web application capable of loading and displaying dropped PNG images.

(rustunit.com)

Development Web Development

UK's Illegal Cybertruck Faces Uphill Battle for Legalization

2024-12-15

Yianni Charalambous, a UK car customizer, is attempting to register a Tesla Cybertruck for road use in the UK, following a similar success in the Czech Republic. However, the Cybertruck's sharp design clashes with UK and EU pedestrian safety regulations, posing significant challenges. Its unique steer-by-wire system, reliance on OTA updates unavailable in the UK, and incompatibility with EU recall systems further complicate matters. Experts deem its chances of passing the UK's IVA test extremely slim.

(www.wired.com)

Tech Tesla Cybertruck Car Modification Safety Regulations

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.

(www.scannedinavian.com)

Development programmer focus flow

← Previous 1 2 … 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 … 21 22 Next →