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Home Assistant Unveils Open-Source Voice Assistant Hardware

2024-12-20

Home Assistant has launched Voice Preview Edition, hardware for its open-source voice assistant, Assist. Priced at $59, this device boasts advanced audio processing, a sleek design, and extensive customization options, aiming to deliver a private and open voice assistant experience. Seamlessly integrating with Home Assistant, it supports local voice processing and allows for customization of both software and hardware. This preview edition accelerates Assist's development, ultimately aiming to surpass existing voice assistants, support more languages, and offer users greater choice.

(www.home-assistant.io)

Hardware voice assistant open-source hardware

Python Weekly Roundup: Markitdown Released, Conda Package Management Debate Heats Up

2024-12-20

This week's Python news includes the release of Microsoft's Markitdown (a tool for converting files to Markdown), PDFMathTranslate (a scientific paper translation tool), and docling (a document preparation tool). Additionally, PEP 768 proposes adding a safe external debugger interface to CPython for real-time debugging. A heated discussion erupted regarding the complexities of Conda package management, analyzing its issues such as version conflicts, virtual environment management, and interactions with pip and setuptools. Finally, Markdown usage sparked a debate highlighting compatibility problems due to differences between various Markdown parsers.

(pyherald.com)

Development

GribStream: A Fast and Efficient Historical Weather Forecast API

2024-12-20

GribStream is a fast, efficient, and easy-to-use historical weather forecast API leveraging the National Blend of Models (NBM) and the Global Forecast System (GFS). It provides access to massive historical weather data; a single HTTP request can retrieve tens of thousands of hourly data points for months in seconds. The API supports various output formats (CSV, Parquet, JSON, etc.) and location queries. Its cost-effective pricing and powerful features allow developers to easily access the data they need without downloading and archiving.

(gribstream.com)

Development historical data

8-Day Western Ghats Road Trip in Karnataka from Bangalore

2024-12-20

This travelogue details Priyanka's captivating 8-day road trip from Bangalore, exploring Karnataka's Western Ghats. The itinerary covers Sakleshpur, Udupi, Nittur/Kollur, Jog Falls, Sringeri, Chikkamanagaluru, and Hassan, featuring numerous temples, waterfalls, beaches, and historical sites. The journey is vividly recounted through daily entries, showcasing scenic beauty, cultural immersion (including a Kola performance), and practical travel tips. It's a captivating blend of narrative and helpful information for potential travelers.

(travelswithpriyanka.substack.com)

Misc travel India Western Ghats

Apple's Power Mac 4400: A Failed Attempt at a Budget Mac

2024-12-20

Released in 1996, Apple's Power Mac 4400 aimed for the small business market with a low price point. However, this machine became infamous for its cheap PC-style case, poor build quality, and frequent crashes. Inside, cost-cutting measures resulted in a "Tanzania" motherboard shared with Mac clones, leading to poor performance, compatibility issues (it couldn't even boot System 7.5.5), and a generally disappointing user experience. Discontinued in 1998 after the Power Mac G3's release, the 4400 is considered one of Apple's biggest failures, often described as a Mac version of a Gateway 2000.

(512pixels.net)

Hardware Apple Computer failed product

Kelly Can't Fail: A Zero-Variance Gambling Game

2024-12-19

This article presents a card game called "Next Card Bet," where the Kelly betting strategy, typically known for its high variance, surprisingly exhibits zero variance. By counting the remaining red and black cards, the player calculates the optimal bet fraction to maximize the expected logarithm of their stake. Python simulations demonstrate consistent returns of approximately 9.08 times the initial stake across 10,000 runs, showing no variance. The article explains this zero-variance property by showing the Kelly strategy's equivalence to a portfolio strategy that distributes bets across all possible card arrangements. This portfolio strategy guarantees a specific return, independent of the card order, thus explaining the zero variance of the Kelly strategy in this unique game.

(win-vector.com)

Misc Kelly Criterion Zero Variance Gambling Game

OwlEars Launches OwlBrain AI for Unfiltered Customer Feedback

2024-12-19

OwlEars, the creator of the world-famous feedback platform Sarahah, has launched OwlBrain AI. This new platform allows businesses to collect pure, raw feedback directly from their customers' minds. Unlike lengthy surveys, customers can easily share their thoughts via link, QR code, or website widget. OwlBrain AI provides AI-powered insights to help businesses improve their products and services. A 15-day free trial is available, no credit card required.

(www.owlears.com)

Startup customer feedback

Spotify's Ghost Artists: The Algorithm's Dark Secret

2024-12-19

This article exposes Spotify's 'Perfect Fit Content' (PFC) program, which secretly fills its playlists with low-cost 'ghost artists' to reduce royalty payouts. These ghost artists, mass-produced by production companies, lack artistic merit but dominate popular playlists, squeezing out independent musicians. This practice has angered artists and industry insiders, raising concerns about the devaluation of music and the future of streaming. It reveals streaming services' disregard for artistic integrity and musician rights in their pursuit of profit maximization.

(harpers.org)

Tech streaming ghost artists

Introducing NDEF: The Language of NFC

2024-12-19

This chapter introduces the Near Field Communication (NFC) Data Exchange Format (NDEF), the common language for NFC devices and tags. NDEF is a binary format structured in messages, each containing several records. Each record comprises a header (metadata) and a payload (content). The chapter details the structure of NDEF records, including Type Name Format, Payload Type, Payload Identifier, and Payload, and shows how to write and read NDEF-formatted messages using Android apps. It also covers NDEF message size limits and record chunking for larger payloads. Finally, a sample application demonstrates creating a simple NFC tag writer app using the PhoneGap-NFC plugin, writing NDEF messages to tags to launch the Foursquare app.

(www.oreilly.com)

Development

Historic Dwingeloo Radio Telescope Receives Signals from Voyager 1

2024-12-19

The historic Dwingeloo radio telescope in the Netherlands, a national monument built in 1956, has successfully received faint signals from Voyager 1, nearly 25 billion kilometers from Earth. Despite the telescope's design frequency not matching Voyager 1's 8.4 GHz telemetry, researchers overcame this by mounting a new antenna and correcting for the Doppler shift. This achievement showcases the ingenuity of adapting older technology for remarkable feats and highlights humanity's enduring quest for space exploration.

(www.camras.nl)

Tech Voyager 1 radio telescope

Type-Driven Development: How Types Simplify Complex Programming

2024-12-19

This article explores the concept of "Type-Driven Development," where the author, drawing from experience with the large-scale Heartbeat Typescript project (300k+ lines), demonstrates how Typescript's type system simplifies complex programming problems. The core idea is that by leveraging the type system effectively, allowing types to flow freely across all application layers, starting new features with type definitions, making illegal states unrepresentable, parsing instead of validating data, and maintaining code honesty and specificity, bugs are drastically reduced and development efficiency is improved. The author also shares techniques for using pure functions as type bridges and the type system as an introspection tool, while acknowledging the occasional need to bypass type system constraints.

(mayhul.com)

Development Type-Driven Development Software Development

Beyond Code Yellow: A Startup's Guide to Tackling Tough Problems

2024-12-19

This article, penned by a seasoned tech executive turned investor turned founder, shares insights from his experiences at Instacart and Beacon. He critiques the overuse of 'Code Yellow' – a crisis-mode problem-solving approach – noting its effectiveness but also its negative impact on team morale. He proposes a more sustainable alternative: 'Sweating the Problem.' This involves removing hidden constraints (e.g., the 'keep the lights on' fallacy), running multiple solutions in parallel, avoiding premature scaling concerns, and breaking down departmental silos. The core is building team resilience and problem-solving muscle, fostering a culture where proactively tackling tough challenges is the default.

(nilam.ca)

Startup problem-solving team management

Polyamory Doesn't Liberate; Monogamy Doesn't Protect: A Bay Area Dating Retrospective

2024-12-19

This essay reflects on a decade of dating in the Bay Area, challenging the notion that polyamory is inherently liberating or monogamy inherently protective. Drawing on personal experiences and anecdotes from friends, the author argues that neither relationship style guarantees emotional fulfillment or prevents heartbreak. Statistical data on polyamory is analyzed, revealing complexities and contradictions. The author concludes that the key to successful relationships lies in self-awareness, communication, and addressing personal attachment issues, rather than solely relying on a specific relationship structure.

(carsonogenic.substack.com)

Misc polyamory monogamy

Google Expands Global Solar Potential Assessment Using Satellite Imagery and Machine Learning

2024-12-19

Google researchers have expanded the Google Maps Platform Solar API's coverage in the Global South by applying machine learning models to satellite imagery to generate high-resolution digital surface models and roof segmentation maps. This innovation overcomes limitations in traditional methods of data acquisition and processing, providing solar potential assessment data for 1.25 billion buildings globally and accelerating the adoption of renewable energy worldwide. The project leverages satellite data to increase data update frequency and reduce costs, particularly beneficial in data-scarce regions.

(research.google)

Tech solar energy satellite imagery

Reverse Engineering the Xbox 360 RGH Exploit: A Thrilling Journey into Hardware Hacking

2024-12-19

The author meticulously documents their journey of reverse engineering the Xbox 360 RGH (Reset Glitch Hack) exploit. By using a hardware 'glitching' technique, they precisely control nanosecond pulses on the CPU reset line to trick the system's signature verification, enabling the execution of unsigned code. The author overcomes challenges like precise timing, successfully recreating this classic exploit. They share their tools (FPGA/CPLD, logic analyzer), Verilog code, and experiences, offering valuable insights for hardware security researchers.

(github.com)

Hardware RGH exploit

New Underwater Footage Raises Sabotage Suspicions Against Yi Peng 3

2024-12-19

New underwater footage obtained by TV2 reveals drag marks on the seabed near Læsø, Denmark, coinciding with the unusual maneuvers of the Chinese vessel Yi Peng 3 ten days before the Baltic Sea cable breaks. The footage shows a distinct mark aligning with the Yi Peng 3's path on November 7th, when the ship inexplicably slowed down significantly while passing over the cables. Experts are questioning this unusual behavior for a commercial vessel, citing suspicions of sabotage against three Danish-Swedish underwater cables. The ongoing investigation involves Danish, Swedish, and German naval vessels monitoring the Yi Peng 3, which remains anchored in the Kattegat. Authorities remain tight-lipped, prompting independent investigations by TV2 and its partners.

(scandasia.com)

Tech Underwater Cable Sabotage Yi Peng 3 China

Clay: A Robust UI Layout Library

2024-12-19

Clay is a lightweight UI layout library for building responsive and accessible user interfaces. Its clean and intuitive API allows developers to easily create complex layouts while maintaining code maintainability and readability. Clay prioritizes performance and accessibility, ensuring fast loading times and user-friendliness through streamlined code and a well-architected design. Whether building simple page layouts or complex interactive applications, Clay empowers developers to build high-quality UIs efficiently.

(www.nicbarker.com)

Development UI library responsive layout accessibility

Music and Geometry: A Geometric Interpretation of Intervals and Scales

2024-12-19

This article explores the fascinating connection between music and geometry, specifically how intervals and scales are represented in geometric shapes. Using the relationships of intervals in twelve-tone equal temperament, the author constructs various geometric figures such as lines, triangles, squares, hexagons, dodecagons, and dodecagrams. These visuals illustrate the relationships between different intervals. The article also delves into just intonation, Greek modes, and symmetrical scales, offering a unique perspective on music theory through geometric visualization.

(roelsworld.eu)

Misc music geometry intervals scales

CCState: A Lightweight and Flexible State Management Library

2024-12-19

CCState is a lightweight, semantically clear, and flexible state management library designed for medium to large single-page applications with complex state management needs. It's built on three basic data types: computed, command, and state, offering a simple and intuitive API with 100% test coverage. Framework-agnostic, CCState works seamlessly with React, Vanilla JS, and other UI frameworks, boasting blazing-fast performance, outperforming Jotai in various scenarios. The core APIs – `state`, `computed`, and `command` – handle basic value units, derived computations, and side effects respectively. React Hooks like `useGet`, `useSet`, `useLoadable`, and `useResolved` simplify data access and Promise handling. CCState also offers subscription capabilities for reactive updates.

(github.com)

Development state management JavaScript library

Tektronix DVST Graphic Terminals: Pioneers of Computer Graphics Displays

2024-12-19

This article recounts the legendary story of Tektronix's DVST (bistable direct-view storage tube) graphic terminals. From Bob Anderson's invention of the DVST in 1961, to Tektronix's launch of its first 611 display, and later the iconic models T4002, 4010, and 4014, Tektronix spearheaded the development of computer graphics display technology. These terminals, with their high resolution and stability, became essential devices for computer graphics applications at the time, ultimately driving the progress of the entire industry. Even after the advent of low-cost raster-scanned CRTs, Tektronix's DVST terminals held a significant market share for years due to their compatibility and reliability.

(vintagetek.org)

Tech Computer Graphics

Quick Start with TideCloak: Secure React App in 10 Minutes

2024-12-19

TideCloak is an easy-to-use identity and access management system based on Keycloak and secured by Tide's Cybersecurity Fabric. This guide shows you how to build a secure single-page React application with TideCloak in under 10 minutes. First, install Docker and NPM, then run the TideCloak-Dev Docker container. After activating a free developer license, create your React project, install dependencies, and run the application. Users can log in, register, and view customized content based on predefined roles, all managed by TideCloak and secured by Tide's Cybersecurity Fabric.

(github.com)

Development Identity Management

Lightweight Safety Classification Using Pruned Language Models

2024-12-19

Researchers introduce Layer Enhanced Classification (LEC), a novel lightweight technique for content safety and prompt injection classification in Large Language Models (LLMs). LEC trains a streamlined Penalized Logistic Regression (PLR) classifier on the hidden state of an LLM's optimal intermediate transformer layer. Combining the efficiency of PLR with the sophisticated language understanding of LLMs, LEC outperforms GPT-4o and specialized models. Small general-purpose models like Qwen 2.5 and architectures such as DeBERTa v3 prove robust feature extractors, effectively training with fewer than 100 high-quality examples. Crucially, intermediate transformer layers often outperform the final layer. A single general-purpose LLM can classify content safety, detect prompt injections, and generate output, or smaller LLMs can be pruned to their optimal intermediate layer for feature extraction. Consistent results across architectures suggest robust feature extraction is inherent to many LLMs.

(arxiv.org)

AI Safety Classification Feature Extraction

ElevationLab Unveils TimeCapsule: A 10-Year Battery for AirTags

2024-12-19

ElevationLab has launched TimeCapsule, a revolutionary battery case for AirTags boasting a 10-year battery life. Addressing the common issue of frequent AirTag battery replacements, TimeCapsule utilizes two AA batteries for extended power, offering 14 times the capacity of a standard AirTag battery. Its waterproof design and premium construction, featuring CNC-machined screws, ensure durability in various environments. Inspired by the founder's experience of losing track of stolen equipment due to a dead AirTag battery, TimeCapsule provides peace of mind for users, particularly those tracking high-value items.

(www.elevationlab.com)

Hardware Battery

mizu.js: A Lightweight HTML Templating Library for Any-Side Rendering

2024-12-19

mizu.js is a lightweight HTML templating library supporting both client-side and server-side rendering. Its simple syntax, close to vanilla JavaScript and HTML, offers a gentle learning curve. Featuring a rich set of directives for conditional rendering, loops, data binding, and HTTP requests, mizu.js allows building various web applications—single-page apps, static sites, and dynamic pages—without complex build processes. Its flexibility and simplicity make it ideal for both small and large projects.

(mizu.sh)

Development HTML templating server-side rendering client-side rendering

The Fall of Stereotype Threat: A Reckoning for Social Psychology

2024-12-19

This article revisits stereotype threat, a once-dominant theory in social psychology explaining how negative stereotypes impact the performance of marginalized groups. Author Michael Inzlicht recounts its rise and fall, detailing how groundbreaking initial research ultimately failed to replicate in large-scale studies. This led to a critical examination of the theory's validity and broader methodological issues within social psychology. Inzlicht candidly reflects on past questionable research practices, including data manipulation, and concludes that the stereotype threat effect is far weaker and less consistent than previously believed. The article calls for greater rigor and self-correction within the field.

(www.speakandregret.michaelinzlicht.com)

AI stereotype threat replication crisis

Visualizing 6D Mesh Parallelism in Deep Learning Training

2024-12-19

This article delves into the complexities of 6D mesh parallelism in deep learning model training. Using a series of visualizations, the author meticulously explains the communication mechanisms of various parallel strategies—data parallelism, fully sharded data parallelism, tensor parallelism, context parallelism, expert parallelism, and pipeline parallelism—during the model's forward and backward passes. The author uses a simple attention layer model to illustrate the implementation details of each parallel approach, highlighting their interactions and potential challenges, such as the conflict between pipeline parallelism and fully sharded data parallelism. The article concludes by discussing mesh ordering, combining different parallel strategies, and practical considerations.

(main-horse.github.io)

AI parallel computing model training

WebGPU Sponza Demo: A Stunning Browser Graphics Showcase

2024-12-19

Georgi Nikolov's WebGPU Sponza demo showcases the impressive graphical capabilities of the WebGPU API. Users can navigate the scene using keyboard and mouse controls. However, this demo requires a modern browser with WebGPU support. Currently, Chrome 113+, the latest Firefox Nightly builds, and Safari Technology Preview support WebGPU. Update your browser to the latest version if you want to experience this visually impressive demo.

(gnikoloff.github.io)

Development graphics rendering browser technology

A Chicago Bladesmith's Fiery Alchemy: Crafting a Japanese Kitchen Knife

2024-12-19

The author commissioned Chicago bladesmith Sam Goldbroch to forge a traditional Japanese-style kitchen knife, witnessing a mesmerizing blend of artistry and atomic manipulation. Sam layered different steels, alchemically combining them through forging, heating, pressing, and twisting to create a stunning Damascus steel billet. The process was mystical, the bladesmith seemingly controlling fire and metal, transforming a simple tool into a work of art. This creation mirrors the bladesmith's journey of overcoming childhood trauma and mastering fire and metal.

(www.chicagomag.com)

Misc knife making Damascus steel

Proxmox Datacenter Manager Alpha Release Announced

2024-12-19

Proxmox has released an alpha preview of its Datacenter Manager. This software centralizes management of all nodes and clusters, offering basic features like virtual machine migration without requiring a cluster network. Developed entirely in Rust, from the backend API to the new frontend, it boasts a modern web UI for improved speed and compatibility. This alpha release aims to gather user feedback, test core features, and foster collaboration. While some features are incomplete and bugs are expected, it's already capable of managing thousands of remotes and virtual machines.

(forum.proxmox.com)

Development Datacenter Management Alpha Release

Synology DS923+ vs. Home-Built FreeBSD NAS: A Head-to-Head Comparison

2024-12-19

Julio Merino compares a Synology DS923+ against his home-built NAS running FreeBSD 14 with ZFS. His custom NAS utilizes a powerful ThinkStation workstation with ample CPU and RAM, while the DS923+ is a compact, dedicated NAS appliance with Synology's DSM and btrfs. Both offer comparable IOPS and network performance, but the DS923+ excels in noise and power consumption. DSM provides a user-friendly experience and robust backup solutions, while FreeBSD/ZFS requires more manual configuration and maintenance. Ultimately, the author prefers the DS923+ for its increased peace of mind regarding data security and management.

(blogsystem5.substack.com)

Hardware

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