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POSIX Time: Not What You Think

2024-12-26

This article debunks a common misconception about POSIX time (Unix time): it's not simply the number of seconds since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00. Due to leap seconds, the number of seconds in a UTC day isn't a constant 86,400, leading to discrepancies between POSIX time and the actual number of seconds. The article delves into the impact of leap seconds on time calculations and recommends alternatives like CLOCK_MONOTONIC or TAI for precise timekeeping, avoiding errors caused by leap seconds.

(aphyr.com)

Development POSIX time leap seconds

Visualizing the YC Company Landscape

2024-12-26

Mike Alche has created a visualization tool showcasing the Y Combinator (YC) company landscape. This interactive tool provides a clear overview of the industries represented, investment relationships, and growth trajectories of YC-backed companies. Its intuitive design and clear charts offer a unique perspective on the YC ecosystem, revealing connections and trends among startups. This is a valuable resource for entrepreneurs, investors, and anyone interested in the tech industry.

(yc-map.vercel.app)

Startup Startups

A 50-Year-Old Bug in C's File I/O: Unraveling a Legacy Mystery

2024-12-26

While improving a DOS emulator, a developer stumbled upon a seemingly trivial bug in file I/O: appending text to a file using the `echo` command produced unexpected results. Debugging revealed a flaw in how C runtime libraries handle switching between reading and writing, a flaw tracing back to the 1970s and even earlier UNIX systems. The article delves into the historical context, from early K&R C to modern C standards, exploring implementation differences across various UNIX versions and C compilers. The root cause is identified as limitations in early C libraries' handling of update mode, with variations in how different operating systems and compilers addressed these limitations. The author concludes that even today, for portable C code, an explicit `fseek` call is necessary when switching between reading and writing a file.

(www.os2museum.com)

Development file I/O legacy bug

Super Snowflake Maker: A Winter Technological Wonder

2024-12-26

Super Snowflake Maker: A Winter Technological Wonder

The 'Super Snowflake Maker' is not just a toy; it's a technological marvel that uses physics to create intricately shaped ice crystals resembling snowflakes. A precise control system sprays water droplets into an ultra-low temperature environment, instantly freezing them into various snowflake forms. Its design blends scientific rigor with artistic creativity, offering a captivating spectacle. Science enthusiasts and art lovers alike will find unique enjoyment and inspiration.

(supersnowflakemaker.com)

Tech Physics Art

Nordic Unveils VPR: Its First RISC-V Processor, Ushering in a New Era of Heterogeneous Computing

2024-12-26

Nordic Unveils VPR: Its First RISC-V Processor, Ushering in a New Era of Heterogeneous Computing

Nordic Semiconductor has launched VPR, its first RISC-V processor, integrated into the new nRF54H and nRF54L SoCs. VPR, an RV32EMC processor running at up to 320MHz, is designed for software-defined peripherals. The article details VPR's architecture, initialization process, and collaboration with the Arm Cortex-M33. Zephyr's sysbuild simplifies building and deploying VPR applications, enabling heterogeneous computing for enhanced performance and functionality.

(danielmangum.com)

Hardware Heterogeneous Computing

Postgres Reads Causing Writes: MVCC, Page Pruning, and Hint Bits

2024-12-25

This article delves into the seemingly paradoxical behavior in PostgreSQL where simple SELECT queries can trigger data writes. Starting with the Multi-Version Concurrency Control (MVCC) mechanism, it explains concepts like row versions, pages, and tuples. Through code examples, it analyzes how hint bit updates and page pruning cause read operations to modify pages, ultimately leading to disk writes. The article also discusses the HOT update optimization strategy and uses page inspection tools to illustrate how data is stored and updated within pages.

(jesipow.com)

Development Database Performance

Hertz Desperate to Offload Tesla Inventory, Offers Deep Discounts

2024-12-25

Hertz Desperate to Offload Tesla Inventory, Offers Deep Discounts

Rental car giant Hertz is aggressively selling off its Tesla Model 3 inventory at drastically reduced prices. A Hertz customer posted on Reddit a screenshot showing a 2023 Model 3 with 30,000 miles for just $17,913 – significantly below market value. While buying used rental cars carries risks, the low price and remaining battery warranty are tempting many. Hertz's move is likely a response to high depreciation on its large Tesla fleet and a push to clear inventory before year-end.

(jalopnik.com)

Tech Tesla Hertz Used Cars

Azerbaijan Airlines Crash: Missile Accident Emerges as Probable Cause

2024-12-25

Azerbaijan Airlines Crash: Missile Accident Emerges as Probable Cause

An Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 of the 67 people on board. Initial reports from the investigation suggest the plane may have been accidentally hit by an air-defense missile while approaching Grozny. Surviving passengers reported hearing an explosion and seeing shrapnel hit the plane. The incident bears resemblance to the 2014 downing of MH17, also suspected to involve a surface-to-air missile. While the Azerbaijani president attributed the crash to a weather-related course change, the possibility of a missile accident is under investigation.

(www.euronews.com)

Tech plane crash missile Azerbaijan Airlines

Server-Sent Events (SSE): An Underrated Real-time Data Streaming Solution

2024-12-25

Server-Sent Events (SSE): An Underrated Real-time Data Streaming Solution

This article explores Server-Sent Events (SSE), a simpler and more efficient one-way real-time communication solution compared to WebSockets. SSE leverages standard HTTP protocols, making it easy to implement and deploy, compatible with existing infrastructure, resource-efficient, and featuring automatic reconnection. The article details SSE's workings, advantages, and application scenarios (like real-time news, stock tickers, progress bars, etc.), showing code examples with Flask and JavaScript. Furthermore, it analyzes how LLMs like ChatGPT utilize SSE for streaming responses and points out SSE's limitations, such as unidirectional communication and data format restrictions. In short, SSE provides an elegant solution for many applications requiring unidirectional real-time data streams.

(igorstechnoclub.com)

Development Server-Sent Events Real-time Communication

Snow Signs: A Cross-Cultural Journey Through Time

2024-12-25

Snow Signs: A Cross-Cultural Journey Through Time

This article explores the diverse ways different cultures around the world have represented 'snow' in writing and symbolism, from the Shang oracle bone script in ancient China to the 'wind, flowers, snow, and moon' motif on ancient Chinese wine jugs, and from the Naxi Dongba script to the Inuktitut language's detailed descriptions of various snow types. The article also delves into snow-related words and symbols in ancient Greek, Egyptian, Hebrew, and Mayan civilizations, showcasing the unique understandings and expressions of snow across cultures, highlighting their cultural contexts and historical origins.

(viewsproject.wordpress.com)

Misc writing systems cross-cultural comparison snow

MongoDB's Proactive Approach to Data Corruption in the Cloud

2024-12-25

MongoDB Atlas, a global cloud database service, tackles the challenge of silent data corruption at petabyte scale. The article details MongoDB's software-level solutions, including checksum validation, leveraging indexes and replication, and utilizing redundant replicas for repair. This three-step process—proactive monitoring, precise pinpointing, and data repair—ensures data integrity even in the face of hardware failures or random errors. MongoDB's approach effectively shields customers from the complexities of hardware management, guaranteeing data reliability and security.

(www.mongodb.com)

Tech data corruption cloud database

Deep Dive into CPS: A Journey into Functional Programming Compilation

2024-12-25

This article delves into Continuation-Passing Style (CPS) and its application in compiling functional programming languages. The author builds a CPS transformer step-by-step for a simple Scheme-like language, explaining optimization strategies and code generation methods. The article details the transformation of integers, variables, function calls, arithmetic operators, lambda expressions, and if expressions into CPS form. It also discusses meta-continuations and optimization techniques such as constant folding and beta reduction. Finally, it outlines several approaches to generating executable code from CPS, including generating C code, using trampolines, and employing a single large switch statement.

(bernsteinbear.com)

Development Functional Programming

Portspoof: Open-Source Port Spoofing Tool Thwarts Port Scans

2024-12-25

Portspoof: Open-Source Port Spoofing Tool Thwarts Port Scans

Portspoof is an open-source port spoofing tool designed to enhance OS security. It confuses port scanners by always keeping all 65535 TCP ports open and responding with SYN+ACK to every connection attempt. Furthermore, Portspoof boasts a massive database of dynamic service signatures, mimicking various service banners to further hinder attackers from identifying real services. This significantly increases the time and difficulty for attackers to perform port scans and service identification, effectively improving system security without requiring root privileges.

(github.com)

Development port spoofing

The Golden Age of Antibiotics and How to Reignite It

2024-12-25

The Golden Age of Antibiotics and How to Reignite It

This article explores the "Golden Age of Antibiotics" (early 1940s-mid 1960s), a period of rapid antibiotic discovery. It explains the decline in antibiotic development since the 1970s due to pharmaceutical companies shifting focus to more profitable areas and the rise of antibiotic resistance. The article proposes strategies to revive antibiotic discovery, such as genome mining, exploring novel bacteria, and combination therapies. It highlights the crucial role of government and organizational funding and innovative collaborative models to incentivize the development of new antibiotics, crucial in the fight against drug-resistant infections.

(ourworldindata.org)

Tech antibiotics antibiotic resistance drug discovery

Website Showcases Early Christian Writings

2024-12-25

A new website, "Early Christian Writings," offers a comprehensive collection of Christian texts predating the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. It features the New Testament, Apocrypha, Gnostic texts, writings of the Church Fathers, and related non-Christian sources, all with translations and commentary. This resource provides invaluable insight into the history and development of early Christianity.

(www.earlychristianwritings.com)

Misc Early Christianity Texts History

Cognitive Load: The Silent Killer in Software Development

2024-12-25

This article explores the importance of cognitive load in software development. Cognitive load refers to the amount of mental effort a developer needs to complete a task; high cognitive load leads to confusion, wasted time, and money. The article analyzes intrinsic and extraneous cognitive load, illustrating how to reduce extraneous load through code examples, such as using meaningful intermediate variables, avoiding nested if statements, and prioritizing composition over inheritance. It also stresses avoiding excessive microservices, choosing appropriate language features, and adhering to the Single Responsibility Principle, noting that excessive abstraction and layered architectures can increase cognitive load. Finally, the article advises developers to focus on code readability and collaborate with junior developers to identify and improve cognitive load issues.

(minds.md)

Development cognitive load code readability

38C3 Chaos Communication Congress: A Digital Celebration

2024-12-25

From December 27th to 30th, 2021, the 38th Chaos Communication Congress (38C3) took place in Hamburg, Germany. The event featured a wide range of activities including talks, self-organized sessions, lightning talks, and more. Information was disseminated through the official website, event blog, and digital map. Volunteer registration, an information desk, and accessibility support were also provided to foster an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere.

(events.ccc.de)

Misc Tech Conference Digital Community

Mullvad VPN 2024 Year in Review: Enhanced Security and Privacy

2024-12-25

Mullvad VPN 2024 Year in Review: Enhanced Security and Privacy

Mullvad VPN's 2024 review highlights significant advancements in user privacy and security. Key achievements include migrating the support email inbox to self-hosted hardware, launching DAITA technology for enhanced traffic obfuscation, adding multi-hop connections and ShadowSocks support across all platforms, and completing multiple security audits of both VPN servers and apps. Additionally, Mullvad ran traditional outdoor advertising campaigns to raise awareness of mass surveillance.

(mullvad.net)

Tech

Ants Outperform Humans in Teamwork Experiment

2024-12-25

Ants Outperform Humans in Teamwork Experiment

A Weizmann Institute experiment pitted ants against humans in a collaborative load-carrying challenge through a maze. Surprisingly, ant teams, even with limited communication, outperformed human teams. The researchers attribute this to ants' highly social nature and shared goals, while human teams struggled with individual differences and communication breakdowns, failing to fully realize the 'wisdom of the crowd'. This study sheds light on group decision-making and the benefits and drawbacks of cooperation, questioning the universal applicability of 'wisdom of the crowds' in human contexts.

(wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il)

AI teamwork ants humans

Sherlock Project: Hunt Down Social Media Accounts Across 400+ Networks

2024-12-25

The Sherlock Project is a powerful tool allowing users to search for social media accounts across 400+ networks using only a username. It's easy to get started with simple installation and usage instructions, and supports a wide range of sites. Community contributions are welcome, enabling users to add new sites and improve functionality.

(sherlockproject.xyz)

Development social media search account search Sherlock Project

Three-Quarters of Earth's Land is Drying Out, 'Redefining Life on Earth'

2024-12-25

Three-Quarters of Earth's Land is Drying Out, 'Redefining Life on Earth'

New research reveals that 77% of Earth's land has become drier over the past three decades, with a rapid increase in excessively salty soils. Climate change is accelerating this trend, expanding drylands to encompass over 40% of the planet (excluding Antarctica). This threatens agricultural productivity, biodiversity, and ecosystem health, exacerbating food and water insecurity. Unless emissions are curbed, this trend will continue, leading to severe socioeconomic consequences including hunger, displacement, and economic decline. Experts urge immediate action, including investments in drought-resistant and salt-tolerant crops, improved crop and water management, and nature-based solutions.

(grist.org)

Tech climate change land desertification food security

MDN Learning Resources Get a Major Overhaul: New Learning Experience Launched

2024-12-25

MDN Learning Resources Get a Major Overhaul: New Learning Experience Launched

In December 2024, MDN launched a major update to its "Learn Web Development" section, merging the MDN Curriculum with existing learning content to create a more streamlined learning path. This upgrade addresses previous issues like bloated content and unclear learning pathways, providing a clearer and more accessible experience for beginners. The new site uses a modular structure with "Getting Started," "Core," and "Extensions" sections, incorporating clear learning objectives and interactive content. MDN will continue to improve content and design, aiming to deliver even better learning resources in the future.

(developer.mozilla.org)

Development Web Development Learning Learning Resource Upgrade

Microsoft Research Unveils F*: A Proof-Oriented Programming Language

2024-12-25

F* (pronounced F star) is a general-purpose, proof-oriented programming language supporting both purely functional and effectful programming. Combining the expressive power of dependent types with automated proof generation via SMT solving and tactic-based interactive theorem proving, F* defaults to compiling to OCaml. However, it can also be extracted to F#, C, or WebAssembly using KaRaMeL, or to assembly using Vale. Developed and actively maintained by Microsoft Research, Inria, and the community, the open-source F* is used in various projects, including those within Mozilla Firefox and the Linux kernel, showcasing its applications in security, cryptography, and systems development.

(fstar-lang.org)

Development proof-oriented programming dependent types

OKRs: Tool or Trap?

2024-12-25

OKRs: Tool or Trap?

This article explores the duality of OKRs (Objectives and Key Results). The author points out that many companies misuse OKRs for performance reviews, leading teams to overemphasize measurable metrics while neglecting the actual objectives and external effects. The author uses the example of Alexa to illustrate how blindly pursuing key results can be counterproductive. In contrast, Honeycomb uses OKRs as a tool for communication and reflection, treating key results as clues to observe the world and improve work, rather than ultimate judgment criteria, thus avoiding metric distortion.

(jessitron.com)

Development OKRs performance review goal management

EZRGB: Powering Animated Holiday Light Shows with DBOS

2024-12-25

EZRGB uses DBOS to simplify the creation and deployment of animated holiday light shows. Their EZSequence platform allows users to purchase pre-made sequences and automatically map them to their house layouts, eliminating the complex manual process. Built with WordPress, DBOS Transact, AWS SQS, and S3, the platform offers a scalable and reliable solution, proving that even a niche market can benefit from robust technology.

(www.dbos.dev)

Development animated light shows cloud services

MicroStrategy: The Rise and Fall of a Bitcoin Treasure?

2024-12-25

MicroStrategy: The Rise and Fall of a Bitcoin Treasure?

This article delves into the rise and potential fall of MicroStrategy's Bitcoin accumulation strategy. The company, through compelling narratives, inflated its share price far above its net asset value, profiting through share offerings and convertible bonds. However, this model relies on a constant influx of new investors. When this dries up, the Bitcoin yield will plummet, leading to substantial investor losses. The author argues that MicroStrategy's business model exhibits characteristics of a Ponzi scheme, ultimately destined for disaster.

(medium.com)

Startup Bitcoin Ponzi Scheme

Programmer Builds Native Flame Graph Viewer: Conquering Xlib and Performance Bottlenecks

2024-12-25

A Rust programmer, needing to debug Rust Analyzer, embarked on building a native flame graph viewer. Initial attempts using various GUI toolkits proved too memory-intensive. Instead, he cleverly used Xlib, overcoming challenges like scrolling performance, rendering thousands of buttons, and handling mouse interactions. The result: a lightweight, efficient flame graph viewer. This project showcases excellent programming skills and a deep understanding of performance optimization, offering valuable lessons for other developers.

(laladrik.xyz)

Development flame graph

Giant Sloths and Mastodons Coexisted with Humans in the Americas for Millennia

2024-12-25

Giant Sloths and Mastodons Coexisted with Humans in the Americas for Millennia

New archaeological discoveries challenge the long-held theory that humans arriving in the Americas quickly wiped out megafauna. Findings from sites in Brazil, Uruguay, and New Mexico—including modified giant sloth bones dating back 27,000 years, human footprints, and other artifacts—suggest a much longer period of coexistence between humans and megafauna such as giant ground sloths and mastodons. These discoveries challenge the previously accepted Clovis culture as representing the earliest human settlement in the Americas. The research paints a more nuanced picture of early human-megafauna interactions, indicating a complex relationship beyond simple hunting and extinction.

(phys.org)

Misc prehistoric humans megafauna archaeological discoveries

Server Reboot Failure: Cool-Down Reboot Solves Kernel Crash

2024-12-25

The author encountered two identical servers experiencing kernel crashes that couldn't be resolved by a simple reboot. During the crash, the servers printed a series of machine check exception errors during the system firmware stage, pointing to CPU hardware issues. A cool-down period of a few minutes after powering off, followed by a reboot, resolved the problem. This demonstrates that even a brief power interruption may not fully reset certain x86 system components, requiring a cool-down period for complete recovery.

(utcc.utoronto.ca)

Tech server failure kernel crash hardware issue

Japanese Firms Demo Unforgeable Quantum Tokens

2024-12-25

In response to the challenges posed by quantum computing to traditional encryption methods, Mitsui, NEC, and Quantinuum in Japan successfully demonstrated the technology of transmitting and redeeming quantum tokens over a 10-kilometer fiber optic network. This technology leverages quantum key distribution (QKD), exploiting the fragility of quantum data to achieve unforgeability, single-use properties, and local validation of tokens, offering a novel secure solution for financial transactions and asset management. This breakthrough marks a significant step towards commercial applications of quantum token technology.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech quantum tokens quantum key distribution

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