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Reservoirs Lab: Lightweight Postgres VectorDB GUI

2024-12-19

Reservoirs Lab is a lightweight Electron app that connects directly to a Postgres database to visualize high-dimensional vector embeddings stored alongside structured data. Users can interactively explore their data and see correlations between metadata and the semantic similarity of vector embeddings. Features include Postgres integration, vector visualization, neighborhood exploration, and a local, privacy-preserving workflow.

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(github.com)
Development Vector Database Data Visualization

Perl Advent Calendar 2024: Randal Schwartz's 'Half My Life with Perl'

2024-12-19

The Perl Advent Calendar 2024 features a unique video presentation by Randal Schwartz, titled 'Half My Life with Perl'. Randal, a Perl veteran, recounts his journey with the language from its early days to the modern era, including his involvement in creating the Camel and Llama books, and his humorous anecdotes of conquering the comp.unix.questions forum with Perl 2. This marks the first time a video has been included in the Perl Advent Calendar, offering a fresh and engaging perspective on the language's history.

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(perladvent.org)
Development programming history

Toyota Leads New Automotive Grade Linux Expert Group for Open Source Management

2024-12-19

Automotive Grade Linux (AGL) has launched a new Open Source Program Office (OSPO) Expert Group, led by Toyota, to help automakers better manage open source activities. The group aims to promote the establishment of OSPOs within the automotive industry and foster the sharing of best practices. With the rise of Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs), automakers are increasingly contributing to open source software, and OSPOs streamline these efforts. The group will assist companies in launching OSPOs, share solutions to common challenges, develop best practices, and encourage broader participation in open source contributions within the automotive sector.

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(www.automotivelinux.org)
Tech open source software automotive industry software-defined vehicles

GreptimeDB: A Deep Dive into Error Handling for Large Rust Projects

2024-12-19

This GreptimeDB blog post delves into their error handling practices within large Rust projects. It details how they built a cheaper, more accurate error stack to replace system backtraces, how they organize errors in large projects, and how they present errors differently to logs and end-users. GreptimeDB leverages the snafu crate for error management and implements a "virtual user stack." This approach proves more efficient and memory-friendly than system backtraces, providing clearer, more understandable error messages for both developers and end-users.

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(greptime.com)
Development

Piccolo OS: A Tiny, Educational Multitasking OS for Raspberry Pi Pico

2024-12-19

Piccolo OS is a small multitasking operating system designed for the Raspberry Pi Pico, primarily as a teaching tool. It demonstrates the fundamentals of a cooperative multitasking OS and the Arm Cortex-M0+ architecture. Tasks are scheduled in a simple round-robin fashion, using MSP and PSP stack pointers for context switching and transitioning between Thread and Handler modes. While simplified in functionality, it clearly illustrates core multitasking OS principles, making it ideal for learning about operating system internals.

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(github.com)
Development operating system

ScyllaDB Shifts to Source-Available License for its Database

2024-12-19

ScyllaDB announced it's transitioning its flagship product, ScyllaDB Enterprise, from closed-source to a source-available license, offering a free tier with full enterprise capabilities. This simplifies their dual release stream, providing greater community value. The future involves a single release stream, consolidating core features for improved performance and efficiency; examples include 30X faster node addition/removal via file-based streaming and workload prioritization for balancing multiple workloads on a single cluster. While potentially unpopular with some open-source users, ScyllaDB believes this change benefits the company and accelerates progress on roadmap milestones like Raft for data, optimized tablet elasticity, and tiered (S3) storage.

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(www.scylladb.com)
Development Source-Available License Open-Source Database

California's Math Education Reform Sparks 'Math Wars'

2024-12-19

The update of California's Mathematics Framework (CMF) ignited a fierce debate, dubbed the "math wars." Reformists advocated replacing traditional algebra with more engaging and inclusive data science courses to boost student interest and close achievement gaps. Traditionalists countered that data science courses lacked rigor and couldn't replace algebra, jeopardizing future STEM careers. The conflict spilled onto social media and into politics, resulting in significant controversy. Ultimately, the University of California reversed the data science substitution policy and formed a workgroup to establish better math standards, following pressure from experts and tech leaders. This "war" exposed weaknesses in US math education and spurred further reforms.

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(alumni.berkeley.edu)
Education math education reform data science

A New Solution to the Fermi Paradox: Advanced Civilizations May Be Indistinguishable from Nature

2024-12-19

The Fermi Paradox highlights the contradiction between the high probability of extraterrestrial life and the lack of evidence for it. A new research paper proposes a solution: advanced civilizations might develop sustainable models where technology seamlessly integrates with their environment, rendering them undetectable. This challenges our assumptions about technological advancement and civilization expansion, prompting a reevaluation of SETI and our understanding of our own civilization's trajectory.

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(www.universetoday.com)
AI Fermi Paradox extraterrestrial civilizations sustainable development

Brain's Active Role in Creating Mental 'Chapters' Revealed

2024-12-19

A new study in Current Biology unveils how the brain segments the continuous stream of daily experiences into distinct, meaningful events. This 'event segmentation' isn't just a passive response to environmental changes; it's an active process shaped by internal scripts based on past experiences and goals. Researchers used audio narratives and fMRI to demonstrate that brain activity, particularly in the medial prefrontal cortex of the default mode network, aligns with event boundaries determined by prioritized scripts. This active construction of mental 'chapters' is crucial for understanding, memory formation, and prioritizing information.

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(www.psypost.org)
AI event segmentation brain activity memory

Nurses' Nightmares: Algorithmic Exploitation in the Gig Economy

2024-12-19

Cory Doctorow's article exposes how 'Uber for nurses' apps in the US healthcare system exploit nurses through algorithmic discrimination and risk-shifting. These apps use complex fee structures and competitive bidding to lower wages, forcing nurses to cover insurance, equipment, and other costs, resulting in significantly reduced income and precarious working conditions. The article highlights this as a failure of capitalism and calls for stronger labor laws and unionization to protect nurses' rights.

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(pluralistic.net)
Tech algorithmic discrimination gig economy nurse exploitation

Apple Accuses Meta of Unreasonable Interoperability Requests Under EU's DMA

2024-12-19

Apple has accused Meta of making 15 interoperability requests under the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA), more than any other company. Apple claims Meta's requests, which could compromise user security and privacy, seek access to extensive user data including messages, emails, call logs, app usage, photos, files, calendar events, and passwords. Apple argues these requests are unreasonable, emphasizing the importance of iOS and iPadOS integrity and the potential infeasibility of creating effective interoperability solutions. The European Commission is consulting on the matter and may adjust measures based on feedback.

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(www.macrumors.com)
Tech Digital Markets Act

Debunking the RAM Myth: Optimizing Memory Access

2024-12-19

This article challenges the common misconception about modern computer memory—the RAM myth—that assumes memory access is always random and uniform. By analyzing data sharding algorithms, the author demonstrates that simple linear algorithms are inefficient for large datasets due to frequent cache misses. To address this, an optimized strategy based on radix sort is proposed. Techniques like pre-sorting data, using generators, and pre-allocating memory significantly improve data sharding efficiency. Experimental results show that the optimized algorithm achieves a 2.5 to 9x speedup when processing large datasets.

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(purplesyringa.moe)
Development cache optimization radix sort big data processing

Saturn's Rings: Older Than We Thought?

2024-12-19

A new study challenges the long-held belief that Saturn's rings are relatively young. Previous research, based on data from the Cassini spacecraft, suggested an age of only a few hundred million years. However, a team led by planetary scientist Ryuki Hyodo used computer simulations to show that micrometeoroid impacts on the rings produce far less contamination than previously thought. This implies the rings could be billions of years old, as old as Saturn itself, predating even the dinosaurs. This finding significantly alters our understanding of early solar system evolution and points towards future missions for more detailed investigation.

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(www.space.com)
Tech Saturn's rings age Cassini

MoonBit Compiler Goes Open Source: A High-Performance Language for WebAssembly

2024-12-19

After two years of development, the MoonBit compiler, including its Wasm backend, is now open source! MoonBit aims to be a WebAssembly-optimized programming language, known for its speed, compactness, and ease of use. This release uses a modified SSPL license, allowing users to freely choose the license for their generated artifacts and permitting modifications to the compiler for non-commercial purposes. The team chose this license to maintain stability while the project is still in beta and to prevent large cloud vendors from misusing their work. In the future, MoonBit plans to open source more components and generate revenue through hosting services and hardware SDKs, aiming to build a vibrant community ecosystem.

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(www.moonbitlang.com)
Development Open Source Compiler

Classical Sorting Algorithms Reveal Unexpected Competencies in a Minimal Model of Basal Intelligence

2024-12-19

A new study uses classical sorting algorithms as a model of morphogenesis, challenging conventional wisdom about these algorithms. By breaking assumptions of top-down control and perfectly reliable hardware, researchers discovered that arrays of autonomous elements sort themselves more reliably and robustly than traditional implementations, even in the presence of errors. Surprisingly, these algorithms exhibit the ability to temporarily reduce progress to navigate around defects and unexpected clustering behavior among elements in chimeric arrays following different algorithms. This discovery provides a novel perspective on diverse intelligence, demonstrating how basal forms of intelligence can emerge in simple systems without explicit encoding in their underlying mechanics.

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(arxiv.org)
AI diverse intelligence morphogenesis sorting algorithms

Embedding Lua in Rust for Configurable Static SQL Analysis in sqleibniz

2024-12-19

sqleibniz, a static SQL analysis tool for the SQLite dialect, has been enhanced with Lua scripting for increased configurability and extensibility. The author details the integration using the mlua crate in Rust, covering data structure conversion, Lua function calls, and error handling. Lua scripts allow users to define custom rules and hooks, enabling flexible static analysis such as customized diagnostics and style checks. This significantly improves sqleibniz's extensibility and user experience.

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(xnacly.me)
Development Static Analysis

Confronting Shipwreck: Maritime Disasters and Ecological Collapse in Literature

2024-12-19

A nature writer battling a debilitating genetic kidney disease finds solace and healing in reading about maritime disasters amidst the backdrop of ecological collapse. The article lists ten books exploring shipwrecks and environmental devastation, ranging from Melville's *Moby-Dick* to Grann's *The Wager*. These narratives not only depict the harrowing events but also delve into humanity's relationship with nature, resilience, and the spectrum of human behavior during crisis. The author advocates for confronting adversity head-on and drawing strength from the experience as a vital step in overcoming personal and ecological challenges.

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(lithub.com)
Misc maritime literature ecological collapse healing

Harvard Releases Massive Free AI Training Dataset

2024-12-18

Harvard University, in collaboration with Microsoft and OpenAI, has released a massive AI training dataset comprising nearly 1 million public domain books. Created by Harvard's Institutional Data Initiative, this dataset aims to 'level the playing field' by providing smaller players and individual researchers access to high-quality training data previously only available to large tech companies. Similar to the impact of Linux, this resource, spanning various genres, decades, and languages, will fuel AI model development. However, companies will still need additional licensed data to differentiate their models.

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(www.wired.com)
AI AI training dataset public domain books level playing field

First Case of Severe Bird Flu Confirmed in US

2024-12-18

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed the first case of severe bird flu in the United States. A Louisiana resident over 65 with underlying health conditions is hospitalized with severe respiratory illness due to avian influenza. The patient had contact with backyard birds, and genomic data shows the virus strain matches one recently spreading in US wild birds and poultry. While 61 human cases have been reported in the US since April, most were mild and recovered with antiviral treatment. The CDC stresses the risk of human-to-human transmission is low, but advises precautions for those working with or around poultry.

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(abcnews.go.com)
Tech avian influenza viral infection

Apple and NVIDIA Partner to Accelerate LLM Text Generation

2024-12-18

Apple and NVIDIA have teamed up to integrate Apple's ReDrafter technology into NVIDIA's TensorRT-LLM, resulting in a significant speedup for large language model text generation. ReDrafter combines beam search and dynamic tree attention, achieving significantly faster text generation without sacrificing quality. This collaboration allows developers using NVIDIA GPUs to easily leverage ReDrafter's accelerated token generation for their production LLM applications, achieving a 2.7x speed increase in benchmark tests, reducing latency and power consumption.

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(9to5mac.com)
AI

SQL Syntax Without a Database: Introducing Musoq

2024-12-18

Musoq is an open-source project enabling developers to query diverse data sources like files, directories, and images using SQL-like syntax, without needing a database. It boasts a plugin architecture supporting various data sources including file systems, archives, Git repositories, C# code, Docker and Kubernetes resources, and even integrates with AI models like OpenAI and Ollama for advanced analysis. Musoq aims to simplify data querying, boosting developer efficiency, especially for ad-hoc queries on smaller to medium-sized datasets. While employing SQL-like syntax, it's not fully SQL compliant; prioritising user-friendly syntax and efficient execution.

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(github.com)
Development Data Querying

EQTY Lab, Intel, and NVIDIA Unveil Verifiable Compute AI Framework

2024-12-18

EQTY Lab, in collaboration with Intel and NVIDIA, announced the release of Verifiable Compute, a hardware-based solution for governing and auditing AI workflows. This framework provides real-time certificates of authenticity and compliance for AI training, inference, and benchmarks, ensuring explainability, accountability, and security. Leveraging next-generation hardware from Intel and NVIDIA, Verifiable Compute addresses escalating risks in AI supply chains, such as AI poisoning and data breaches. It integrates with tools like ServiceNow, Databricks, and Palantir, enabling responsible AI innovation and compliance with regulations like the EU AI Act. The solution is already deployed across various sectors, including life sciences, public sector, finance, and media.

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(www.eqtylab.io)
AI Verifiable Compute AI Security Hardware Security

Open Source Solaar: A Linux Manager for Logitech Devices

2024-12-18

Solaar is an open-source Linux device manager for many Logitech keyboards, mice, and other devices connecting wirelessly via Unifying, Bolt, Lightspeed, or Nano receivers, as well as many Logitech devices connecting via USB cable or Bluetooth. It's not a device driver; it responds to special messages from devices otherwise ignored by the Linux input system. Solaar supports pairing/unpairing devices with receivers, configuring device settings, custom button configurations, and running rules in response to special messages from devices. Installation options include pre-built packages and source code compilation.

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(github.com)
Development

Making Apple Watch Work with Android: An Open-Source Odyssey

2024-12-18

The author details their journey to connect an Apple Watch to an Android phone, bypassing Apple's walled garden. This involved using open-source apps, interoperable protocols, and third-party services, even requiring a secondary, home-based iPhone for initial setup. The author overcame challenges with notifications, calendar syncing, and contact integration, sharing their code on GitHub. This project highlights the power of open-source and the author's commitment to tech freedom, offering a compelling counterpoint to the closed ecosystems of tech giants.

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(abishekmuthian.com)
Tech

K8s Cleaner: Optimize Your Kubernetes Clusters

2024-12-18

K8s Cleaner is a Kubernetes cluster cleanup tool designed for administrators. It efficiently identifies and removes unused resources to boost cluster performance and reduce operational costs. Supporting all resource types, including CRDs, it offers pre-defined rules and customizable options (time-based, label-based, or custom Lua scripts). Notifications are sent via Slack, Email, and more, while a dry-run mode prevents accidental changes. K8s Cleaner streamlines Kubernetes resource management.

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(sveltos.projectsveltos.io)
Development Cluster Cleanup Resource Management

Metformin's Secret Revealed: Mitochondria Hold the Key

2024-12-18

A new study unveils the precise mechanism of action for metformin, a widely used drug for Type 2 diabetes. Researchers discovered that metformin lowers blood sugar by interfering with mitochondria, the cell's powerhouses. Specifically, it blocks mitochondrial complex I, a crucial part of the cell's energy-producing machinery. This research, published in Science Advances, used genetically engineered mice to demonstrate that metformin targets disease-contributing cells without significantly harming healthy ones. This provides a deeper understanding of how this 'wonder drug' works.

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(news.northwestern.edu)
Tech metformin mitochondria diabetes

Java for Small Programs: Scripts and Notebooks

2024-12-18

This article explores the surprising effectiveness of Java for small programs, particularly scripting and exploratory programming. The author details how Java's features, like implicit classes, records, and enums, simplify code, highlighting the ease of running Java scripts without compilation (using JEP 330 and JEP 458). Managing external dependencies with JBang is also discussed. The article further delves into using Java within Jupyter Notebooks, acknowledging current limitations while expressing hope for future improvements in the ecosystem. The author's experience automating tedious tasks showcases Java's strength over alternatives like bash scripting and Python, emphasizing the advantages of static typing and robust tool support.

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(horstmann.com)
Development Scripting

Doomsday Predictions: Why People Always Feel the End is Nigh

2024-12-18

From Columbus's time onward, doomsday predictions have accompanied humanity. The author argues that people believe in them not for comfort, but because they seem logical. A 'Good Cup Bad Cup' theory is introduced: people pay more attention to bad things, and negative memories fade faster, leading to a perception that bad things are increasing and the world is deteriorating. Historical examples, from ancient Egyptian prophecies to the Millerite movement, support this: people always feel the present is worse than the past. The author calls for a rational perspective, urging readers to avoid biases and recognize positive changes.

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(www.experimental-history.com)
Misc doomsday prophecies cognitive biases historical analysis

Early Bronze Age Massacre Unearthed in Somerset, UK

2024-12-18

Excavations at Charterhouse Warren in Somerset, UK, have revealed a shocking Early Bronze Age massacre. At least 37 men, women, and children were brutally killed and butchered, their dismembered remains discarded in a 15-meter-deep natural shaft. Cut marks and blunt force trauma on the bones indicate a deliberate act of extreme violence, possibly including cannibalism. This discovery offers a unique insight into prehistoric violence in Britain, challenging previous understandings of social stability during this period and prompting further investigation into the motivations and social context of the event.

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(www.cambridge.org)
Misc Early Bronze Age Massacre Cannibalism
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