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Emacs on macOS: Unraveling a Memory Leak Mystery

2025-07-31

The author has long struggled with performance issues in Emacs on macOS: ever-increasing memory usage, eventually leading to freezes. After investigation, the root cause was found to be in the way `[NSApp run]` is invoked, resulting in massive memory allocation and deallocation, especially pronounced on high-performance hardware and high-DPI displays. The interaction between macOS's event handling and Emacs' efficient resource management leads to caching of useless resources, culminating in memory leaks. While a complete fix is difficult, the author proposes a potential solution: rewriting macOS-specific code in Swift, leveraging its more efficient memory management and asynchronous support to improve Emacs' performance on macOS.

(xlii.space)

Development

Shorter Trains: A Cheap and Fast Way to Build Better Transit?

2025-07-31

Shorter Trains: A Cheap and Fast Way to Build Better Transit?

This article argues that building shorter, more frequent trains is a cost-effective and time-efficient strategy for urban transit systems. Smaller stations drastically reduce construction costs and timelines. While individual train capacity is lower, increased frequency compensates. The author cites Vancouver Skytrain, London's DLR, and the Copenhagen Metro as successful examples, advocating for this approach in US and other city planning, particularly in Jersey City to boost its growth. The article cautions against building 'small trains' merely for the sake of it, emphasizing the importance of keeping the entire system small and simple to avoid costly mistakes.

(shakeddown.substack.com)

Tech light rail

Standalone GUI Module for Monitoring Self-Hosted Services and Raspberry Pis

2025-07-31

Standalone GUI Module for Monitoring Self-Hosted Services and Raspberry Pis

This project details a standalone GUI module, spun off from the open-source Ubo Pod project, designed for monitoring self-hosted services and Raspberry Pis. This module mounts in mini or full-size server racks, providing headless control of the Raspberry Pi, system resource monitoring, and application status monitoring. The author is currently redesigning the PCB and enclosure, and exploring a tilted display design for improved viewing. The GUI software is mature enough for testing in a web browser without any additional hardware.

(www.getubo.com)

Hardware

AI: The Frictionless Dystopia?

2025-07-31

AI: The Frictionless Dystopia?

This article critiques the framing of modern AI systems as "Everything Machines," highlighting the disconnect between their actual capabilities and the narrative of limitless potential. It argues that the pursuit of frictionless interactions, while seemingly beneficial, fosters individualism and isolation. The author posits that AI's sycophantic, always-compliant nature exacerbates loneliness by eliminating the necessary friction of human interaction, creating a seemingly utopian experience that ultimately leads to a dystopian disconnect from the world and its challenges.

(tante.cc)

AI Social Impact

Gracefully Handling Child Process Termination in Terminal Applications

2025-07-31

Gracefully Handling Child Process Termination in Terminal Applications

When a terminal application with child processes doesn't exit cleanly after Ctrl+C, terminal corruption ensues. This post, using the Moose CLI as an example, details solutions. Key strategies include: 1. Process Output Proxying: Redirect child process stdout/stderr to a logging system, isolating it from the terminal; 2. Terminal State Management: Explicitly clean up the terminal state (raw mode, alternate screen buffer, cursor visibility) using crossterm for cross-platform consistency on exit; 3. Graceful Process Termination: Attempt graceful shutdown with SIGTERM, then SIGKILL with timeouts; 4. Thread-Safe Spinner Management: Coordinate spinners and child process output to prevent display corruption. These strategies build robust terminal applications, preventing frustrating terminal damage from child processes.

(www.fiveonefour.com)

Development child processes

From Embedded Software to PCB Inventory Management: A Highly Efficient System

2025-07-31

An embedded software engineer, while designing printed circuit boards (PCBs), encountered the challenge of managing numerous electronic components. He cleverly applied his software development experience to hardware management, using the Gridfinity modular storage system and a self-written software to achieve efficient component inventory management. The software not only quickly locates components based on the BOM (Bill of Materials) but also allows for batch inventory management, greatly improving efficiency. Future plans include adding bulk purchasing functionality and smarter search capabilities.

(www.vincentuden.xyz)

Development

Vibe Coding: The Allure and Peril of AI-Assisted Programming

2025-07-31

Vibe Coding: The Allure and Peril of AI-Assisted Programming

Andrej Karpathy's "vibe coding," an AI-assisted coding approach where you largely ignore the code's intricacies, is efficient for prototypes and throwaway projects. However, for long-term projects, it can rapidly accumulate "technical debt." The article draws a parallel to giving a credit card to a child – initially exciting, but potentially disastrous later. It advocates caution for large-scale projects and stresses the continued importance of solid programming fundamentals and code comprehension.

(blog.val.town)

Development

Blast from the Past: Classic CDE Desktop Environment Added to OpenBSD Ports

2025-07-31

The classic Unix desktop environment, CDE (Common Desktop Environment), is making a comeback! OpenBSD developers have imported CDE 2.5.2 into their ports collection. While not yet directly installable as a package (it needs some fixes and improvements), nostalgic developers can compile it locally and experience the classic Unix desktop. A warning: the code is old and insecure, not recommended as a daily driver, but fun for a trip down memory lane.

(undeadly.org)

Development Unix Desktop Environment

From Zero to One: A Manager's Focus Cultivation

2025-07-31

The author shares his three management experiences. The first attempt failed due to focusing on programming and neglecting management tasks; the second attempt improved but was still unsuccessful. Finally, in his third full-time management role, he significantly improved his focus and achieved remarkable progress by using methods such as single-tasking, avoiding commitment overload, and timeboxing for trivial tasks. The article explores the importance of focus in knowledge work and how to cultivate focus, avoid distractions, and improve efficiency.

(www.benkuhn.net)

Management management experience

The Perils of Speed: LLM-Generated Code and the Erosion of Quality

2025-07-31

The Perils of Speed: LLM-Generated Code and the Erosion of Quality

This article expresses concern over the increasing use of LLMs for code generation, not opposing LLMs themselves but highlighting the importance of code quality and maintainability. While LLM-generated code can be efficient, it often violates project conventions, lacks readability, and is difficult to maintain in the long term. The author urges developers to prioritize code quality over speed, suggesting better utilization of LLMs through precise prompts and examples to ensure generated code adheres to project standards, rather than relying solely on the model for maintainability.

(alexkondov.com)

Development

Hans Christian Andersen: A Life Less Ordinary

2025-07-31

Hans Christian Andersen: A Life Less Ordinary

This article delves into the extraordinary life of Hans Christian Andersen, the celebrated author of beloved fairy tales. Born into poverty and marked by unconventional appearance, Andersen faced relentless ridicule, yet his talent and perseverance propelled him to become a literary icon across Europe. From early forays into acting and poetry to his eventual mastery of the fairy tale form, Andersen's journey reflects the imaginative power and profound understanding of life found within his stories. His life, much like his tales, is a captivating blend of drama and inspiration.

(www.newstatesman.com)

Misc Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales

AgentGuard: Real-time Budget Protection for AI Agents

2025-07-31

AgentGuard: Real-time Budget Protection for AI Agents

Developers often face the problem of AI models unexpectedly consuming massive API calls, leading to high costs. AgentGuard is a real-time budgeting tool that, with just two lines of code, lets you set a cost limit for your AI projects. When the cost reaches the limit, AgentGuard automatically stops the process, preventing further expenses and providing a detailed report to help you save money. It supports various AI APIs, including OpenAI and Anthropic, and offers multiple protection modes, such as throwing errors, issuing warnings, or forcefully terminating the process. AgentGuard is the only tool that actually prevents runaway AI costs in real time.

(github.com)

Development AI cost control API call monitoring

Significant Improvements to Futhark's Profiler

2025-07-31

A recent release of the Futhark programming language significantly improves the usability of its profiler. Previously, the profiler only offered cryptic compiler-generated names, making it difficult to pinpoint performance bottlenecks. The new version cleverly propagates source code information throughout the compilation process, enabling the correlation of generated code with the original source. This solves a long-standing problem for programmers trying to optimize their code. While further improvements to data presentation are planned, this enhancement provides a powerful tool for optimizing Futhark programs.

(futhark-lang.org)

Development

Speed as Magic: How Fast Software Changes Our Lives

2025-07-31

This article explores the significance of speed in software. Fast software not only improves development efficiency—think code deployment in seconds, AI-powered code completion, and real-time streaming—but also transforms user behavior and delivers a smoother experience, reducing cognitive friction. Examples like Raycast, Superhuman, and Mercury illustrate the 'magic' of speed. The author argues that speed implies simplicity and focus, requiring complex background processes to present a clean interface. While current AI applications prioritize capabilities over performance, future optimization will be key, unlocking new applications and possibilities, ultimately changing how we live.

(www.catherinejue.com)

Development

Ollama Launches Desktop App for Easier LLM Interaction

2025-07-31

Ollama Launches Desktop App for Easier LLM Interaction

Ollama has released a new desktop application for macOS and Windows, offering a more streamlined way to interact with large language models. The app supports drag-and-drop file uploads (text or PDFs), making it easier to process documents. Users can also increase context length in settings for larger files (requires more memory). Multimodal support allows sending images to compatible models like Google DeepMind's Gemma 3, and code files can be processed for understanding. A command-line interface version is also available.

(ollama.com)

Development

Back to Basics: Rediscovering the Simplicity of HTML Websites

2025-07-31

Back to Basics: Rediscovering the Simplicity of HTML Websites

This article traces the history of the World Wide Web, from its initial ideal of information sharing to its current state, filled with ads, tracking, and complex frameworks. The author advocates a return to simplicity, promoting the creation of small, hand-coded HTML websites to recapture the original simplicity and freedom of the World Wide Web. The article provides steps for creating a basic website and expresses a desire to escape the excessive commercialization and complexity of the modern web, calling for a return to the spirit of pure information sharing.

(www.htmlhobbyist.com)

Development

Australian Rocket Crashes After 14 Seconds, Still Deemed a Success

2025-07-30

Australian Rocket Crashes After 14 Seconds, Still Deemed a Success

Australia's first attempt at an orbital launch from its own soil ended in a crash after just 14 seconds. The Eris rocket, developed by Gilmour Space Technologies, failed to reach orbit, but the company considers the launch a success due to the successful ignition and partial flight. This marks Australia's first orbital launch attempt in over 50 years and represents a significant step for the nation's burgeoning commercial space industry. Government funding has supported the project, aiming to boost Australia's space sector.

(apnews.com)

Tech Australian space program

Seattle's 8-Charger Nightmare: A Case Study in American Inefficiency

2025-07-30

A simple project to install eight electric vehicle charging stations in Seattle, initially slated for completion in March 2023, remains unfinished in July 2025. This article uses the project as a microcosm of American governmental inefficiency, highlighting bureaucratic red tape, vendor changes, and multiple redesigns as the culprits behind the delays. The author argues this inefficiency plagues both large-scale and small-scale infrastructure projects, hindering progress on climate change, housing, and economic growth. The inability to execute even such a basic undertaking points to a deeper systemic problem.

(www.brethorsting.com)

Tech

MIT's Atomic-Precision Double-Slit Experiment Proves Einstein Wrong (Again)

2025-07-30

MIT's Atomic-Precision Double-Slit Experiment Proves Einstein Wrong (Again)

MIT physicists have performed an idealized version of the double-slit experiment, demonstrating with atomic-level precision the wave-particle duality of light and proving Einstein incorrect on a key quantum scenario. Using individual atoms as slits and weak light beams, they controlled the information atoms received about the photon's path. The more path information obtained (particle-like behavior), the lower the interference pattern's visibility. This experiment eliminates extraneous factors from previous versions, clarifying the wave-particle duality and confirming quantum mechanical predictions. It's a stunningly precise confirmation of a fundamental quantum principle.

(news.mit.edu)

Tech double-slit experiment wave-particle duality

Aria: A Modern, Easy-to-Use Dynamic Scripting Language

2025-07-30

Aria: A Modern, Easy-to-Use Dynamic Scripting Language

Aria is a modern dynamic scripting language designed for ease of use and enjoyment. It boasts a familiar C-style syntax, incorporating features inspired by Python and Rust. Its simple yet powerful standard library allows you to tackle interesting problems quickly. Currently, Aria only supports Linux, but contributions for other operating systems are welcome. A concise example demonstrates fetching and displaying data from a GitHub API, showcasing its ease of use and efficiency.

(github.com)

Development dynamic scripting language

Revontuli Theme Update Log: Brighter Blues!

2025-07-30

Revontuli Theme Update Log: Brighter Blues!

The Revontuli theme has undergone numerous updates, most notably a significant brightening of its blue hues. From June 2023 to July 2025, updates spanned various applications, including code editors (VSCode, Vim, Sublime Text, etc.), terminals (Konsole), and even wallpapers. Beyond the improved blues, updates included adding new themes (like the Eve Online theme), bug fixes, and the addition of test files. This demonstrates a commitment to detail and continuous improvement.

(codeberg.org)

Development theme updates color adjustments

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024: A Deep Dive into WebAssembly Module Development

2025-07-30

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 leverages WebAssembly (WASM) modules as the new standard for add-ons, enhancing security and portability. This article details the Visual Studio toolset for WASM module development, including direct compilation of C/C++ projects to WASM, debugging WASM modules, and extensive support for standard C/C++ libraries. It also covers various WASM module usage scenarios within the game (standalone, gauge, airport, and system modules), highlighting key information on APIs, file access, upgrading from MSFS 2020, and known issues and limitations. Developers should note the deprecation of the legacy Gauge API in favor of the Vars and Event APIs.

(docs.flightsimulator.com)

Development Microsoft Flight Simulator

Beyond Boring MFA: Hilariously Absurd Authentication Ideas

2025-07-30

Tired of tedious multi-factor authentication? This author shares a series of wildly creative alternatives, ranging from poker hand comparisons to Rubik's Cube puzzles, even chess matches and karaoke performances! Each idea has its quirks, some boasting high security, others prioritizing ease of use, while others are simply hilariously absurd. The author ultimately cautions that finding the balance between security and user experience is key, warning against reinventing the wheel.

(tesseral.com)

Development

Reduced Antibiotic Use Linked to Rising Honeybee Death Rates in Canada

2025-07-30

Reduced Antibiotic Use Linked to Rising Honeybee Death Rates in Canada

A new study reveals a surprising finding: despite stricter regulations on antibiotics in Canadian beekeeping, honeybee death rates are climbing. Researchers discovered that reducing antibiotic use, contrary to expectations, led to a significant increase in overwintering mortality, suggesting a possible dependence on antibiotics. Air pollution, specifically nitrogen dioxide, was also identified as a contributing factor to colony loss. The study highlights the complex interplay between bee health, antibiotic use, and environmental factors, emphasizing the need for a 'One Health' approach incorporating antibiotic alternatives and addressing environmental pollutants to safeguard bee populations and global food security.

(news.uoguelph.ca)

Tech honeybee mortality

AI Adoption in the US: Younger Generations Embrace AI, But Limitations Remain

2025-07-30

AI Adoption in the US: Younger Generations Embrace AI, But Limitations Remain

A recent poll reveals that most US adults utilize AI for information searches, yet its application in work tasks, email drafting, and shopping remains limited. Younger adults are significantly more likely to integrate AI into their lives, employing it for brainstorming and work-related activities. The survey highlights that 60% of Americans (74% of those under 30) use AI for information retrieval at least occasionally. However, only about 40% employ AI for work tasks or idea generation, suggesting that the tech industry's promises of highly productive AI assistants haven't yet materialized for most. Younger Americans demonstrate a notably higher AI adoption rate, especially for brainstorming, with those under 30 twice as likely to use it compared to those aged 60 and older. Individuals like 34-year-old Courtney Thayer selectively utilize AI, such as using ChatGPT for meal planning and nutritional calculations, but avoid it for crucial information, particularly medical advice, due to concerns about AI inaccuracies. In summary, while information search is the most prevalent AI application, its adoption in work, email, and shopping lags, with the younger generation's greater acceptance potentially signaling a future shift in broader AI usage.

(apnews.com)

AI Generational divide

Trump Admin Seeks to Revoke Key Climate Change Finding

2025-07-30

Trump Admin Seeks to Revoke Key Climate Change Finding

The Trump administration proposed revoking the 2009 endangerment finding, which established that greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare, thus underpinning numerous climate regulations. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin claims this is the largest deregulation in US history, but environmental groups fiercely oppose it, arguing it ignores worsening climate disasters. The move could eliminate tailpipe emission limits and hamper future climate action, leading to likely legal challenges.

(apnews.com)

Tech

Linux Kernel 6.16: Subtle Changes, Significant Improvements

2025-07-30

Linux Kernel 6.16: Subtle Changes, Significant Improvements

The Linux 6.16 kernel release, while seemingly minor, packs significant improvements. Rust integration deepens with new bindings for the driver core and PCI subsystem, simplifying the addition of Rust-based hardware drivers. The Direct Rendering Manager (DRM) gains new Rust abstractions, boosting graphics performance and reducing vulnerabilities. XFS and Ext4 filesystems receive enhancements resulting in performance boosts up to 37%. Security is enhanced with support for Intel TXT and TDX, and improvements are made for Intel APX and Nvidia Blackwell GPUs. Network performance is also boosted with changes to how TCP/IP interacts with DMABUF.

(www.zdnet.com)

Development

Saint Paul Hit by Crippling Cyberattack; National Guard Deployed

2025-07-30

Saint Paul Hit by Crippling Cyberattack; National Guard Deployed

Saint Paul, Minnesota's capital city, suffered a major cyberattack that disrupted online services, including online payments and some library and recreation center services. The attack, which lasted through the weekend, overwhelmed the city's and commercial cybersecurity firms' response capabilities. Governor Walz activated the National Guard's cybersecurity forces to assist in investigation and service restoration, ensuring the continuity of essential city services. This incident highlights the cybersecurity risks facing municipal infrastructure and the challenges of responding to large-scale cyberattacks.

(www.bleepingcomputer.com)

Tech National Guard

Apple's New Spam Filter: A $500M Headache for GOP Campaigns?

2025-07-30

Apple's New Spam Filter: A $500M Headache for GOP Campaigns?

Apple's iOS 16 update includes a new spam filter that automatically sorts texts from unknown numbers into a separate folder, raising concerns for US political campaigns. The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) estimates this could cost them $25 million in lost revenue, with a potential $500 million loss across all GOP campaigns. Their concern stems from the fact that 70% of small-dollar donations come via text, and iPhones account for 60% of US mobile devices. While some view this as a privacy enhancement, the NRSC argues it disenfranchises voters and calls for a delay in the feature's rollout. Democrats, however, suggest the impact will primarily affect campaigns using deceptive fundraising tactics.

(www.businessinsider.com)

Tech text message filter political fundraising

Wyoming to Host Massive AI Data Center, Outpacing State's Total Household Energy Consumption

2025-07-30

Wyoming to Host Massive AI Data Center, Outpacing State's Total Household Energy Consumption

Cheyenne, Wyoming will soon be home to a massive artificial intelligence data center. Initially consuming more electricity than all Wyoming households combined, the facility has the potential to expand fivefold. This joint venture between Tallgrass and Crusoe will start with 1.8 gigawatts of power, scalable to 10 gigawatts – enough to power a million homes. Wyoming, a major energy exporter, will supply the data center with power generated from natural gas and renewables. While data centers are energy intensive, using renewable sources mitigates climate impact. Though unconfirmed, the project is speculated to be related to OpenAI's 'Stargate' initiative, following the recent launch of a similarly massive OpenAI data center in Texas and plans for further expansion. The project's scale raises questions about potential increases in electricity bills for residents.

(apnews.com)

Tech

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