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Fighting Back Against Windows 11's Built-in Malware: An Open Source Counter-Offensive

2025-07-28

Fighting Back Against Windows 11's Built-in Malware: An Open Source Counter-Offensive

Windows 11 is riddled with distracting ads and tracking features, akin to built-in malware. This article calls for the development of an automated Windows cleanup tool to counter Microsoft's tactics. The tool should be open-source, user-friendly, configurable, and integrate existing excellent tools. The ultimate goal is to force Microsoft to change course and improve user experience through community pressure; a prime example of FOSS fighting back against Microsoft's dominance.

(www.theregister.com)

Development

arXivLabs: Experimental Projects with Community Collaboration

2025-07-28

arXivLabs is a framework enabling collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website. Individuals and organizations involved embrace our values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only works with partners who share them. Got an idea for a project that will benefit the arXiv community? Learn more about arXivLabs.

(arxiv.org)

Development

Deep Time vs. Shallow Time: Butterflies, Geology, and the Climate Crisis

2025-07-28

Deep Time vs. Shallow Time: Butterflies, Geology, and the Climate Crisis

This essay explores the tension between deep geological time and the fleeting span of human history. Using the drastic decline in butterfly populations as a case study, the author juxtaposes millions of years of geological evolution with the rapid impact of climate change in recent decades. The author traces Darwin and Lyell's understanding of deep time and how they attempted to scientifically comprehend and quantify deep time scales. The essay concludes with a call to recognize humanity's impact on Earth and take action to address the climate crisis, making informed choices based on the understanding of deep time and shallow time's relationship.

(harpers.org)

Tech deep time

Android's Linux Terminal Now Runs Graphical Apps

2025-07-28

Android's Linux Terminal Now Runs Graphical Apps

Google's Android Linux Terminal app, a hidden gem allowing users to run full Linux apps within Android, now supports graphical applications in the latest Canary build. A new 'Display' button launches a graphical environment, enabling users to run desktop applications unavailable on Android. Hardware acceleration is also supported, boosting performance. This significant step opens the door for more powerful Linux software and even PC games, though compatibility remains a challenge. It showcases Google's ongoing efforts to merge Chrome OS and Android.

(www.androidauthority.com)

Development

UK's Online Safety Act Sparks VPN Surge: A Privacy vs. Censorship Showdown

2025-07-28

UK's Online Safety Act Sparks VPN Surge: A Privacy vs. Censorship Showdown

The UK's new Online Safety Act, mandating age verification on websites to restrict minors' access to harmful content, has unexpectedly triggered a massive surge in VPN usage. ProtonVPN reported a more than 1400% increase in UK sign-ups. Users are circumventing age checks, raising concerns about privacy and censorship. Regulator Ofcom will assess compliance and enforce penalties, but this could lead to a UK version of the 'Great Firewall'.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech Age Verification

HOPE_16: Hacking the Future, One Talk at a Time

2025-07-28

HOPE_16, a vibrant hacker conference, explored a wide range of topics from ATM hacking techniques and AI security to digital activism and data sovereignty. Speakers, including experts and industry leaders, offered insightful perspectives on technological advancements, societal shifts, and future trends. Presentations ranged from historical accounts of breaking the Enigma code to in-depth analyses of vulnerabilities in large language models; from practical experiences in building community tech ecosystems to discussions on resisting online censorship and digital repression. HOPE_16 wasn't just a tech showcase; it was a profound dialogue on technology and social responsibility, prompting reflection on the future direction of technological development.

(hope.net)

Tech hacker conference digital activism

Debian 13 to sidestep the Y2038 bug

2025-07-28

Debian 13 to sidestep the Y2038 bug

To avoid the potential Y2038 time-related bug, Debian 13 "Trixie" will default to 64-bit timestamps, except for very old hardware still using 32-bit processors. This mirrors the Y2K bug, but developers are proactively addressing it this time. Debian maintainers have modified over 6400 packages to ensure a smooth transition. While a substantial undertaking, Debian is confident that most hardware will seamlessly upgrade after Debian 13's release.

(www.theregister.com)

Development Unix timestamp

Asahi Linux Bans Large Language Models (LLMs)

2025-07-28

Asahi Linux Bans Large Language Models (LLMs)

The Asahi Linux project has banned the use of Large Language Models (LLMs, referred to as 'Slop Generators' in the text) for any contributions involving code, documentation, or engineering decisions. This ban is based on several concerns: 1. Intellectual property risks: LLM training data may contain copyrighted material, leading to potential infringement when using LLM-generated code; 2. Resource waste: Training and inference of LLMs consume massive resources; 3. Limitations of LLMs: LLMs cannot guarantee the correctness of their output and are prone to generating misinformation. Asahi Linux argues that LLMs are not suitable software engineering tools and their use poses legal and technical risks, while wasting valuable resources.

(asahilinux.org)

Development

Samsung Locks Down Bootloaders in One UI 8: The End of Custom ROMs?

2025-07-28

Samsung Locks Down Bootloaders in One UI 8: The End of Custom ROMs?

Samsung's One UI 8 completely disables bootloader unlocking. Analysis of system files reveals that One UI 8 permanently sets the `ro.boot.other.locked` parameter to 1, removes the OEM unlock toggle, and strips all unlock-related code from the bootloader. This means devices like the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7, and Galaxy S25 series will be unable to install custom ROMs, gain root access, or use custom kernels, dealing a significant blow to the Samsung developer community.

(sammyguru.com)

Tech

Mobile BESS: Revolutionizing Emergency Response and Off-Grid Power

2025-07-28

Mobile BESS: Revolutionizing Emergency Response and Off-Grid Power

A diesel spill in Baltimore Harbor highlighted the need for mobile battery energy storage systems (BESS). Unlike traditional fossil fuel generators, BESS offers clean, large-scale power for diverse applications, including harbor cleanup, remote industrial operations, and emergency response. Companies like Volvo and Power Up Connect are developing mobile BESS solutions, providing charging for electric heavy machinery and powering areas lacking electrical infrastructure. While cost remains a challenge, advancements in battery technology and decreasing prices suggest mobile BESS will find wider adoption across various sectors, transforming how we access power.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech mobile energy storage

Belgium's Smart Traffic Lights: A Niche App's Head Start

2025-07-28

Belgium's Smart Traffic Lights: A Niche App's Head Start

Flanders, Belgium has installed smart traffic lights at 230 intersections, allowing users to get a green light quicker via a smartphone app, easing traffic congestion. While the technology is functional, adoption is low, limited to smaller apps. The Flemish Roads Agency is negotiating with major players like Google Maps and Waze to increase user reach, aiming for integration into car computers. The system proves particularly beneficial for emergency services, enabling faster response times to emergencies.

(www.vrt.be)

Tech smart traffic traffic lights app adoption

How to Inefficiently Build a Website: An Anti-Tutorial

2025-07-28

This article offers a paradoxical guide to website building, focusing on maximizing time and energy expenditure. Key strategies include: indiscriminately installing npm dependencies to create a web of dependencies; choosing a framework before needing one, ensuring continuous learning curves with updates; and always requiring a compilation step, adding extra build processes. In short, this is an anti-tutorial on how to waste time effectively in web development.

(blog.jim-nielsen.com)

Development anti-tutorial

Conquering Meeting FOMO: Building a Culture of Effective Meetings

2025-07-28

Conquering Meeting FOMO: Building a Culture of Effective Meetings

This article tackles the pervasive problem of unproductive meetings, proposing a solution centered around a culture of efficient meetings. The author highlights the common issue of meetings lacking clear value, wasting both time and money. The proposed solution emphasizes using meetings primarily for brainstorming and group decision-making, while advocating for asynchronous knowledge sharing through written documentation. The author suggests detailed agendas, time estimates, and moderators to keep meetings focused and on track. Attendees should actively participate or, if appropriate, decline and access meeting minutes later. The author concludes with a personal anecdote highlighting the positive impact of this approach.

(abitmighty.com)

Development

Black Holes, Satellite Navigation, and a Crowded Radio Highway

2025-07-28

Black Holes, Satellite Navigation, and a Crowded Radio Highway

Global satellite navigation systems rely on precise measurements of Earth's position, which in turn depends on observations of black holes at the centers of distant galaxies. Scientists use radio telescopes to receive radio waves from black holes, but in recent years, electromagnetic pollution from WiFi, mobile phones, and satellite internet has become increasingly severe, crowding the radio spectrum and interfering with observations of black hole signals. This threatens satellite navigation and many other services that rely on precise Earth positioning. Solving this problem requires international cooperation, securing more radio spectrum resources for geodesy at World Radio Conferences, or establishing radio quiet zones around essential radio telescopes.

(www.space.com)

Tech geodesy satellite navigation

Rescuing 90s Software Magazine CDs from the Rain: A Digital Archiving Adventure

2025-07-28

Rescuing 90s Software Magazine CDs from the Rain: A Digital Archiving Adventure

The author discovered a trove of 90s French software magazines, cleverly published using government subsidies that allowed for minimal original text paired with software CDs. Faced with the challenge of digitizing the CDs, hindered by reflective surfaces, the author ingeniously used a smartphone camera and Darktable software to overcome the scanning difficulties. The journey chronicles the resourceful process of archiving these retro tech treasures, showcasing a blend of nostalgia and digital preservation expertise. The results are now available on Archive.org and Abandonware-Magazines.

(www.hadess.net)

Misc digital archiving software magazines

Marvel's Fantastic Four: First Steps Dominates Box Office

2025-07-28

Marvel's Fantastic Four: First Steps Dominates Box Office

Marvel's "Fantastic Four: First Steps" raked in approximately $57 million on its opening day, making it the second-highest opening day of the year and a significant win for Marvel and Disney. This success comes a year after Disney announced a reduction in film and TV output to focus on quality. The film's global box office has already reached $106 million, projecting a weekend total around $125 million, surpassing even the recent "Superman" release. Despite a $200 million budget, positive critical reception (88% on Rotten Tomatoes, 7.6/10 on IMDb) bodes well for profitability. Remarkably, its opening weekend already surpasses the total domestic gross of the 2015 "Fantastic Four" film.

(www.forbes.com)

Game Fantastic Four

Fourble's Podcast Catalog: Thousands of Hours of Audio

2025-07-28

Fourble boasts a massive podcast database, offering a diverse range of content from classic radio dramas to modern talk shows. With thousands of hours of audio spanning comedy, mystery, science fiction, history, and more, it's a treasure trove for audio enthusiasts. Whether you're a nostalgic radio drama fan or seeking fresh content, Fourble has something for everyone.

(fourble.co.uk)

Misc radio drama

Beyond Copilot: Rethinking AI Design with Heads-Up Displays

2025-07-28

Beyond Copilot: Rethinking AI Design with Heads-Up Displays

This article critiques the prevalent "copilot" metaphor for AI design, advocating instead for a more effective "heads-up display" (HUD) approach. Using the analogy of airplane piloting, it contrasts the copilot model (requiring interaction with the AI) with the HUD model (directly enhancing human perception). The author argues that while a copilot might suffice for routine tasks, for complex problems, a HUD—augmenting human capabilities, such as enhanced debugger UIs—offers greater potential for breakthroughs. This piece offers a fresh perspective on AI design, emphasizing technology as an extension rather than a replacement for human capabilities.

(www.geoffreylitt.com)

AI

Will ChatGPT Make Us Stupid? It Depends on How You Use It

2025-07-28

Will ChatGPT Make Us Stupid? It Depends on How You Use It

In 2008, *The Atlantic* sparked controversy with an article questioning whether Google was making us stupid. Now, generative AI like ChatGPT raises a similar concern: it's not just outsourcing memory, but potentially thinking itself. The author argues that ChatGPT's convenience may come at the cost of critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and deep understanding. The key lies in whether users employ ChatGPT as a replacement for thinking or as a tool to enhance their abilities. The former may lead to cognitive decline, while the latter can foster intellectual growth. The outcome depends on the user, not the tool. In the future, those who collaborate with AI to augment their capabilities will be more competitive.

(theconversation.com)

AI Cognitive Ability

Tom Lehrer, Genius Satirist and Math Professor, Dies at 97

2025-07-28

Tom Lehrer, Genius Satirist and Math Professor, Dies at 97

Tom Lehrer, the renowned mathematical satirist known for his sharp wit and insightful songs like "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park," passed away at the age of 97. A Harvard prodigy who earned a math degree at 18, Lehrer later transitioned to a successful music career, lampooning marriage, politics, racism, and the Cold War. However, he eventually abandoned his musical pursuits to return to teaching mathematics at Harvard and other universities. Despite a relatively small body of work, his influence on subsequent musicians is undeniable. In 2020, he released his lyrics into the public domain, allowing free use of his work. Lehrer's life was a unique blend of academic brilliance and artistic genius.

(www.cnn.com)

Misc

George Lucas' Narrative Art Museum: A Temple to the People's Art

2025-07-28

George Lucas' Narrative Art Museum: A Temple to the People's Art

George Lucas made his Comic-Con debut, unveiling his long-awaited Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Housing over 40,000 pieces, the museum celebrates narrative art – from comic books and illustrations to movie concept art – as a vital form of expression. Featuring a unique design with no right angles, the collection spans a vast range, from early comics and strips to original Star Wars and Indiana Jones props and concept art. Lucas emphasized the museum's dedication to showcasing art for the people, highlighting narrative art's role in building shared belief systems.

(www.hollywoodreporter.com)

Misc Lucas Museum Narrative Art Comic Art

AlphaDec: A Timezone-Agnostic Time Format for Humans, Machines, and AI

2025-07-28

AlphaDec: A Timezone-Agnostic Time Format for Humans, Machines, and AI

AlphaDec is a novel time format designed to eliminate timezone conversion headaches, allowing global understanding of time. It encodes UTC time into easily readable and sortable strings like 2025_L0V3, featuring a hierarchical structure for efficient time-range queries and data indexing. Especially AI-friendly, its structured nature makes it a powerful tool for time-based reasoning and log analysis. While a minor time drift exists in leap years, this is a deliberate trade-off to ensure its deterministic function of UTC. AlphaDec isn't meant to replace existing systems but to complement them, making them more practical across various applications.

(github.com)

AI time format

The JavaScript Runtime Explosion: A Decade of Innovation

2025-07-28

The JavaScript Runtime Explosion: A Decade of Innovation

The past decade has witnessed an explosion of new JavaScript runtimes and engines, enabling JavaScript execution across diverse contexts with remarkable task-specific optimization. This has propelled JavaScript into the cloud, edge computing, smart TVs, mobile devices, and even microcontrollers. This article explores the drivers behind this diversity and why a single runtime or engine fails to meet all needs. From the rise of edge computing and low-resource engines for microcontrollers to polyglot engines facilitating interoperability with other languages and the widespread use in native app development, JavaScript runtimes demonstrate incredible adaptability and vibrant growth. The article details various runtimes and engines like Node.js, Deno, Cloudflare Workers, Bun, React Native, NativeScript, and more, outlining their underlying technologies and evolution.

(buttondown.com)

Development Runtimes

Orion Browser: A Surprisingly Great, Low-Power Alternative

2025-07-28

The author shares their recent browser switch from Arc to Orion. While Arc was good, its high power consumption proved unsuitable for their upcoming nomadic lifestyle. A chance discovery led to Orion, impressing with its low power draw thanks to its Safari-based engine and support for Chrome and Firefox extensions. Orion boasts nearly all the features the author needs, including space functionality similar to Arc. While multi-account containers are missing, it's a compromise worth making. Orion is under active development, with a responsive team.

(andinfinity.eu)

Tech

Private Equity's Fire Truck Monopoly: A Public Safety Crisis

2025-07-28

Private Equity's Fire Truck Monopoly: A Public Safety Crisis

A crisis is brewing in American fire departments: skyrocketing fire truck prices and extended delivery times, driven by private equity consolidation of manufacturers, are endangering public safety. Aging fleets are retiring with no affordable replacements—new trucks cost upwards of $2 million—leaving many departments understaffed and ill-equipped. Some are resorting to using dilapidated vehicles or pickup trucks, severely impacting response times. This crisis highlights the negative impact of private equity consolidation on essential services and has spurred calls for antitrust investigations.

(thehustle.co)

Tech

Optimal Image Resolution for Printing: Debunking the 300PPI Myth

2025-07-28

This article delves into the optimal practices for printing image resolution. While the conventional wisdom suggests 300PPI is sufficient, the author argues this overlooks viewing distance and human eye resolution. Using formulas and real-world examples, the article demonstrates how to calculate the appropriate PPI based on viewing distance, highlighting that in the modern era of high-resolution cameras, higher PPI is necessary to fully leverage lens capabilities and achieve optimal print quality. Ultimately, the author encourages readers to experimentally determine their own eye resolution to achieve the best print settings for their individual needs.

(maurycyz.com)

Design image resolution

CNC Bed Frame Design & the Search for the Perfect 2D CAD Tool

2025-07-28

The author is designing a CNC-cut bed frame from a single sheet of plywood. He explores various design approaches and software options, starting with Autodesk Inventor but finding it cumbersome for 2D cutting. The article compares several 2D CAD tools, including Cuttle, FlatFab, and Kyub, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. The author ultimately leans toward a parametric CSG approach and shares experiences optimizing his code-based CAD system using Clojure Zippers.

(kevinlynagh.com)

Design Design Software

IBM Keyboard Patents: A Gallery of 150 Designs

2025-07-28

IBM Keyboard Patents: A Gallery of 150 Designs

A collection showcasing 150 patents related to IBM and its family of keyboards, typewriters, and keypunches. The patents cover a range of technologies, from keyswitch and actuator designs to the overall aesthetic design and integrated pointing devices like the TrackPoint. Host systems, including PCs, laptops, terminals, consoles, and electronic typewriters, are also featured. All illustrations are sourced directly from the patents, which are believed to be in the public domain.

(sharktastica.co.uk)

Hardware Keyboard Design

GPLv2 Installation Rights: A Historical Clarification and Ongoing Dispute

2025-07-28

This article refutes the misconception that GPLv2 doesn't protect users' right to reinstall modified software. The author details FSF's (Free Software Foundation) handling of a GPL violation by TiVo in 2003 and clarifies the meaning of "scripts used to control compilation and installation of the executable" in GPLv2. He argues that FSF and Conservancy have long held that GPLv2 requires providing the information necessary to reinstall modified software, a position reaffirmed through communication with FSF. The author contends that conflating GPLv3's added requirements with GPLv2, along with misinterpretations of the TiVo case, have led to a misrepresentation of GPLv2 installation rights. He calls for a focus on users' rights to repair and reinstall software and opposes companies' misrepresentation of the GPL license for profit.

(sfconservancy.org)

Development Software Freedom

Become a JJ VCS Master in 60 Minutes

2025-07-28

Become a JJ VCS Master in 60 Minutes

Tired of Git's complexities? This isn't another blog post praising JJ; it's a fast-paced workshop designed to get you up to speed with the JJ VCS quickly. Through a series of eight concise exercises, you'll master core workflows—from creating commits to resolving merge conflicts in stacked PRs—in just 1-2 hours. Created by Dr. Jimmy Koppel, this workshop offers simulated scenarios to provide hands-on experience and boost your version control productivity.

(github.com)

Development Git Alternative

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