Webtagr - Technology News Summarizer

Building a Wind Model from Cheap ADS-B Data

2025-08-02

Using a sub-$100 RTL-SDR dongle and antenna, the author received ADS-B messages from aircraft and built a simplified meteorological model. By analyzing the difference between aircraft heading, airspeed, and ground speed, the model infers wind speed and generates visualizations using data from numerous aircraft. While the accuracy is slightly lower than professional meteorological models, the model successfully simulated high-speed air currents over the Mediterranean, showcasing the innovative potential of using publicly available data.

17th Century Logarithm Calculation Hack: Scientific Notation to the Rescue

2025-06-01

This article unveils a clever method for estimating logarithms, invented by John Napier in the 17th century. The core idea leverages the logarithmic property log(a^b) = b * log(a) and scientific notation. By repeatedly calculating the 10th power, the precision gradually improves. A Python script implementing this algorithm is also provided. This ingenious method transforms complex logarithm calculations into relatively simple power operations and scientific notation manipulations, showcasing the ingenuity of early mathematicians in solving complex problems with limited computational tools.

Improved Atkinson Dithering: Arbitrary Palettes and Linearization

2025-03-13

This post details an improved Atkinson dithering algorithm that supports arbitrary color palettes and correct linearization. Unlike previous algorithms limited to black and white palettes, this one directly handles color images, selecting the closest color by computing the Euclidean distance between the pixel and each color in the palette. Furthermore, it incorporates linearization to address overly bright outputs caused by the non-linearity of the sRGB color space, and considers human perception of different color brightnesses. The post also provides links to relevant resources, including implementations and online tools.