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Sparrow: A Lightweight C++ Implementation of Apache Arrow

2025-02-01

Sparrow: A Lightweight C++ Implementation of Apache Arrow

Sparrow is a new C++ library designed to simplify the integration of Apache Arrow's columnar format. Born from the needs of projects like ArcticDB, it provides a lightweight, modern C++ API focused on reading and writing Arrow data. Leveraging C++ standard library iterators, ranges, and concepts, Sparrow offers a clean and easy-to-use interface, facilitating integration with existing C++ projects. It supports various data types, including null value handling, and provides builders to simplify the creation of complex data structures.

(johan-mabille.medium.com)

Development Columnar Storage

Chernobyl Fungus Feeds on Radiation

2025-02-23

Chernobyl Fungus Feeds on Radiation

Scientists have discovered a black fungus, Cladosporium sphaerospermum, thriving in the Chernobyl exclusion zone. This fungus not only survives but actively absorbs gamma radiation, using it as an energy source in a process dubbed 'radiosynthesis'. Its melanin pigment plays a key role in this radiation absorption and energy conversion. This remarkable adaptation opens up possibilities for bioremediation of radioactive waste and even radiation shielding for space travel, highlighting the resilience of life in extreme environments.

(makerfairerome.eu)

Tech Fungus Radiation

From Web 1.0 to the App-Infested Web: A Lament for the Lost Internet

2025-02-13

From Web 1.0 to the App-Infested Web: A Lament for the Lost Internet

The author reminisces about the early days of the internet in the mid-90s, a time of creative websites, free information, and individual expression. However, commercialization brought an onslaught of ads, pop-ups, and invasive tracking. Websites were bought out by large networks, leading to homogenization and a decline in unique content. The internet evolved into the current ecosystem of ads, pop-ups, and apps, falling short of its initial promise. The author laments the loss of the open web and expresses concern about the future.

(garry.net)

Misc internet evolution online advertising

cute_headers: Single-File Cross-Platform C/C++ Libraries

2025-02-08

cute_headers: Single-File Cross-Platform C/C++ Libraries

cute_headers is a collection of single-file, cross-platform C/C++ libraries offering self-contained solutions for various tasks like 2D collision detection, networking, map loading, and sound playback. These libraries are dependency-free, easily integrated by including a single header, and efficiently implemented to avoid compile-time bloat. The clever use of a preprocessor macro handles implementation details, simplifying integration and build processes. Perfect for game development and other projects needing efficient, portable utilities.

(github.com)

Development C++ libraries

Why Mill Uses Scala for Build Configuration

2025-02-13

The choice of Scala as the configuration language for the Mill build system, instead of alternatives like YAML or XML, has raised questions. This article addresses this by exploring three key reasons: the benefits of using a general-purpose programming language, the specific advantages of Scala, and the rationale behind leveraging the Java Virtual Machine. While Scala is a niche language, its unique properties make it particularly well-suited for configuring build systems, regardless of project size.

(mill-build.org)

Development

Chrome Canary 130: Customizable <select> Element Arrives!

2025-02-20

Chrome Canary 130: Customizable <select> Element Arrives!

Chrome Canary 130 introduces a major update: a customizable `` element! This long-standing developer pain point finally has a solution. Using the `appearance: base-select` property, developers can deeply customize the `` element and its popup picker, including styling, content, and interactivity. The feature is officially in Stage 2 in the WHATWG, with strong cross-browser interest. This post details how to enable the feature, customize its components, and considerations around limitations and accessibility. While some features are still under development, this powerful new feature will significantly improve the web development experience.

(developer.chrome.com)

Development

Culdesac Tempe: A Car-Free Experiment in the Heart of Suburbia

2025-02-07

Culdesac Tempe: A Car-Free Experiment in the Heart of Suburbia

Culdesac Tempe, self-proclaimed America's first car-free neighborhood, has been open for two years, attracting residents with its walkable design, free e-bikes and light rail passes, and abundant amenities. While some critics question its long-term viability, residents praise its eco-friendly lifestyle, strong sense of community, and convenient access to public transit. The development's success highlights a growing demand for alternative living arrangements and offers a potential model for other cities grappling with urban sprawl and environmental concerns.

(www.dwell.com)

Startup car-free living

Mapping the Brain's Wiring: A Revolution in Neuroscience

2025-02-17

Mapping the Brain's Wiring: A Revolution in Neuroscience

From the tragic case of Phineas Gage to the rise of modern neuroscience, this article chronicles the ambitious quest to map the brain's connectome—a three-dimensional model of every physical connection between neurons. While mapping the connectomes of C. elegans and fruit flies has been successful, the complexity of mammalian brains presents immense challenges. Bay Area non-profit E11 Bio has developed a novel approach called "PRISM," utilizing expansion microscopy and protein barcoding to drastically reduce the cost and time required for connectome mapping. This technology promises to deliver a complete mouse connectome in five years for just $100 million, paving the way for revolutionary breakthroughs in treating neurological diseases, developing brain-computer interfaces, and even whole-brain emulation.

(www.asimov.press)

Tech Connectomics

Meta's LLaMA and the Copyright Tsunami: A Pirate Bay for AI?

2025-02-11

Meta's LLaMA and the Copyright Tsunami: A Pirate Bay for AI?

Authors are suing various Large Language Model (LLM) vendors, claiming copyright infringement in the training data. The evidence points to Meta's LLaMA, which used Books3 from Bibliotik – a private tracker containing massive amounts of pirated books. Meta's own paper admits to using Books3, essentially confessing to training on unauthorized intellectual property. This sparks debate on AI fair use and copyright, but the core issue remains: should an AI openly admitting to using pirated data face legal consequences?

(shkspr.mobi)

AI

Strange Islands: From Country-Switching Isles to Vanishing Lands

2025-02-08

This article explores a collection of unusual islands, from Pheasant Island, which switches countries every six months, to Ailsa Craig, the granite supplier for Olympic curling stones, and Hans Island, the insignificant rock that sparked a Danish-Canadian war. Other islands mentioned include the purported location of Amelia Earhart's demise (Nikumaroro Island) and the world's most remote inhabited island (Tristan da Cunha). These islands stand out for their unique geographical features or intriguing histories, showcasing the diversity and mystery of islands worldwide.

(amanvir.com)

Misc islands geography oddities

mt32-pi Development Halted Due to Online Abuse

2025-02-17

mt32-pi Development Halted Due to Online Abuse

The developer of mt32-pi, a bare-metal MIDI synthesizer for the Raspberry Pi emulating the Roland MT-32, has announced the project's termination due to sustained online abuse. This includes personal attacks, code theft, and stolen 3D print designs. The developer cited the negative impact on their mental health as the reason for ceasing development, expressing a lack of gratitude and encouragement from the community.

(github.com)

Development online abuse

CDC Halts Successful Flu Vaccine Campaign

2025-02-21

CDC Halts Successful Flu Vaccine Campaign

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has abruptly halted its successful "Wild to Mild" flu vaccination campaign. The campaign, which used imagery comparing wild animals to their gentler counterparts to illustrate the vaccine's effect, was reportedly shut down by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) following Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s appointment. This decision comes amidst a severe flu season and has sparked controversy. While the CDC claims the campaign effectively reset public expectations about flu vaccines, an HHS spokesperson alleges misrepresentation of guidance by CDC officials.

(www.npr.org)

Tech flu vaccine

Agent Experience (AX): Designing for the Rise of AI Agents

2025-02-07

Agent Experience (AX): Designing for the Rise of AI Agents

AI agents like ChatGPT are revolutionizing how we interact with apps. This article argues that we need to shift from focusing solely on User Experience (UX) to Agent Experience (AX), emphasizing secure, transparent, and user-consented machine access to data and actions. OAuth is presented as the key to secure, controlled agent access, offering granular permissions and revocation. Key elements for great AX include clean APIs, easy onboarding, frictionless agent operations, and tiered authentication. The article concludes by advocating for all apps to become OAuth providers, building an open AX ecosystem for a competitive advantage.

(stytch.com)

AI AI Agents Agent Experience

Python's JIT Decorators: Three Implementation Strategies

2025-02-03

This article delves into the popular JIT decorator pattern in Python, particularly its use in JAX and Triton libraries. The author implements three JIT decorators from scratch using a simplified example: AST-based, bytecode-based, and tracing-based. The AST-based approach directly manipulates the Abstract Syntax Tree; the bytecode-based approach leverages Python's bytecode interpreter; and the tracing-based approach builds an expression IR by tracing function execution at runtime. The article details the advantages and disadvantages of each approach and uses JAX and Numba as examples to illustrate their strategies in real-world applications.

(eli.thegreenplace.net)

Development JIT compilation

FlashSpace: Blazing-Fast Workspace Manager for macOS

2025-02-08

FlashSpace: Blazing-Fast Workspace Manager for macOS

FlashSpace is a lightning-fast virtual workspace manager for macOS, designed to enhance and replace the native macOS Spaces. It eliminates the wait for macOS animations and offers features like multi-display support, customizable hotkeys for workspace switching, and the ability to assign apps to specific workspaces and displays. Additional features include a focus manager, cursor manager, profiles for quick configuration switching, and SketchyBar integration for enhanced workflow.

(github.com)

Development virtual workspace

CodeWeaver: Visualize Your Codebase Structure

2025-02-14

CodeWeaver is a command-line tool that transforms your codebase into an easily navigable Markdown document. It recursively scans a directory, generating a structured representation of your project's file hierarchy and embedding each file's content within code blocks. This simplifies codebase sharing, documentation, and integration with AI/ML code analysis tools. It features path filtering, optional path logging, and a simple command-line interface. Installation: Use Go: `go install github.com/tesserato/CodeWeaver@latest` or download a pre-built executable.

(tesserato.web.app)

Development code documentation

Anthropic's Economic Index: Mapping AI's Impact on the Labor Market

2025-02-10

Anthropic's Economic Index: Mapping AI's Impact on the Labor Market

Anthropic launched the Anthropic Economic Index, a new initiative analyzing AI's effects on labor markets. Their initial report, based on millions of anonymized Claude.ai conversations, provides unprecedented insights into real-world AI adoption. The study reveals AI usage is concentrated in software development and technical writing, with about 36% of occupations using AI in at least 25% of their tasks, but few using it for the majority. AI is more often used for augmentation (57%) rather than automation (43%). Mid-to-high wage occupations show higher AI adoption, while low and high-wage jobs show lower rates. The dataset is open-sourced, and Anthropic invites input from researchers to understand and address the implications for employment and productivity.

(www.anthropic.com)

AI AI Economics Labor Market

Efficiency vs. Horizontal Scalability: A Necessary Trade-off?

2025-02-12

Efficiency vs. Horizontal Scalability: A Necessary Trade-off?

This article explores the tension between software efficiency and horizontal scalability. The author argues that software optimized for scalability often performs poorly in single-machine environments, and vice versa. This stems from Amdahl's Law, coordination overhead, and limitations on shared resources. Efficient algorithms often rely on assumptions about the system and problem that may no longer hold true when scaling horizontally. The author also discusses cultural factors and task types influencing choices, illustrating with examples like the Tigerbeetle database and CPython's GIL. Ultimately, a deep understanding of the problem and environment is key to achieving both high efficiency and scalability.

(buttondown.com)

Development

Darcs: A Friendly Introduction to Version Control

2025-02-15

This book provides a beginner-friendly guide to Darcs, a distributed version control system. It covers installation, local operations, repository creation, change management, history review, conflict resolution, branching, and history rewriting, all illustrated with simple examples. Perfect for quickly getting started with Darcs as your daily version control system.

(darcsbook.acmelabs.space)

Development DVCS

Gulf of Mexico: A Programming Language That Breaks the Rules

2025-02-16

Gulf of Mexico: A Programming Language That Breaks the Rules

DreamBerd has been renamed to Gulf of Mexico, a quirky programming language with unusual features. Statements end in exclamation marks, the semicolon is the 'not' operator, there are four declaration types (const const, const var, var const, var var), arrays start at index -1, float indices are supported, the `when` keyword checks variable mutations, there's a garbage collector, variable lifecycles are customizable (including negative lifecycles for hoisting), and there are no loops. Installation is complex, booleans can be true, false, or maybe, whitespace determines arithmetic operation precedence, fractions and number names are supported, indentation is rigidly 3 spaces, multiple comparison operators exist, function declaration is flexible, division by zero returns undefined, strings can be declared in various ways, regional currency interpolation is supported, type annotations are optional, regular expression types are supported, and `previous`, `next`, and `current` keywords access variable history. Code can be split into multiple files using five or more equals signs. It supports code reversal, global variables, and automatic insertion of exclamation marks, brackets, and quotes. Gulf of Mexico also supports rich text and a turn-based execution mechanism for asynchronous functions.

(github.com)

Development quirky design

Valve Opens Team Fortress 2's Source Code to the Public

2025-02-19

Valve Opens Team Fortress 2's Source Code to the Public

Celebrating its upcoming 20th anniversary, Valve has unexpectedly released the full client and server source code for Team Fortress 2, inviting players to modify, extend, or even rewrite the game. This move aims to empower the community and extend the life of this classic shooter. Despite recent struggles with bots, TF2 retains a dedicated player base. The open-source initiative is expected to unlock a wave of creative mods and potentially even entirely new games. However, all modifications must remain free of charge.

(gamerant.com)

Game Community Creation

AGI: The Path to Universally Accessible Infinite Intelligence

2025-02-09

This article explores the rapid development of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and its profound socioeconomic implications. The authors posit that AGI is not far off, developing at a rate exceeding Moore's Law with exponentially decreasing costs. AGI will become a ubiquitous tool, akin to electricity and the internet, transforming industries and boosting global productivity. However, the authors also highlight the challenges posed by AGI, including potential social inequality and power imbalances. To ensure AGI benefits everyone, proactive public policy is needed, alongside exploration of novel approaches to fairer resource allocation, such as providing a "compute budget" to enable universal access to powerful AI. The ultimate goal is for individuals in 2035 to possess the intellectual capacity equivalent to the entire human population in 2025, unleashing global creativity for the benefit of all.

(blog.samaltman.com)

AI Societal Impact

Order-Independent Keyword Arguments in C++26 using Reflection

2025-02-11

This blog post explores implementing order-independent keyword arguments for C++ using C++26's proposed reflection features. The author stumbled upon this technique while experimenting with reflection and shares it as a compelling demonstration of the power of these features. The post contrasts this approach with prior, less elegant solutions, including designated initializers and helper objects. The core of the post details how to leverage reflection to achieve order-independent and optional keyword arguments, providing complete code examples and explanations. This includes handling lambda expression captures and extending the fmt library for enhanced formatting capabilities.

(pydong.org)

Development Keyword Arguments

NESFab: A High-Performance Programming Language for NES Games

2025-02-13

NESFab is a new programming language designed for creating NES games. Optimized for 8-bit limitations, it's more ergonomic than C while producing faster assembly code. It boasts easy-to-use libraries, making it simple to get started, whether it's your first or hundredth NES game. Features include automatic bank switching, streamlined asset loading, and integration with the MapFab level editor for increased development speed. While currently in beta, NESFab outperforms compilers like GCC and LLVM in benchmarks, potentially making it the best-performing 6502 compiler available.

(pubby.games)

Development

Quantum Systems and the Arrow of Time: A Groundbreaking Discovery

2025-02-16

A study published in Scientific Reports explored the interaction of a quantum system with its environment (an open quantum system), attempting to explain why we perceive time as flowing in one direction. By simplifying the model and assuming a vast environment where energy and information don't return, researchers investigated how time emerges as a unidirectional phenomenon. Surprisingly, even under these assumptions, the system behaved identically whether time moved forward or backward. This provides a mathematical foundation for time-reversal symmetry still holding in open quantum systems, suggesting the arrow of time may not be as fixed as we experience.

(www.surrey.ac.uk)

Tech arrow of time open quantum systems

Supersonic Jet Streams Discovered on Exoplanet WASP-127b

2025-02-17

Supersonic Jet Streams Discovered on Exoplanet WASP-127b

Astronomers using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) have discovered supersonic jet streams on WASP-127b, a giant exoplanet 520 light-years from Earth. These winds, reaching speeds up to 33,000 km/h, are the fastest ever measured on a planet. The discovery, detailed in Astronomy & Astrophysics, provides unprecedented insights into the weather patterns of distant worlds. Analysis using the CRIRES+ instrument revealed water vapor and carbon monoxide in WASP-127b's atmosphere, along with temperature differences between poles and equator, and even between morning and evening sides. This complexity mirrors weather patterns in our own solar system. Future observations with ESO's Extremely Large Telescope promise even greater detail.

(phys.org)

Tech exoplanet supersonic winds astronomical discovery

Conquering Insomnia: The Healing Power of Creation

2025-02-08

Conquering Insomnia: The Healing Power of Creation

The author, a former chronic insomniac, developed a series of quirky rules to combat his sleeplessness, even including avoiding the thought of a particular car air freshener. However, he ultimately discovered that the most effective method was to relinquish control over his sleep, allowing himself to create – writing, drawing, sculpting – whenever inspiration struck in the late hours. This creative process not only dispelled the anxiety of insomnia but also brought unexpected ease and satisfaction. The author encourages readers to try letting go of perfectionism and allow themselves to create, even if they're not good at it, to find healing and release.

(untested.sonnet.io)

Misc

Correcting Bird's Proof of the Sieve of Eratosthenes: A Proof about Infinite Lists

2025-02-08

This paper corrects an erroneous proof by Richard Bird in his book *Thinking Functionally with Haskell* concerning the Sieve of Eratosthenes. Bird presents a circular, list-based implementation, but his proof hint is flawed. The authors provide a complete correctness proof by introducing new lemmas and appealing to a weakening of Bertrand's Postulate. The connection between this algorithm and David Turner's vision of "Total Functional Programming" is also explored.

(www.cambridge.org)

Development sieve of eratosthenes algorithm proof

Musk's Stealth Takeover of US Critical Infrastructure?

2025-02-22

Musk's Stealth Takeover of US Critical Infrastructure?

An anonymous memo reveals a shocking truth: Elon Musk, under the guise of streamlining bureaucracy through his DOGE initiative, has secretly gained control over critical US government infrastructure. He's placed loyalists throughout federal agencies, infiltrating everything from personnel management to sensitive Treasury payment systems. This mirrors the goals of Silicon Valley's 'neoreactionary' movement – replacing democracy with corporate rule. The memo warns Congress must act swiftly to stop Musk's privatization of government before President Trump himself becomes a hostage to his power.

(www.thenerdreich.com)

Tech

TSMC Faces US Government Cooperation Proposals: A Difficult Choice in a Geopolitical Game

2025-02-13

TSMC Faces US Government Cooperation Proposals: A Difficult Choice in a Geopolitical Game

Reports indicate that TSMC is negotiating with the US government on three potential cooperation proposals. These involve setting up an advanced packaging plant in the US, investing in Intel Foundry Services, or letting Intel handle the packaging process for its Arizona plant. While TSMC hasn't publicly commented, its lower capital budget and market reaction suggest a difficult choice: accepting cooperation could harm shareholder interests and lead to legal action; refusing could result in high tariffs and loss of US market share. TSMC's decision under geopolitical pressure will significantly impact the global semiconductor industry.

(techsoda.substack.com)

Tech

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