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Go Container Build Performance: Nix Isn't Always Faster

2025-04-28

Go Container Build Performance: Nix Isn't Always Faster

This article benchmarks different methods for building Go containers, comparing Docker and Nix. The author uses a simple Go program with Prometheus metrics to measure build times and image sizes. Docker caching significantly improved build speeds, while Nix, despite its reproducibility, wasn't faster. Scratch base images produced much smaller containers than distroless. UPX compression further reduced image sizes. Athens and Squid proxy caching were also tested. The author provides practical tips for faster Go container builds, including using a .dockerignore file to exclude the .git directory.

(github.com)

Development Container Build Performance Benchmark

Trump Admin Halts Coordinated Effort Against Russian Hybrid Warfare

2025-03-23

Trump Admin Halts Coordinated Effort Against Russian Hybrid Warfare

The Biden administration established cross-agency working groups to counter Russia's hybrid warfare campaign, collaborating with European allies. However, following Trump's inauguration, this effort largely ceased. This raises concerns that the Trump administration is de-prioritizing the threat, leaving the US vulnerable to future attacks and potentially emboldening Russia. The pause coincides with a significant shift in US-Europe relations and potentially has profound implications for the Ukraine conflict.

(www.yahoo.com)

Tech intelligence cooperation

American Science & Surplus: A Maker's Paradise Facing the E-commerce Tide

2025-06-04

American Science & Surplus: A Maker's Paradise Facing the E-commerce Tide

American Science & Surplus, founded in 1937, has seen its share of ups and downs. From its origins selling lenses and lab equipment, it has expanded to include science toys, craft supplies, and a vast array of electronic components and tools, embodying the maker ethos. However, the rise of e-commerce has impacted some previously popular items, such as telescopes, leading to decreased sales. The store's long history, its unique inventory, and its relationship with a now-defunct Radio Shack paint a nostalgic picture of a bygone retail era, while its current offerings still inspire creativity and innovation.

(arstechnica.com)

Misc maker culture

Impossible Task: Dissecting a Square into an Odd Number of Equal-Area Triangles

2025-04-19

This article explores a deceptively simple geometric problem: can a square be dissected into any number of triangles with equal area? The answer, surprisingly, is complex. In 1970, Paul Monsky proved that it's impossible to dissect a square into an odd number of equal-area triangles. The proof cleverly combines Sperner's Lemma and 2-adic valuations. By ingeniously coloring the vertices of the triangles and analyzing the number of factors of 2 in the triangle's area using 2-adic valuation, a contradiction is reached, proving the proposition.

(mathmondays.com)

Misc

MeshCore: A Lightweight LoRa Mesh Networking Library

2025-04-15

MeshCore: A Lightweight LoRa Mesh Networking Library

MeshCore is a lightweight, portable C++ library enabling multi-hop packet routing for embedded projects using LoRa and other packet radios. Designed for resilient, decentralized networks operating without internet access, it supports various LoRa devices and offers pre-built binaries for easy flashing via tools like Adafruit ESPTool. MeshCore balances simplicity and scalability, providing functionality similar to Meshtastic and Reticulum but with a focus on embedded applications. Ideal for off-grid communication, emergency response, and IoT deployments.

(github.com)

Development Mesh Networking

The Gateway Books: A Generation's Ambivalent Relationship with Literary Classics

2025-05-15

The Gateway Books: A Generation's Ambivalent Relationship with Literary Classics

This article explores the author's personal journey and a broader generational experience with a specific set of literary works—often dubbed the 'white male middlebrow canon.' These books, including works by Salinger, Vonnegut, and Heller, initially provided a sense of belonging and rebellion for young readers, offering an escape from the mundane and a path to intellectual self-discovery. However, as the author matured, they critically examined these books' inherent flaws, particularly misogyny and racism, leading to a complex and ambivalent relationship. Through surveys and personal reflections, the author investigates the lasting impact of these books and their limitations in the contemporary context, questioning whether they serve as helpful stepping stones to other literature or represent a limited and ultimately problematic perspective.

(thepointmag.com)

Misc Youth Culture Rebellion

The Hidden Copyright War Behind Windows 95's Plug and Play

2025-06-29

The Hidden Copyright War Behind Windows 95's Plug and Play

Implementing Plug and Play in Windows 95 wasn't easy. To make older hardware work with the new feature, engineers employed ingenious workarounds. One amusing example involved manufacturers adding the string "Not Copyright Fabrikam Computer" to their BIOS. This was a clever trick to fool LitWare Word Processor's licensing check, unlocking the full version without actually being a licensed Fabrikam PC. This highlights the challenges of early PC compatibility and the lengths manufacturers went to for software licensing.

(devblogs.microsoft.com)

Development Plug and Play

Animations Without Keyframes: A New CSS Trick

2025-01-12

Animations Without Keyframes: A New CSS Trick

CSS's new `@starting-style` allows creating animations without `@keyframes`. This isn't a replacement for traditional animation, but a useful CSS trick in certain situations. The article demonstrates two examples: an infinitely rotating square, and a more complex animation manipulating background color, translation, and rotation via an animated variable `--i`. While not always superior, it offers a fresh way to express animations, expanding CSS animation possibilities.

(css-tip.com)

Development CSS animation keyframeless animation

Revolutionizing Race Timing: StoryTiming Demo

2025-01-20

StoryTiming reimagines race timing, prioritizing timing information and letting the race action follow. This demo, using data from the 2024 IMSA Rolex 24, showcases an innovative interactive experience. Users navigate the race effortlessly via keyboard shortcuts or mouse controls, viewing data through various perspectives, including a driver tracker overlay. Aimed at enhancing digital broadcasts, this project is the work of an independent software developer and is still under development.

(storytiming.racing)

Misc race timing interactive video

The Ultimate R Programming Book Collection

2025-04-10

The Ultimate R Programming Book Collection

This website is the ultimate collection of over 400 free and open-source R programming books. Initially released by Oscar Baruffa in August 2020 with over 100 books, it has grown to include over 400 books thanks to community contributions. The site features a search function for easy navigation, accepts donations, and welcomes book submissions. Built with Quarto and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0, the site also boasts live site statistics and is maintained by Oscar Baruffa.

(www.bigbookofr.com)

Development R Programming Open Source Books

LinkedIn to Use User Data for AI Training Starting November 2025

2025-09-23

LinkedIn to Use User Data for AI Training Starting November 2025

LinkedIn announced it will begin using member profiles, posts, resumes, and public activity to train its AI models starting November 3, 2025. This has sparked user concern, especially since the setting is enabled by default, requiring users to actively opt out. While users can opt out via the 'data for generative AI improvement' setting, this only applies to data collected after opting out; previously collected data remains in the training dataset. The change affects users in the EU, EEA, Switzerland, Canada, and Hong Kong. Data from users under 18 will be excluded. This follows a similar move by Meta, which resumed user data training after pausing due to an Information Commissioner's Office complaint, now with clearer opt-out options.

(www.techradar.com)

Tech

OSI's 2025 Election: Transparency Crisis Shakes Open Source Trust

2025-04-25

OSI's 2025 Election: Transparency Crisis Shakes Open Source Trust

The Open Source Initiative (OSI)'s 2025 board elections are embroiled in controversy. OSI removed votes for three candidates after the voting period, severely damaging its credibility. The core issue involves a reform platform pushed by three candidates (including a former OSI director) proposing to repeal the newly adopted Open Source AI Definition and revise the board member agreement. OSI's last-minute requirement for candidates to sign the agreement, with a short deadline, disqualified some candidates. Critics claim this violates election procedures, lacks transparency, and suggests a conflict of interest. Community speculation about OSI's motives and potential corruption has intensified, leading to demands for the release of unaltered election results to restore trust and credibility.

(codeberg.org)

Misc election controversy

Unpublished Memoir of CP/M Creator Gary Kildall Released

2025-07-18

Unpublished Memoir of CP/M Creator Gary Kildall Released

A portion of an unfinished memoir by Gary Kildall, the creator of the CP/M operating system, has been released by the Computer History Museum. Written before his death in 1994, the excerpt details Kildall's early life and entrepreneurial journey, emphasizing his values of invention and a love of life over profit. Later chapters, detailing his struggles with alcoholism, will remain unpublished.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech

China Investigates Apple's App Store: Tech Giant Faces New Scrutiny

2025-02-05

China Investigates Apple's App Store: Tech Giant Faces New Scrutiny

China's market regulator is investigating Apple's App Store policies and fees, potentially adding fuel to the US-China trade war. The probe focuses on Apple's up to 30% commission on in-app purchases and its restriction of external payment services and app stores. This stems from long-standing disputes between Apple and developers like Tencent and ByteDance over iOS App Store policies. While not yet a formal investigation, further action could be taken if Apple fails to address concerns. Apple faces intense competition from domestic rivals like Huawei in China, adding pressure amid this regulatory scrutiny.

(www.cnbctv18.com)

Tech US-China Trade War

Quantum Paradox Shakes Foundations of Physics

2025-07-07

Quantum Paradox Shakes Foundations of Physics

A new thought experiment challenges the foundations of quantum mechanics. The experiment, involving four agents and intricate quantum measurements, leads to contradictory results: two observers reach opposite conclusions about the same event. This suggests at least one of three fundamental assumptions is false: quantum mechanics is universal; measurements have single outcomes; and different observers' quantum predictions aren't contradictory. The experiment forces a re-evaluation of quantum interpretations like many-worlds and spontaneous collapse theories, potentially hinting at a novel understanding of reality.

(www.quantamagazine.org)

Tech quantum paradox reality

Mitochondria: Cellular Powerhouses on the Move, Revolutionizing Disease Treatment

2025-04-10

Mitochondria: Cellular Powerhouses on the Move, Revolutionizing Disease Treatment

Groundbreaking research reveals that mitochondria, the cell's powerhouses, aren't static organelles; they travel between cells! This 'mitochondrial transfer' has been observed across various cell types and organisms, potentially playing a crucial role in tissue repair, immune system activation, and cellular rescue. Researchers are exploring its therapeutic potential for diseases like cancer and stroke, though its exact mechanisms and role in humans remain unclear. Mitochondrial transfer may revolutionize our understanding of cell-to-cell communication and disease treatment.

(www.nature.com)

Tech cell-to-cell communication disease treatment

Imapsync: Your IMAP Migration and Backup Solution

2025-02-12

Imapsync is a command-line tool for incremental and recursive IMAP transfers between mailboxes, anywhere on the internet or your local network. It supports Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X, and efficiently handles interrupted transfers. Imapsync doesn't migrate contacts and calendars, but offers alternatives and robust professional support. Starting at €60, it includes a 30-day money-back guarantee. In 2024, it handled over 200 million mailbox transfers, demonstrating its power and extensive user base.

(imapsync.lamiral.info)

Development email migration backup

Meta's Llama 4: Second Place Ranking and a Messy Launch

2025-04-08

Meta's Llama 4: Second Place Ranking and a Messy Launch

Meta released two new Llama 4 models: Scout and Maverick. Maverick secured the number two spot on LMArena, outperforming GPT-4o and Gemini 2.0 Flash. However, Meta admitted that LMArena tested a specially optimized "experimental chat version," not the publicly available one. This sparked controversy, leading LMArena to update its policies to prevent similar incidents. Meta explained that it was experimenting with different versions, but the move raised questions about its strategy in the AI race and the unusual timing of the Llama 4 release. Ultimately, the incident highlights the limitations of AI benchmarks and the complex strategies of large tech companies in the competition.

(www.theverge.com)

AI AI benchmark

Mistral's New Agents API: AI as a Proactive Problem Solver

2025-05-27

Mistral's New Agents API: AI as a Proactive Problem Solver

Mistral has unveiled its groundbreaking Agents API, a significant leap towards more capable and useful AI. This API combines Mistral's powerful language models with built-in connectors for code execution, web search, image generation, and MCP tools, along with persistent memory and agentic orchestration capabilities. It simplifies implementing agentic use cases, enabling AI agents to handle complex tasks, maintain context, and coordinate multiple actions. Applications span diverse sectors, including coding assistants, financial analysts, and travel planners. Developers can create agents with built-in connectors and MCP tools, leveraging stateful conversations and agent orchestration to build sophisticated AI workflows.

(mistral.ai)

AI

AI-Powered Recycling: Centerville Improves Efficiency with Pilot Program

2025-07-11

AI-Powered Recycling: Centerville Improves Efficiency with Pilot Program

Centerville, Ohio, has launched a months-long AI-powered pilot program to improve its recycling program. The program uses AI to identify non-recyclable items and send personalized postcards to residents with guidance. The $74,945 project, fully funded by a Montgomery County Solid Waste District grant, aims to reduce contamination, improve resource utilization, and ultimately boost the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the city's recycling system.

(www.daytondailynews.com)

Tech waste management

Adobe Lightroom's AI Adds Bitcoin to Photo

2025-01-12

Adobe Lightroom's AI Adds Bitcoin to Photo

A photographer using Adobe Lightroom's AI highlight removal tool discovered a bizarre error: a bitcoin appeared in their photo of a seagull where none existed before. The unexpected addition of a cryptocurrency logo to the image sparked outrage and debate among photographers, raising concerns about the reliability of AI image processing technology.

(bsky.app)

Tech

SpaceX Starship Debris Rains Down on Turks and Caicos

2025-02-01

SpaceX Starship Debris Rains Down on Turks and Caicos

The upper stage of a SpaceX Starship rocket exploded over the Atlantic Ocean near Turks and Caicos after its seventh test flight, scattering debris across the islands. While no injuries were reported, residents discovered wreckage near homes and on beaches, prompting concerns about safety and environmental impact. SpaceX's rapid iterative development strategy and its response to the incident have drawn criticism, with locals demanding cleanup and environmental assessment. The event highlights the potential risks of large rocket launches near populated areas.

(www.cnn.com)

Tech rocket debris

Cracked Sudoku: A New Sudoku Variant Based on Voronoi Diagrams

2025-03-13

Cracked Sudoku: A New Sudoku Variant Based on Voronoi Diagrams

Tired of traditional Sudoku? Cracked Sudoku is here! This new Sudoku variant uses irregular Voronoi diagrams as its game board. The rules remain familiar to Sudoku fans, but 'rows' and 'columns' are replaced by 'runs'—connected sequences of cells without repeating numbers. The shapes of these runs are determined by the Voronoi diagram, creating a unique solving experience. The author shares the design philosophy and algorithms, and calls for experienced puzzle constructors to collaborate on creating more sophisticated levels, injecting more vitality into this innovative game.

(danielchasehooper.com)

Game Voronoi Diagrams

Edible Robots: RoboCake Takes Center Stage at Expo 2025

2025-05-09

Edible Robots: RoboCake Takes Center Stage at Expo 2025

The EU-funded RoboFood project unveiled its groundbreaking creation: RoboCake, an edible robotic wedding cake! Developed by EPFL and IIT researchers in collaboration with pastry chefs, this cake features two adorable, edible robotic teddy bears animated by an internal pneumatic system. Even more innovative, IIT created edible rechargeable batteries made from vitamin B2, quercetin, activated carbon, and chocolate, powering the cake's LED candles. This interdisciplinary marvel not only offers a unique culinary experience but also addresses electronic waste and food waste issues, with applications in emergency nutrition and healthcare.

(actu.epfl.ch)

Tech edible robots

arXivLabs: Experimental Projects with Community Collaboration

2025-06-04

arXivLabs is a framework that enables collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on the website. Individuals and organizations working with arXivLabs embrace arXiv's values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only partners with those who adhere to them. Have an idea to enhance the arXiv community? Learn more about arXivLabs.

(arxiv.org)

Development

1700-Year-Old Intact Roman Egg Baffles Scientists

2025-04-18

1700-Year-Old Intact Roman Egg Baffles Scientists

Archaeologists in the UK have unearthed a remarkably preserved 1700-year-old egg at the Berryfields site, about 50 miles northwest of London. Found in an ancient well that served as both a water source and ritual site during Roman times, the egg's liquid interior remains intact. The discovery, alongside other artifacts like coins and bones, offers invaluable insights into Roman culture, daily life, and animal introductions. The egg's preservation, its seemingly unbroken state, and its potential connection to Roman rituals make it a truly unique find. Scientists plan to extract the liquid and perform DNA testing to determine the species and origin of the egg.

(www.atlasobscura.com)

Tech Egg

Stop Drowning Your Website in Design Tricks!

2025-06-09

Stop Drowning Your Website in Design Tricks!

Designers, it's time for a reality check! Overusing flashy design elements like animations and pop-ups hurts user experience. Google research shows users form opinions about websites in 50 milliseconds; slow loading times lead to significant user loss. The average website now weighs around 2.5MB—more than the original Doom game! Great design is about simplicity and functionality, helping users achieve their goals efficiently, not showing off. Prioritize user satisfaction and conversion rates over design awards. Remember, good design is invisible; it facilitates human connection and information sharing, not an art gallery.

(websmith.studio)

Design loading speed

Living Organisms Emit Faint Light That Dims Upon Death

2025-05-19

Living Organisms Emit Faint Light That Dims Upon Death

Researchers at the University of Calgary have discovered that all living organisms emit a faint light, a phenomenon known as ultraweak photon emission (UPE). Studies on mice and plants revealed that living organisms exhibit significantly higher UPE intensity than deceased ones, with plant UPE varying based on stress factors like temperature changes, injury, and chemical treatments. UPE is linked to reactive oxygen species produced during cellular metabolism. This research suggests UPE imaging could become a non-invasive tool for both basic biological research and clinical diagnostics.

(phys.org)

Tech ultraweak photon emission biophoton biological research

Lost Nicknames and the Origins of Surnames

2025-02-10

Lost Nicknames and the Origins of Surnames

Many English surnames derive from patronyms, often nicknames. For example, "Jackson" comes from "Jack" (a nickname for John). This article explores numerous now-obscure nicknames and their resulting surnames, such as "Wat" (a nickname for Walter) yielding "Watts," "Watson," "Watkins"; "Gib" (a nickname for Gilbert) yielding "Gibbs," "Gibson"; and "Hob" (a nickname for Robert) yielding "Hobbs," "Hobson," "Hobkins." The author invites further examples and adds the nickname "Hick" (for Richard) and its derivatives, and speculates on "-mott" possibly indicating an in-law.

(blog.plover.com)

Misc English surnames nicknames etymology

The Rise and Fall (and Rise?) of Visual Basic

2025-05-11

The Rise and Fall (and Rise?) of Visual Basic

In 1988, Alan Cooper showed Bill Gates Tripod, a groundbreaking shell construction kit for Windows. Its intuitive drag-and-drop interface allowed users to create personalized shells without deep OS knowledge. This evolved into Visual Basic, a revolutionary visual programming language that empowered countless developers, especially those transitioning from mainframes. VB's ease of use democratized programming, making it accessible to millions. However, Microsoft's shift to .NET and VB.NET, while adding features, sacrificed the simplicity that made VB so popular, leading many developers to abandon it. This story highlights the tension between innovation and business decisions, and the lasting impact of a seemingly simple tool.

(retool.com)

Development

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