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DropZap World: 120 Levels of Laser-Powered Block-Dropping Fun

2025-06-18

DropZap World: 120 Levels of Laser-Powered Block-Dropping Fun

DropZap World, from the creator of the original DropZap games, offers a fresh take on falling block puzzles. This game features 120 challenging levels filled with lasers, mirrors, color-matching mechanics, and a satisfying level progression system. Available across iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and macOS with iCloud sync, DropZap World promises hours of laser-zapping entertainment for both newcomers and veteran players.

(apps.apple.com)

Game lasers

LLM Codegen Parallelization: A Productivity Boost with Git Worktrees and Tmux

2025-05-28

LLM Codegen Parallelization: A Productivity Boost with Git Worktrees and Tmux

Nicholas Khami shares his experience parallelizing multiple LLM code generators (Claude Code, Codex) using Git worktrees and tmux. He found significant efficiency gains; even with inconsistent individual LLM output quality, running multiple agents concurrently drastically increases the chance of getting usable code. However, manually managing multiple worktrees and tmux sessions is cumbersome. To solve this, he and his co-founder are building `uzi`, a CLI tool to streamline the workflow, providing a smoother developer experience by automating tasks like starting agents, sending prompts, running commands, previewing, committing, and creating PRs. This promises to greatly enhance developer productivity, and the parallel processing philosophy extends beyond coding, applicable to legal contract review and marketing data analysis. The future will likely see more software integrating similar parallel execution capabilities.

(www.skeptrune.com)

Development

Accelerating Shakespeare Quote Image Rendering with Quadtrees and Interval Analysis

2025-04-09

The author participated in the Prospero Challenge, aiming to rapidly render a 1024x1024 image of a Shakespeare quote from The Tempest, generated by a mathematical formula with 7866 operations. Various optimization techniques were explored, including quadtree recursive subdivision of the image, interval analysis to simplify the formula, and a "demanded information" optimization. Implemented in both RPython and C, the author compared the performance of different optimization strategies. The "demanded information" optimization significantly improved rendering speed, with the final C implementation incorporating this optimization achieving the best performance.

(pypy.org)

Development image rendering quadtrees

SignalGate Continues: 410GB of TeleMessage Data Dumped

2025-05-20

SignalGate Continues: 410GB of TeleMessage Data Dumped

Security researcher Micah Lee revealed a massive 410GB data breach from TeleMessage, an Israeli firm providing archiving services for encrypted messaging apps like Signal and WhatsApp. TeleMessage's software was used by US government officials, leading to the 'SignalGate' scandal. The leaked data includes sensitive information, such as plaintext messages and metadata, highlighting vulnerabilities in TeleMessage's products and the risks associated with government reliance on encrypted message archiving services. The release comes from Distributed Denial of Secrets.

(micahflee.com)

Tech

Running postmarketOS and Phosh on Android without Root or Custom ROM

2025-07-26

Running postmarketOS and Phosh on Android without Root or Custom ROM

This article details an unconventional method to run postmarketOS and the Phosh desktop environment on an Android phone without rooting or flashing a custom ROM. The author leverages Termux and proot to create an Alpine Linux environment within Android, converting it to postmarketOS and installing the lightweight Phosh desktop. While not perfect, with limitations like Chinese input requiring the Android keyboard, it offers Android users a convenient way to experience a mobile Linux system.

(ivonblog.com)

Development

French Copyright Holders Push VPNs to Block Pirate Sites, Threatening Exodus

2025-02-25

In France, copyright holders are legally pressuring major VPN providers to assist in blocking pirate websites. While aiming to strengthen existing measures, VPN providers view this as a dangerous precedent, citing potential security risks and overblocking. Some are even considering withdrawing from the French market entirely. This action raises concerns about net neutrality and digital freedom, highlighting the tension between combating piracy and protecting user privacy.

(torrentfreak.com)

Tech

Burnout and disillusionment: A senior engineer's exit from the tech industry

2025-06-04

Burnout and disillusionment: A senior engineer's exit from the tech industry

After more than 25 years in tech, a seasoned engineer is leaving the industry to pursue a career in emergency medicine due to burnout and disillusionment. Once a techno-utopian, he's become disillusioned by the industry's role in surveillance capitalism, exploitation, and the rise of tech giants' negative impacts. He'll maintain some computer-related involvement and shift his blog's focus from tech leadership and software engineering to broader personal interests like his hobby farm and wilderness adventures. The decision, while financially challenging, prioritizes personal fulfillment.

(jacobian.org)

Startup

Objective-C: The Unexpected Legacy of a Polarizing Language

2025-04-18

Objective-C: The Unexpected Legacy of a Polarizing Language

Leibniz's dream of a 'characteristica universalis' lives on in programming languages. This story recounts the author's experience with Objective-C, a verbose and polarizing language that unexpectedly became the foundation of Apple's ecosystem. Despite its criticisms, Objective-C's unique syntax and role in early iOS development left a lasting impact, as the author shares their personal journey and the surprising power of this often-overlooked language.

(www.wired.com)

Development

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

Squid Game's Secret Weapon: The Japanese Film Battle Royale

2025-01-10

Squid Game's Secret Weapon: The Japanese Film Battle Royale

Netflix's hit series, Squid Game, owes a debt of gratitude to a lesser-known Japanese cult classic: Battle Royale. Director Hwang Dong-hyuk openly cites the film as inspiration. Based on Koushun Takami's 1999 novel, Battle Royale depicts a dystopian scenario where middle schoolers are forced to fight to the death by a totalitarian government. Its brutal game mechanics and unflinching portrayal of societal darkness heavily influenced Squid Game. The article delves into Battle Royale's origins, exploring the author's dream-inspired concept and director Kinji Fukasaku's infusion of his WWII experiences, transforming the film from a mere bloodbath into a profound social commentary.

(www.tokyoweekender.com)

Game Squid Game Battle Royale Japanese Cinema

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

The Last Inca Bridge: A 500-Year-Old Tradition in the Andes

2025-06-09

High in the Peruvian Andes, Victoriano Arizapana annually rebuilds a bridge made of grass and fiber – the Q’eswachaka bridge – a tradition spanning over 500 years. This incredible feat of engineering, hanging 60 feet above a rushing river, is strong enough to support over a hundred men. Arizapana's family has been the custodian of this Inca legacy, annually dismantling and rebuilding the bridge with the local community. This story explores not only the breathtaking architectural marvel but also the enduring power of tradition, community, and the dedication to preserving a unique cultural heritage.

(www.atlasobscura.com)

Misc Inca civilization

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

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

C Code with Only `#define` Directives: Black Magic Fire Animation

2025-02-20

This article details how the author created a fire animation program using only the `#define` directive in C. This seemingly impossible task was accomplished by cleverly using the text replacement capabilities of macro definitions, token concatenation, and recursive call techniques. The result is a simulation of fire burning and spreading, demonstrating the power of the C preprocessor and its 'Turing completeness'. The article also highlights the potential risks and problems of improper macro use.

(ssloy.github.io)

Development preprocessor

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

SimCity 2000: A Retro-Futuristic City Builder Still Holds Charm

2025-09-21

SimCity 2000: A Retro-Futuristic City Builder Still Holds Charm

This article revisits the classic city-building simulation game, SimCity 2000. The author contrasts it with the original SimCity, highlighting SimCity 2000's vibrant SVGA colors, angular hills, flowing waterfalls, and isometric skyscrapers as embodying a 'futuristic' feel for its time. While the UI now feels somewhat outdated, the charm of its pixel art buildings and the joy of city building persist, offering players a sense of responsibility and childlike wonder. The article concludes with a recommendation for the DOSBox-powered Special Edition available on GOG for $5.99.

(arstechnica.com)

Game City Builder

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

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

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

Emacs Org Mode for Automated Checklists: Ditching Scripts for Efficiency

2025-02-15

The author shares their experience using Emacs Org Mode and the org-checklist.el plugin to manage recurring workflows. They prefer using checklists with checkboxes over automated scripts due to checklists' flexibility and ease of updates. The org-checklist.el plugin automatically resets checkboxes in the list and records execution time. Combined with Git version control, this achieves efficient management of repetitive tasks and avoids redundant data.

(www.naiquev.in)

Development

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

Oracle Java's High Costs Drive Businesses to Open Source

2025-07-16

Oracle Java's High Costs Drive Businesses to Open Source

A survey of 500 IT asset managers using Oracle Java reveals that 73% have been audited in the past three years, and nearly 80% have migrated or plan to migrate to open-source Java to avoid high costs and risks. Oracle's repeated pricing model changes since 2018 have led to significant price hikes, with many users facing yearly costs exceeding $500,000. The survey shows only 14% intend to stick with Oracle's subscription model, highlighting the challenges and high costs of software licensing compliance for businesses.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech

Is 0.999... Really Equal to 1? A Mathematical Controversy

2025-06-02

Is 0.999... Really Equal to 1? A Mathematical Controversy

This article delves into the long-standing debate surrounding whether the infinitely repeating decimal 0.999... is exactly equal to 1. While mathematically proven to be equal, many find this counterintuitive. The article analyzes common proofs, highlighting their shortcomings in terms of student comprehension, particularly concerning the multiplication of infinite decimals. It further explains the absence of infinitesimals and infinity in the real number system, introducing hyperreals to demonstrate why the difference between 0.999... and 1 is an infinitesimal, equivalent to zero in the real numbers. Ultimately, the article concludes that the intuitive feeling of a difference between 0.999... and 1 isn't contradictory; this difference simply holds no significance within the real number system used daily.

(lcamtuf.substack.com)

Misc infinite decimal

Microsoft Adds Copilot to Notepad: A Pointless AI Integration?

2025-05-23

Microsoft Adds Copilot to Notepad: A Pointless AI Integration?

Microsoft continues to integrate AI into its built-in Windows apps, with the latest update bringing Copilot's text generation capabilities to Notepad. Users must sign in with their Microsoft account and select a location before using the Copilot 'Write' function to generate text. This addition has sparked controversy, with many questioning its necessity and finding it superfluous for a simple text editor. In contrast, AI upgrades to Paint, such as a sticker generator and smart selection tool, seem more practical. Microsoft's enthusiasm for adding AI features across its apps is evident, but the usefulness of some integrations remains questionable.

(www.theregister.com)

Development

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