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Rebuilding the C++ Standard Library from Scratch: The Pystd Project

2025-03-25

Rebuilding the C++ Standard Library from Scratch: The Pystd Project

Tired of the C++ Standard Library's (STL) abysmal compile times and unreadability, a self-employed open-source developer decided to build a replacement from scratch: Pystd. Taking inspiration from the Python standard library, he incrementally implemented file handling, string manipulation, UTF-8 validation, hash maps, vectors, and sorting. The result? A functional application in under 1000 lines of code, comparable to the STL version. Pystd boasts significantly faster compilation and smaller executable sizes. A unique versioning scheme (e.g., pystd2025) ensures perfect ABI stability, easing future upgrades and maintenance.

(nibblestew.blogspot.com)

Development Standard Library

DuckDuckGo Adds AI Image Filter to Search

2025-07-19

DuckDuckGo Adds AI Image Filter to Search

Privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo has rolled out a new setting allowing users to filter out AI-generated images from search results. This follows user feedback indicating AI images often obstruct finding relevant real-world images. Users can find a new 'AI images' dropdown in the image search tab, choosing to 'show' or 'hide' AI content. DuckDuckGo states the filter relies on manually curated open-source blocklists, offering significant reduction in AI image results, though not perfect. Future additions to the filter are planned.

(techcrunch.com)

Tech AI images search filter

FreeBSD Says No to LLM-Generated Code

2025-09-04

FreeBSD Says No to LLM-Generated Code

The FreeBSD Project's latest quarterly report reveals a new policy in the works: a ban on code and documentation generated by large language models (LLMs). This aligns with similar stances taken by NetBSD and Gentoo Linux, reflecting concerns about the reliability and security of AI-generated code. The report also details other FreeBSD projects underway, including improvements to Wi-Fi, graphics, sound, and power management; restructuring the OS into pkg packages; and developing a web-based GUI for virtualization. Despite competition from Linux, FreeBSD remains actively developed, continuously improving its features and user experience.

(www.theregister.com)

Development

From Prison to Firefighter: A Second Chance

2025-01-12

From Prison to Firefighter: A Second Chance

A California nonprofit is tackling the challenge of employing formerly incarcerated firefighters, aiming to expand the profession and address workforce shortages. The organization provides crucial support, including certifications, job application assistance, and tech literacy training, even helping with record expungement. The founder, Royal Ramey, a former inmate himself, shares his journey from prison fire camp to a successful firefighting career. He highlights the need to overcome biases within the industry and advocates for increased funding for nonprofits working to integrate formerly incarcerated individuals into the firefighting workforce, especially given the growing demand due to climate change and increasingly frequent wildfires.

(www.npr.org)

Misc firefighters

JWST Discovers Most Distant Giant Spiral Galaxy Yet

2024-12-31

JWST Discovers Most Distant Giant Spiral Galaxy Yet

Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have discovered Zhúlóng, an ultra-massive spiral galaxy that is the most distant of its kind ever identified. This grand-design spiral, with its well-defined arms, boasts a mass comparable to the Milky Way and formed a mere billion years after the Big Bang. Studies reveal a quiescent core and a still-active star-forming disk, suggesting Zhúlóng is in a transitional phase. This discovery challenges existing models of early universe galaxy formation, indicating mature galaxies may have emerged much earlier than previously thought.

(phys.org)

Tech JWST Spiral Galaxy

Rust's `panic` and `unwrap()`: When and How to Use Them?

2025-05-21

This article delves into the usage of `panic` and `unwrap()` in the Rust programming language. The author argues that `panic` shouldn't be used for general error handling, but as a signal of bugs within the program. `unwrap()` is acceptable in tests, example code, and prototyping, but should be used cautiously in production as it can lead to program crashes. The author thoroughly explains runtime invariants and why it's sometimes not possible or desirable to move all invariants to compile-time invariants. Finally, the author recommends using `expect()` over `unwrap()` when possible and discusses whether linting against `unwrap()` is a good idea.

(burntsushi.net)

Development

Michael Larabel: 20 Years of Linux Hardware Benchmarking

2025-08-03

Michael Larabel, founder and principal author of Phoronix.com, has been enriching the Linux hardware experience since 2004. He's penned over 20,000 articles covering Linux hardware support, performance, graphics drivers, and more. Larabel is also the lead developer behind the Phoronix Test Suite, Phoromatic, and OpenBenchmarking.org—crucial tools for Linux benchmarking. His contributions have significantly advanced the Linux community.

(www.phoronix.com)

Tech hardware benchmarking

Hyperparam: The Missing UI for AI Data, Now Open Source

2025-05-01

Hyperparam tackles a critical challenge in machine learning: the lack of user-friendly tools for exploring massive datasets. Their open-source suite, including Hyparquet (in-browser Parquet reader), Hyparquet-Writer (Parquet exporter), HighTable (scalable React table), Icebird (Iceberg reader), Hyllama (LLaMA model metadata parser), and the Hyperparam CLI, enables interactive data exploration and curation directly in the browser. Leveraging efficient data formats and high-performance JavaScript, Hyperparam allows data scientists to work with terabyte-scale data locally and privately, without complex server infrastructure. This local-first approach prioritizes data security and compliance.

(hyperparam.app)

AI

Rocky Linux 10 Released: Divergence Widens Among RHEL Alternatives

2025-06-14

Rocky Linux 10 Released: Divergence Widens Among RHEL Alternatives

Rocky Linux 10, "Red Quartz," has reached general availability, adding RISC-V support but dropping older Raspberry Pi models. Compared to AlmaLinux 10 and RHEL 10, released earlier this year, subtle differences emerge in both hardware and software. Most notably, RHEL 10 and Rocky Linux 10 require x86-64-v3 CPUs, while AlmaLinux 10 uniquely supports x86-64-v2. Furthermore, RHEL 10's AI assistant, "Lightspeed," is absent from Rocky Linux 10. While functionally similar, Rocky Linux 10 is subtly diverging from its RHEL alternatives in hardware compatibility, AI features, and commercial support, carving its own niche in the market.

(www.theregister.com)

Development

Graphical Debugging of the Hilbert Curve: A Visual Programming Journey

2025-05-22

The author advocates for a minimalist programming style and uses Lua and LÖVE to graphically debug a recursive function for computing the Hilbert curve. Through iterative visualization improvements, including a text log, replay log, surface drawing, and an 'exploding view' drawing, the author clarifies the algorithm's complexities. The process culminates in a sophisticated debugging UI, offering valuable insights and reusable patterns for future debugging tasks.

(akkartik.name)

Development graphical debugging

The Rise and Fall of Self-Illuminating Technology: From Radium Girls to Tritium

2025-03-08

The Rise and Fall of Self-Illuminating Technology: From Radium Girls to Tritium

This article chronicles the century-long history of self-illuminating technology, from the early 20th-century discovery of radium's luminescence to the tragic story of the 'Radium Girls' and the subsequent rise and fall of tritium-based light sources (GTLS). Wartime demand fueled radium's use, but led to devastating health consequences. Tritium eventually replaced radium, with GTLS becoming a dominant application, but stricter regulations and technological advancements ultimately caused the industry's decline as safer alternatives emerged. The article also explores differences in radioactive material regulation across countries and the handling of radioactive waste.

(computer.rip)

Tech radioactive materials environmental regulation

Soft Neural Renderer with Learnable Triangles

2025-05-30

This research introduces a novel neural rendering method using learnable 3D triangles as primitives. Unlike traditional binary masks, it employs a smooth window function derived from the triangle's 2D signed distance field (SDF) to softly modulate the triangle's influence on pixels. A smoothness parameter, σ, controls the sharpness of this window function, allowing a smooth transition from a binary mask to an approximation of a delta function. The final image is generated by alpha blending the contributions of all projected triangles. The entire process is differentiable, enabling gradient-based learning to optimize triangle parameters.

(trianglesplatting.github.io)

AI 3D triangles signed distance field

Google's AI Summaries: A Threat to Web Traffic?

2025-07-23

Google's AI Summaries: A Threat to Web Traffic?

A Pew Research Center study reveals how Google's AI-generated search summaries are impacting user behavior. Nearly six in ten respondents used Google searches with AI summaries in March 2025. The study found users clicked on traditional search result links less frequently when presented with an AI summary, often opting to read the summary instead. This resulted in a decrease in clicks to external websites and an increase in users ending their browsing session after the search. While convenient, the summaries predominantly sourced information from a few websites like Wikipedia, YouTube, and Reddit.

(www.pewresearch.org)

Tech User Behavior

Why Handwriting Trumps Typing for Memory and Learning

2025-05-31

Why Handwriting Trumps Typing for Memory and Learning

A new study reveals that handwriting activates a wider range of brain regions, leading to improved learning and memory. Unlike typing, which can be passive, handwriting demands active processing of information, strengthening connections between motor, visual, sensory, and memory areas. Researchers found significantly more brain activity and interconnectivity during handwriting compared to typing, explaining its superior effectiveness in comprehension and retention. Handwriting also benefits children by improving letter recognition and reinforcing memory pathways. While technology plays a crucial role in learning, over-reliance can lead to 'cognitive offloading,' hindering long-term brain development. Therefore, especially for preschoolers, promoting handwriting and drawing is essential for optimal brain development and learning.

(www.scientificamerican.com)

Tech

Apple's WWDC 2025: A Crossroads

2025-06-08

Apple's WWDC 2025: A Crossroads

Apple faces significant challenges ahead of its 2025 WWDC. Poor Vision Pro sales, a stalled AI strategy, strained developer relations, and legal battles cast a shadow over the company. The article predicts Apple will likely avoid addressing these issues directly, opting instead for continued marketing of existing products. However, the author argues this is insufficient to overcome the current crisis. A show of humility and acknowledgement of past mistakes at WWDC is crucial to regaining developer trust and charting a successful future.

(www.theverge.com)

Tech

Deep Dive into the Internet's Core: A Practical Guide to Internet Sovereignty

2025-08-13

Deep Dive into the Internet's Core: A Practical Guide to Internet Sovereignty

Nick Bouwhuis's Chaos Computer Club talk offers a deep dive into how the internet works at its core, empowering you to participate. Learn about BGP, AS numbers, IP prefixes, and more. Ideal for sysadmins wanting to enhance their networking skills, aspiring ISP operators, or anyone curious about gaining internet sovereignty. The talk blends theory with practical steps to get started, including a tour of the speaker's own network setup and its uses.

(media.ccc.de)

Tech internet infrastructure network administration

Apache Iceberg: Revolutionizing Geospatial Data Lakes

2025-04-12

Apache Iceberg: Revolutionizing Geospatial Data Lakes

Apache Iceberg, an open table format, now supports geometry data columns, a game-changer for geospatial data users. Traditional methods struggle with datasets exceeding a million features, but Iceberg, built on Parquet, offers blazing-fast reads and scalability for massive datasets. It provides developer-friendly features like DML operations (insert, update, merge, delete), versioning, and time travel, addressing data lake limitations like unreliable transactions and concurrency issues. Iceberg supports geospatial delete operations, time travel, and upserts, along with schema enforcement, evolution, efficient file listing, and small file compaction. Its merge-on-read capability drastically improves DML performance. Iceberg offers a superior alternative to traditional geospatial data handling, significantly improving performance and reliability.

(wherobots.com)

Tech Geospatial Data Data Lake

Raspberry Pi 2's 'Xenon Death Flash': A Bizarre Hardware Vulnerability Solved by the Community

2025-05-24

Raspberry Pi 2's 'Xenon Death Flash': A Bizarre Hardware Vulnerability Solved by the Community

In 2015, a bizarre hardware vulnerability was discovered in the Raspberry Pi 2: camera flashes caused instant shutdowns. Dubbed the "Xenon Death Flash," this phenomenon triggered a community-wide detective effort. Testing revealed the culprit: the U16 power regulator chip. Its WL-CSP packaging exposed the silicon die, making it susceptible to intense light, causing crashes. The community found a fix (Blu-Tack!), prompting the Raspberry Pi Foundation to release an improved hardware revision. This event showcased community power, highlighted the risks of miniaturization in modern electronics, and underscored the need for more comprehensive testing.

(magnus919.com)

Hardware hardware vulnerability

From Jobless to $250K/Year: A SaaS Startup Story Built on Microsoft Teams

2025-04-30

From Jobless to $250K/Year: A SaaS Startup Story Built on Microsoft Teams

After losing his job in 2020, Ilia capitalized on the remote work boom by developing apps for Microsoft Teams. Following an initial failed attempt with a translation app, he identified a gap in the market: the inadequacy of Teams' built-in Wiki. He created Perfect Wiki, a simple, user-friendly knowledge base tool. Its seamless integration with Teams and focus on user needs led to rapid adoption, generating $250,000 in annual revenue within five years with a team of only two. This success story highlights the importance of focusing on niche markets and building simple, effective products.

(habr.com)

Startup

OpenBenches' Address Conundrum: Geolocating 40,000 Benches Elegantly

2025-04-27

OpenBenches' Address Conundrum: Geolocating 40,000 Benches Elegantly

OpenBenches, a crowdsourced database of nearly 40,000 memorial benches, faces a challenge: converting latitude/longitude coordinates into human-readable addresses. Many benches lack formal addresses, residing in parks, etc. Existing geocoding APIs provide overly detailed or irrelevant information. The author explores using multiple APIs and Points of Interest (POIs) for automated address generation, but encounters issues with language localization, address formatting inconsistencies, and POI accuracy. Balancing address precision with user-friendliness and internationalization remains a key challenge.

(shkspr.mobi)

Development geolocation address resolution

The Fight for Free Tax Software in the US: Why Direct File Isn't Enough

2025-04-13

US taxpayers have long relied on proprietary tax software like TurboTax, compromising their freedom. While the IRS offers Direct File, a free e-filing service, it's not free software, lacking transparency, security, and repairability. The article urges the IRS to make Direct File free software to protect taxpayer rights, ensure data security, and enhance the system's sustainability and inclusivity. It encourages writing to the IRS Commissioner to advocate for change.

(www.fsf.org)

Tech taxes US government

MicroStrategy: The Rise and Fall of a Bitcoin Treasure?

2024-12-25

MicroStrategy: The Rise and Fall of a Bitcoin Treasure?

This article delves into the rise and potential fall of MicroStrategy's Bitcoin accumulation strategy. The company, through compelling narratives, inflated its share price far above its net asset value, profiting through share offerings and convertible bonds. However, this model relies on a constant influx of new investors. When this dries up, the Bitcoin yield will plummet, leading to substantial investor losses. The author argues that MicroStrategy's business model exhibits characteristics of a Ponzi scheme, ultimately destined for disaster.

(medium.com)

Startup Bitcoin Ponzi Scheme

Nova: A Novel JavaScript Engine Written in Rust

2025-05-29

Nova is a JavaScript (ECMAScript) and WebAssembly engine written in Rust, employing data-oriented design principles. Currently a fun experiment to explore the feasibility of such an engine, Nova shows promise for future growth. While only passing around 70% of the test262 test suite, development is active and rapid improvements are being made. Interested developers can find the GitHub repository and join the Discord server for community engagement.

(trynova.dev)

Development JavaScript engine

Hollywood Video Game Voice Actors End Strike, Secure AI Protections

2025-07-11

Hollywood Video Game Voice Actors End Strike, Secure AI Protections

Hollywood video game voice actors ended their nearly year-long strike after reaching a deal with studios that includes crucial AI protections. The agreement mandates written consent from performers before their digital likenesses or voices are used, with compensation comparable to in-person work. The strike also secured a significant wage increase of over 15%, plus additional raises in the coming years. While celebrating this victory, union leaders emphasized the ongoing fight for better actor rights and protections in the face of evolving AI technology.

(san.com)

Game Strike

HTTP Feeds: Asynchronous Event Streaming with Plain HTTP

2025-04-26

HTTP Feeds is a minimal specification for asynchronous event streaming and data replication using plain HTTP APIs. It defines a simple HTTP GET endpoint that returns a chronologically ordered sequence of CloudEvents in batched responses. Using the `lastEventId` query parameter, clients can poll infinitely for real-time updates, offering a message broker alternative (like Kafka or RabbitMQ). The spec also covers long polling for lower latency, data compaction and deletion for efficiency, and handling of event IDs for robust event processing.

(www.http-feeds.org)

Development Event Streaming

Trump Admin Order: Unleashing Law Enforcement

2025-04-29

Trump Admin Order: Unleashing Law Enforcement

This executive order aims to strengthen and empower US law enforcement to combat crime and protect innocent citizens. It provides legal defense for officers, increases resources and improves training. It also holds accountable state and local officials who obstruct justice or engage in discrimination, and utilizes national security assets to assist local law enforcement. The goal is a law-abiding society where officers protect the innocent and violations are not tolerated.

(www.whitehouse.gov)

Misc crime

Securely Manage Environment Variables with GPG-Encrypted Files

2025-04-17

Securely Manage Environment Variables with GPG-Encrypted Files

This shell tool provides a secure way to manage environment variables using GPG-encrypted files. It addresses the common issue of command-line tools needing environment variables containing sensitive information stored in unencrypted shell files. The tool allows users to read secrets from encrypted files and easily switch between different accounts. It supports nested logins, updates the `SECRET_LOGIN` environment variable, and modifies the shell prompt to display the current login. Autocomplete for available filenames is also included.

(github.com)

Development Shell tool GPG encryption

Science Confirms: Libraries Make Life Better

2025-01-29

Science Confirms: Libraries Make Life Better

A New York Public Library study reveals the positive impact of libraries on people's well-being and community development, especially in lower-income areas. Over 90% of respondents reported that using the library enhanced their love of learning, personal growth, and ability to cope with life's challenges. Libraries offer more than just books; they provide calm spaces, a sense of community, and an optimistic outlook, serving as an antidote to negativity.

(lithub.com)

Misc libraries well-being community development

Latnija Cave, Malta: Evidence for Early Holocene Human Occupation

2025-04-13

Latnija Cave, Malta: Evidence for Early Holocene Human Occupation

This multidisciplinary study presents an in-depth excavation and analysis of Latnija Cave in Malta. Combining archaeobotany, chronological modeling, isotopic analysis, sedimentology, and zooarchaeology, researchers uncovered evidence of continuous human occupation from the Mesolithic to Neolithic periods. Analysis of stratigraphy, plant and animal remains, and artifacts revealed distinct phases, precisely dated using radiocarbon dating. This research provides valuable data for understanding early human activity in Malta and the interaction between humans and their environment during the early Holocene.

(www.nature.com)

Misc Mesolithic Neolithic

2PB of Traffic: The Cost of a Simple Auto-Updater Bug

2025-04-29

2PB of Traffic: The Cost of a Simple Auto-Updater Bug

A simple bug in the auto-updater of the screen recording app Screen Studio caused it to repeatedly download a 250MB update file every 5 minutes for a month, resulting in 9 million downloads and over 2 petabytes of Google Cloud traffic. Thousands of users had the app running in the background, leading to massive bills and internet service disruptions for some users. This incident highlights the importance of setting cloud cost alerts, writing code carefully, and regularly checking cloud resources.

(pietrasiak.com)

Development auto-updater cloud computing costs

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