Kate: A 20-Year-Old Code Editor That Still Rocks

2025-04-21

The author details their workflow with the Kate text editor, a powerful and customizable tool they've used for two decades. The article covers plugins, view splitting, language servers, debuggers, code formatting, custom shortcuts, project management, and color schemes. It highlights efficient workflow features like quick file switching, action search, and robust build and run functionality. Comparing it to VS Code, the author emphasizes Kate's simplicity, stability, and open-source nature, expressing appreciation for the Kate development team.

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Development

Test Your Visual Memory: Guess the Year!

2025-04-20
Test Your Visual Memory: Guess the Year!

Challenge your visual memory in this addictive and educational game! Examine historical photos and guess their year of origin, using a timeline slider to select any year between 1850 and 2025. Accuracy earns points – perfect guesses score maximum points. Stuck? Reveal one digit of the correct year using hints (one digit per game). A daily challenge with new photos lets you compete and track your progress.

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Personal Humanoid Robots: A New Space Race?

2025-04-23

Personal humanoid robots are rapidly advancing, poised to revolutionize daily life much like the personal computer revolution. They promise to handle household chores, tutor children, and assist the elderly. This article explores how open-source AI and garage innovators are driving this movement, similar to the early days of personal computing, and the resulting cultural shift. Humanoid robots excel due to their compatibility with human environments, superior dexterity, mobility, and human-robot collaboration. However, cost, reliability, and potential security risks remain challenges. A competition between China and the US is underway, with both vying for technological and economic dominance, creating geopolitical tension.

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California Running Out of License Plate Numbers; New System Incoming

2025-04-23
California Running Out of License Plate Numbers; New System Incoming

California is projected to exhaust its current license plate number system by the end of 2025. The existing 1-3-3 format (one number, three letters, three numbers), in use since 1980, will be replaced. The California DMV has announced a new 3-3-1 format (three numbers, three letters, one number), with plates like 000AAA1 anticipated. The last plate of the old system, likely 9ZZZ999, will become a collector's item, as will the first plate of the new system. A redesign of the plate itself may also accompany the change.

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HashiCorp Deprecates HCP Vault Secrets

2025-06-20
HashiCorp Deprecates HCP Vault Secrets

HashiCorp announced the decommissioning of its HCP Vault Secrets service, effective August 27, 2025, for pay-as-you-go customers. The company will integrate the usability improvements from HCP Vault Secrets into HCP Vault Dedicated. Existing users are encouraged to migrate to HCP Vault Dedicated or Vault Community. Sales end June 30, 2025; existing customers can add new applications until end-of-life. Flex contract customers are unaffected.

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Development

The rev.ng decompiler goes open source + start of the UI closed beta - rev.ng

2024-03-29

The provided website discusses the open-sourcing of Ren's Virtual Machine (VM) Decompiler UI as part of a closed beta. It highlights the benefits of open-sourcing, including community collaboration, transparency, and increased security. The article also provides a walkthrough of the decompiler UI, explaining its features and functionality. Additionally, it mentions the availability of the source code on GitHub and encourages developers to contribute to the project.

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(rev.ng)
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The Hidden Costs of Open Source: Maintainer Burnout and User Entitlement

2025-04-07
The Hidden Costs of Open Source: Maintainer Burnout and User Entitlement

This article addresses the growing sense of entitlement among users of open-source software. The author clarifies that open-source doesn't automatically equate to free support, feature requests, or the developer's time. Many developers contribute freely, yet face abuse and unreasonable demands. The article urges users to respect developers' work, learn how to seek help effectively, and advocates for financial support of valuable open-source projects.

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Computational Proof of the Optimal 4x4 Boggle Board

2025-04-23

A programmer spent months using a branch and bound algorithm and custom data structures to computationally prove the highest-scoring board in a 4x4 game of Boggle. This solves a nearly 40-year-old problem, demonstrating that even seemingly impossible exhaustive searches can be achieved with deep enough search. The project used a 192-core CPU, took 5 days, and cost around $1200. While not using AI, it showcases the power of classic algorithms and data structures, and the role of cloud computing in tackling computationally intensive problems.

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Transparency Isn't Enough: The Failure of Prop 65 and Privacy Policies

2025-04-19

Cory Doctorow critiques the ineffectiveness of California's Prop 65 and lengthy privacy policies, arguing that mere "transparency" is insufficient to protect consumer rights. He contends that instead of relying on consumers to assess the risk of carcinogens in products, stronger regulations should compel companies to minimize risks. Similarly, lengthy privacy policies are useless; real protection requires stricter privacy laws, not user comprehension of incomprehensible terms. Using his blog's humorous privacy policy as an example, he satirizes the absurdity of the current system and calls for stronger regulatory measures, such as adopting Stanford's Mark Lemley's proposed "default rules", to safeguard consumers.

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Betelgeuse: The Upcoming Cosmic Fireworks Show?

2025-03-17
Betelgeuse: The Upcoming Cosmic Fireworks Show?

Betelgeuse, a red supergiant star about 500 light-years from Earth, is nearing the end of its life. It could go supernova at any time, resulting in a spectacle visible even during the day, slightly dimmer than a full moon and lasting for months. Despite its incredible brightness, the vast distance and the inverse square law will protect Earth from harmful radiation, leaving us to enjoy a breathtaking cosmic fireworks display.

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Tech Betelgeuse

Bezos' Washington Post Overhaul: A Libertarian Pivot?

2025-02-26
Bezos' Washington Post Overhaul: A Libertarian Pivot?

Jeff Bezos, owner of the Washington Post, announced a dramatic shift in the paper's opinion sections, declaring a focus solely on "personal liberties and free markets." This decision prompted the resignation of the opinions editor and widespread internal dissent. Bezos argues that the internet provides a platform for diverse viewpoints, but critics see it as silencing opposing voices and a departure from the Post's commitment to unbiased journalism. The move raises concerns about journalistic freedom and media independence.

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DARPA's AI-Powered Push to Exponentiate Math Research

2025-04-28
DARPA's AI-Powered Push to Exponentiate Math Research

DARPA, believing mathematical advancement is too slow, launched expMath to accelerate research using AI. The project aims to create an AI 'co-author' capable of proposing and proving mathematical abstractions. While AI excels at basic math, tackling advanced concepts poses a significant hurdle. The project's success hinges on overcoming this limitation, potentially requiring approaches beyond current large language model technology and exploring alternative methods like visual or auditory input.

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AI

AI Training Data Bots Overwhelm Digital GLAM Collections

2025-06-17
AI Training Data Bots Overwhelm Digital GLAM Collections

In late 2024, reports emerged of online cultural heritage collections struggling under the weight of AI training data bots scraping their data. A GLAM-E Lab survey revealed this wasn't isolated; many institutions experienced similar issues, with bots overwhelming systems and causing outages. Traditional methods like robots.txt proved ineffective. Institutions are implementing various countermeasures, but long-term solutions remain elusive. The impact highlights the tension between open access and the unsustainable costs of providing data to AI training.

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Tech Bots GLAM

The PhD Trap and the Future of College Towns

2025-04-18
The PhD Trap and the Future of College Towns

This interview features Ryan Allen, a professor of international education at the University of America in Southern California, and author of the newsletter "College Towns." Allen discusses his shift from academic publishing to public writing, the challenges facing higher education, and how colleges can better integrate with their communities through thoughtful urban design. He highlights the oversupply of PhDs leading to a shrinking job market, advising caution against pursuing doctorates. He explores the relationship between colleges and their surrounding communities, noting the role of universities in preserving older neighborhoods and fostering urban development while also acknowledging the persistent "town and gown" conflict. Allen advocates for a more practical approach to higher education, emphasizing better community integration and addressing housing shortages.

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Misc

Bonobo Syntax Challenges the Uniqueness of Human Language

2025-04-11
Bonobo Syntax Challenges the Uniqueness of Human Language

A new study reveals that bonobos combine calls in complex ways to form distinct phrases, suggesting that this type of syntax is more evolutionarily ancient than previously thought. Researchers, by observing and analyzing bonobo vocalizations and using semantic methods, discovered non-trivial compositionality in bonobo call combinations, meaning the meaning of the combination differs from the meanings of its individual parts. This finding challenges the uniqueness of human language, suggesting that the complex syntax of human language may have originated from older ancestors.

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AI

Realtek's Cheap 10GbE NIC Could Finally Bring 10 Gigabit Ethernet to the Masses

2025-05-23
Realtek's Cheap 10GbE NIC Could Finally Bring 10 Gigabit Ethernet to the Masses

Realtek showcased its new RTL8127 10GbE network controller at Computex 2025. This tiny (9mm x 9mm) PCIe 4.0 x2 controller supports 2.5Gbps, 5Gbps, and 10Gbps speeds, boasts a low power consumption of 1.95W, and integrates ECC and CRC features. Priced at around $10, it promises to drastically reduce the cost of integrating 10GbE into motherboards. While 10GbE switches and CAT6 cables remain relatively expensive, wider adoption of the RTL8127 by motherboard manufacturers could accelerate the普及 of 10GbE networking.

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Hardware NIC

Checking for Constant Expressions in C: A Macro Approach

2025-04-22

This article explores various methods for creating a C macro that detects if an expression is a constant expression. The author investigates several techniques, including C23's static compound literals, GNU extension `__builtin_constant_p`, `static_assert`, `sizeof` combined with compound literal arrays, `sizeof` with enum constants, and the comma operator. Each method has its pros and cons; C23 support is limited, `__builtin_constant_p` relies on GNU extensions, `static_assert` and `sizeof` methods might alter the expression's type, and the comma operator generates warnings. The author concludes that a perfect solution is elusive, and the best choice depends on specific needs and the C standard version.

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Testing Email Sending in Haskell Without Actually Sending Emails

2025-04-21
Testing Email Sending in Haskell Without Actually Sending Emails

This article demonstrates how to test email sending functionality in Haskell without actually sending emails, using test spies. By replacing the email sending function with a stub that records function call arguments and checking the recorded information in the test assertion phase, you can effectively test side effects, making tests faster and more reliable. This method avoids reliance on real services, leading to more isolated and faster tests.

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Development Test Spy

Happy 30th Birthday, Java! A Conversation with James Gosling

2025-05-16
Happy 30th Birthday, Java! A Conversation with James Gosling

Java turns 30! This article celebrates the language's legacy and delves into the fascinating life of its creator, James Gosling. From a resourceful Canadian teen building computers from salvaged parts to a pioneering programmer at Sun Microsystems, Gosling's journey is full of anecdotes. He recounts legendary April Fool's pranks at Sun, while reflecting on Java's evolution and his current skepticism towards the overhyped AI revolution. Gosling emphasizes the continued importance of programming skills and the enduring relevance of Java in a rapidly changing tech landscape.

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Development

NASA Satellite Accidentally Reveals Real-Time Electronic Warfare in Ukraine

2025-05-08
NASA Satellite Accidentally Reveals Real-Time Electronic Warfare in Ukraine

Nuke's, an amateur enthusiast, discovered unusual high brightness temperatures in the 1.4 GHz band of publicly available soil moisture data from NASA's SMAP satellite, far exceeding natural levels. Analysis suggests these anomalies are likely military electronic warfare (EW) activities, such as jamming, spoofing, or high-power electromagnetic emissions. By visualizing the data, Nuke's created a map of EW hotspots in Ukraine, Crimea, and parts of Russia, closely correlating with Russian EW sites, Ukrainian drone corridors, and frontline staging areas. This discovery highlights how even a climate observation satellite can inadvertently become a tool for monitoring real-time EW in modern warfare.

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Urtext: A Revolutionary Plaintext Writing Tool

2025-05-05

Urtext is an open-source library for plaintext writing that goes beyond a simple notepad. It combines writing, research, documentation management, knowledge base building, note-taking, Zettelkasten, and more. Using a plaintext format, it's cross-platform compatible, easily version-controlled, and extensible with Python code for custom functionality. Urtext prioritizes a local-first approach and a minimal UI, with almost all operations performed within the text buffer, eliminating menus and popups. It cleverly combines content, structure, and instructions within its syntax, and supports inter-file linking and organization, making it ideal for managing large projects.

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Development plaintext writing

Microsoft Extends Windows 10 Security Updates: Free and Paid Options Available

2025-09-25
Microsoft Extends Windows 10 Security Updates: Free and Paid Options Available

Facing criticism and user concerns, Microsoft announced new options for US and European users to extend Windows 10 security updates for free, just days before ending support on October 14th. US users can choose a free option involving profile backup for a year of updates, or pay $30 or redeem 1000 Microsoft Rewards points. European users can get a free year of updates by logging in with a Microsoft account. This follows pressure from European advocacy groups and widespread worries about upgrading to Windows 11.

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Tech

The Immortal Flower Lady: A Woman's Legacy in Medical Research

2025-04-16
The Immortal Flower Lady: A Woman's Legacy in Medical Research

Dr. Victor Spitzer of the University of Colorado School of Medicine and his friend Susan Potter share an extraordinary story. Potter's persistence in donating her body to Spitzer's Visible Human Project for medical education culminated in a 14-year journey. High-resolution digital images of Potter's remains were reconstructed, exceeding the detail of previous Visible Human projects. Beyond imagery, Spitzer's company, Touch of Life Technologies, aims to create a virtual 'living cadaver' of Potter, combining her anatomy with her life story to create a richer educational resource. Potter's story prompts reflection on the selfless dedication to medical education and the future of anatomical study.

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Hidden Gems of Japan: Exploring the Country's Charming Small Towns

2025-04-14
Hidden Gems of Japan: Exploring the Country's Charming Small Towns

This article unveils a collection of captivating small towns across Japan, offering a refreshing escape from bustling city life. The author shares personal experiences in Ie Island (Okinawa), Kitsuki (Oita), Kotohira (Kagawa), Minoh (Osaka), Nakafurano (Hokkaido), Onomichi (Hiroshima), Tsuwano (Shimane), and Zao Onsen (Yamagata). Each town boasts unique charm, from stunning natural landscapes and preserved historical architecture to renowned onsen and local delicacies. The author recommends visiting during the shoulder seasons (May or October) for pleasant weather and fewer crowds, suggesting flexible travel plans to fully appreciate these hidden gems.

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Gmail Rolls Out Automatic AI-Powered Email Summaries

2025-05-30
Gmail Rolls Out Automatic AI-Powered Email Summaries

Google Workspace users will see Gemini AI's email summarization capabilities significantly enhanced. Gmail now automatically generates summaries for complex email threads, displayed above the emails. While AI-powered summaries have been available in Google Workspace since last year, they previously required manual activation. Now, Google's AI will autonomously determine when a summary is helpful, creating them without user prompting. Summaries are kept up-to-date with new replies. Currently, automatic summaries appear only on mobile devices for English-language emails and may take up to two weeks to roll out to all accounts. Google hasn't announced plans for desktop expansion or availability to non-Workspace users. Manual summarization remains an option, and all AI features can be disabled via the app's "Smart features" setting.

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BD3-LMs: Block Discrete Denoising Diffusion Language Models – Faster, More Efficient Text Generation

2025-05-08
BD3-LMs: Block Discrete Denoising Diffusion Language Models – Faster, More Efficient Text Generation

BD3-LMs cleverly combine autoregressive and diffusion model paradigms. By modeling blocks of tokens autoregressively and then applying diffusion within each block, it achieves both high likelihoods and flexible-length generation, while maintaining the speed and parallelization advantages of diffusion models. Efficient training and sampling algorithms, requiring only two forward passes, further enhance performance, making it a promising approach for large-scale text generation.

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arXivLabs: Experimenting with Community Collaboration on New Features

2025-05-10
arXivLabs: Experimenting with Community Collaboration on New Features

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

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Development

Zurich University's Secret AI Experiment on r/changemyview Sparks Outrage

2025-04-27

A four-month-long, undisclosed AI experiment conducted by the University of Zurich on the popular subreddit r/changemyview has sparked controversy. Researchers used dozens of AI-generated accounts to post comments designed to influence users' opinions, violating the subreddit's rules. The experiment employed fabricated personal anecdotes to bolster arguments, leading to accusations of manipulation. While the researchers claim the study holds significant social importance, moderators argue the non-consensual psychological manipulation is unacceptable. The incident highlights the ethical concerns surrounding AI and the importance of informed consent.

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LLMs are surprisingly good at generating CAD models

2025-04-23

Recent research demonstrates the surprising ability of Large Language Models (LLMs) to generate CAD models for simple 3D mechanical parts, with performance rapidly improving. An engineer combined an LLM with the open-source programmatic CAD tool OpenSCAD, successfully generating models like an iPhone case using natural language prompts. A subsequent evaluation framework, CadEval, tested various LLMs' CAD generation capabilities, revealing that reasoning models significantly outperform their non-reasoning counterparts. Startups are also entering the text-to-CAD space, but their performance currently lags behind the LLM-OpenSCAD approach. Future advancements in LLMs and related technologies promise widespread adoption of text-to-CAD in mechanical engineering, ultimately automating and intelligently enhancing CAD design.

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Bluesky's Censorship Loophole: Turkey's Crackdown and the Client Response

2025-04-25
Bluesky's Censorship Loophole: Turkey's Crackdown and the Client Response

Following a request from the Turkish government to block 72 accounts, questions have arisen about Bluesky's decentralization. While the official Bluesky app complied with the censorship demands, third-party clients based on the AT Protocol, such as Skeets and Ouranos, can bypass censorship because they don't enforce geolocation tagging. However, this workaround is not permanent; as third-party clients gain popularity, they too may face government pressure. Developer Aviva Ruben is building Deer.social, allowing users to disable Bluesky's official moderation service and manually configure their location to counter future censorship attempts. This highlights the complex interplay of technology and politics in the pursuit of decentralized social media.

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Tech
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