Webtagr - Technology News Summarizer

Popular：

Virtualization DNS security formal verification reachability analysis compiler errors macro conflict web extension development framework Bitmap Graphics API inconsistencies All Tags

Beginner's Guide to Linux/Unix Programming

2025-03-30

This book offers a comprehensive introduction to programming on Linux and Unix systems, even for those without prior programming experience. The author's friendly, conversational style, backed by over 40 years of teaching experience, guides readers through programming techniques, efficient workflow strategies, and the underlying design of Unix. Numerous diagrams and hands-on projects reinforce key concepts, building upon each other throughout the book. While prior C/C++ experience is helpful, it's not required; however, access to a Linux system is necessary.

(nostarch.com)

Development

Tracking Code Changes with Git Hooks: A Data-Driven Approach to Development

2025-03-29

This article presents a method for tracking code modification time using Git hooks to provide a more objective measure of development efficiency. By recording the time from branch creation to merge, excluding thinking time, it offers a clearer reflection of actual coding time. This approach helps teams identify and address inefficiencies in code maintenance, such as excessively long maintenance times for certain components, or efficiency gains from AI tools. The ultimate goal is to optimize the development process, reduce entropy, and boost team productivity through data-driven insights rather than subjective estimations.

(doocot.sh)

Development Git hooks

Learn Japanese Grammar with TypeScript: Introducing Typed Japanese

2025-03-29

Learn Japanese Grammar with TypeScript: Introducing Typed Japanese

Typed Japanese is a TypeScript type-level library that allows you to express complete Japanese sentences using the type system. It creates a domain-specific language (DSL) based on Japanese grammar rules, enabling the writing and verification of grammatically correct natural language using TypeScript's compiler. The project also explores an intermediate format for AI in language learning, potentially replacing JSON with a type-checked representation for improved accuracy. It supports various verb and adjective conjugations, phrase and sentence construction, aiming to create a type system for learning and verifying Japanese grammar. While still in early stages and relying on LLM-generated rules, it offers a unique approach to language learning and grammar verification.

(github.com)

Development Japanese Language Learning

Quantum Supremacy Achieved: A Practical Beyond-Classical Application of Gate-Based Quantum Computers

2025-03-30

Quantum Supremacy Achieved: A Practical Beyond-Classical Application of Gate-Based Quantum Computers

Researchers experimentally demonstrated a certified randomness protocol based on random circuit sampling using a high-fidelity quantum computer and exascale classical computation. The protocol allows a classical client to verify randomness with only remote access to an untrusted quantum server, guaranteeing a certain amount of entropy. This work represents a breakthrough in practical applications for gate-based digital quantum computers, opening new opportunities in cryptography and communication. This falls under the Tech category.

(www.nature.com)

Tech randomness quantum supremacy

Europe's First Commercial Orbital Rocket Launch Fails: Isar Aerospace's Spectrum Crashes into the Sea

2025-03-30

Europe's First Commercial Orbital Rocket Launch Fails: Isar Aerospace's Spectrum Crashes into the Sea

Isar Aerospace's first attempt to launch its Spectrum rocket into orbit from Norway's Andøya Space Center on March 30th ended in failure. The two-stage rocket lost control around 18 seconds into flight and was terminated 30 seconds later, falling into the sea. This marked the first orbital launch attempt from continental Europe (excluding the UK and Russia). Despite the failure, Isar Aerospace plans to utilize the flight data gathered and continue developing the rocket, aiming to become a major player in the European commercial space launch market. The company already boasts launch contracts with several customers.

(www.nasaspaceflight.com)

Tech European space

German Railway Still Running on Windows 3.11?

2025-03-30

German Railway Still Running on Windows 3.11?

A German railway company recently posted a job opening for a Windows 3.11 administrator to maintain outdated systems running on 166MHz processors and 8MB of RAM. These systems, used for railway display boards across most of Germany, provide real-time data to driver cabs on high-speed and regional trains. Despite their age, these mission-critical systems remain in use, adhering to a 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' philosophy, with an expected lifespan until at least 2030. The job posting sparked online discussion, highlighting the persistence of legacy systems in critical infrastructure.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech German railway

Unexpected Findings from Tracking a Month of Browsing Habits

2025-03-30

The author tracked their web activity for a month using a custom browser extension, revealing surprising results. Gmail, LinkedIn, and Feedbin consumed most of their time, while GitHub, ChatGPT, and Google Docs were also used extensively. This differs significantly from the author's perceived browsing habits (extensive Wikipedia and news reading). The author reflects on the discrepancy between self-perception and actual behavior, using this as an example to discuss blind spots in career choices and personal habits. The author also suggests improvements to Feedbin and shares their experience using a self-made Web Graph Browser.

(mcwhittemore.com)

Misc web usage habits self-perception

Ubisoft Spins Off Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six into New Subsidiary Backed by Tencent

2025-03-27

Ubisoft Spins Off Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six into New Subsidiary Backed by Tencent

Ubisoft is restructuring after several challenging years, creating a new subsidiary focused on its flagship franchises: Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six. This subsidiary, backed by a $1.25 billion investment from Tencent (granting Tencent a minority stake), will consolidate development teams from various studios. This move allows Ubisoft to streamline operations and refocus on other IPs like The Division and Ghost Recon. The investment comes after cost-cutting measures and amidst recent struggles. While the company will continue developing multiplayer and free-to-play titles, the announcement emphasizes a renewed commitment to high-quality single-player experiences.

(www.engadget.com)

Game Ubisoft

Pixelfed Vulnerability Exposes Private Posts Across the Fediverse

2025-03-30

A critical vulnerability in Pixelfed, a popular image-sharing platform, exposed private posts across the Fediverse. Due to an ActivityPub implementation flaw, anyone on a Pixelfed instance could follow private accounts on other servers and access their private posts. While a fix is available, the upgrade process is challenging, and the maintainer's handling of the situation has raised concerns about trust within the Fediverse ecosystem.

(fokus.cool)

Tech Fediverse Security ActivityPub Vulnerability

Cursor: AI Code Editor – Hype vs. Reality

2025-03-29

Cursor: AI Code Editor – Hype vs. Reality

A Dolt Database developer tested the AI code editor Cursor to see if it lives up to the hype of 10x productivity. Initial attempts using Cursor on a large codebase were underwhelming, with debugging proving cumbersome. However, when creating a new project, Cursor excelled, generating a Factorio mod in a few hours. In a work project, Cursor efficiently generated basic functionality but required significant refactoring. The author concludes Cursor delivered around a 50% productivity boost, far short of the claimed 10x, citing limitations in handling complex code and understanding existing codebases.

(www.dolthub.com)

Development

Testing Without Mocks: A Novel Approach to Unit Testing

2025-03-29

This article presents a novel approach to unit testing that eliminates the need for mocks and spies, resulting in fast, reliable, and maintainable tests. The core idea involves combining state-based testing with a new infrastructure technique called "Nullables." Nullables aren't test doubles; they're production code with an "off" switch, allowing tests to run without relying on external systems or state. While requiring modifications to production code, this approach avoids many drawbacks of traditional methods, such as flaky tests and difficult refactoring, and offers significant performance gains. The article thoroughly explains the patterns and techniques involved, including Narrow Tests, State-Based Tests, and Overlapping Sociable Tests, providing ample code examples and diverse use cases, making it ideal for developers to learn and implement.

(www.jamesshore.com)

Development

Simulating a Worm: A Decade-Long Quest for Digital Life

2025-03-30

Simulating a Worm: A Decade-Long Quest for Digital Life

Amidst fierce Santa Ana winds, the author ran a worm simulation, part of the OpenWorm project aiming to create a digital twin of a nematode, accurate down to the molecule. The simulation, using 10 hours of compute time to generate a mere 5 seconds of worm movement, highlights the immense challenge of creating such a complex biological simulation. However, as Los Angeles wildfires raged, the author's simulated worm unexpectedly moved, prompting reflection on the relationship between life science and technology: Why dedicate 13 years to digitally recreating a microscopic worm?

(www.wired.com)

Tech Biological Simulation Technological Exploration

Dissecting NSO's BLASTPASS: A Zero-Click iOS Exploit

2025-03-27

Dissecting NSO's BLASTPASS: A Zero-Click iOS Exploit

Ian Beer of Google Project Zero details the analysis of NSO Group's BLASTPASS iMessage exploit. This zero-click attack chain leveraged a maliciously crafted WebP image disguised as a PassKit attachment to bypass the iMessage sandbox. Exploiting a Huffman coding vulnerability in the lossless WebP format, the attackers triggered memory corruption. A sophisticated 5.5MB bplist heap groom within a MakerNote EXIF tag facilitated memory overwriting during TIFF image rendering. This triggered a forged CFReadStream's destructor, executing malicious code. The attack cleverly exploited vulnerabilities in ImageIO and Wallet, bypassing BlastDoor sandbox and Pointer Authentication Codes (PAC). HomeKit traffic may have been used for ASLR disclosure. The analysis reveals the complex techniques used, highlighting the need for robust sandbox mechanisms and a reduced remote attack surface.

(googleprojectzero.blogspot.com)

Tech iOS vulnerability zero-click exploit NSO Group

Three Principles for a Fulfilling Life: Help, Protect, Create

2025-03-29

This essay explores the meaning and purpose of life. The author proposes three core principles: help people, protect the world, and create good new things. These aren't moral imperatives, but rather pathways to fulfilling one's potential. Traditional ethics emphasized character development, neglecting the value of creation, as most people in past centuries had predetermined careers with little choice. Now, more can pursue creative work, becoming models like Archimedes, driving societal progress. The author encourages readers to boldly explore and create valuable new things; even if initially unappreciated, these creations may gain eventual recognition and indirectly benefit others and the world.

(paulgraham.com)

Misc philosophy of life

Global Religious Switching: Christianity and Buddhism Hit Hardest

2025-03-29

Global Religious Switching: Christianity and Buddhism Hit Hardest

A Pew Research Center survey across 36 countries reveals significant variations in religious switching rates worldwide. Christianity and Buddhism have experienced particularly large losses, with a rise in religiously unaffiliated adults. In many countries, over one-fifth of adults have left the religion of their upbringing. South Korea shows the highest switching rates, while countries like India, Israel, Nigeria, and Thailand exhibit very low rates. Most switching is towards the religiously unaffiliated category. Age, education, and gender also influence switching rates, with younger and more highly educated individuals often showing higher rates.

(www.pewresearch.org)

Misc religious switching religiously unaffiliated Pew Research Center

BYD: The Chinese EV Giant Surpassing Tesla

2025-03-30

BYD: The Chinese EV Giant Surpassing Tesla

BYD, a Shenzhen-based company, has overtaken Tesla to become the world's top-selling electric vehicle maker. Its continuous innovation, such as a revolutionary 5-minute charging technology adding 250 miles of range and its advanced driver-assistance system, "God's Eye," rivaling Tesla's Full Self-Driving, showcases its formidable technological prowess. Leveraging price advantages and dominance in the Chinese market, BYD is aggressively expanding globally, challenging Tesla's global leadership. However, its overseas expansion isn't without hurdles.

(www.cnn.com)

Tech

Defense Secretary's Wife Spotted at Top-Secret Military Briefings

2025-03-30

Defense Secretary's Wife Spotted at Top-Secret Military Briefings

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's wife, Jennifer Rauchet, has been observed attending high-level military intelligence meetings, raising concerns about security protocols. This follows the Pentagon's Signal leak scandal where Hegseth added a journalist to a group chat discussing war plans. While spouses of senior officials often hold low-level clearances, the Pentagon has not confirmed Rauchet's clearance status. Adding to the controversy, Hegseth's brother, Phil, serves as a DHS liaison and has accompanied him on official trips, sparking debate about potential nepotism. The incidents have reignited questions about the security of America's military secrets and Hegseth's leadership.

(www.thedailybeast.com)

Tech military secrets nepotism

The Mystery of the Passive USB-to-PS/2 Mouse Adapter

2025-03-28

The Mystery of the Passive USB-to-PS/2 Mouse Adapter

Early USB mice often included a green adapter to convert the USB Type-A plug to PS/2. This wasn't a smart adapter; it was purely mechanical, with no circuitry. The mouse itself did the conversion, detecting the signal type (USB or PS/2) and adjusting accordingly. It's analogous to a simple power adapter – the intelligence resides in the device, not the adapter. So, if you find one of these, remember it's just a physical connector; the actual conversion happens within the dual-bus mouse.

(devblogs.microsoft.com)

Hardware Mouse Adapter

LibreOffice: 200 Million Users and the Endurance of Open-Source Office Suites

2025-03-28

LibreOffice: 200 Million Users and the Endurance of Open-Source Office Suites

While not tracking user data, LibreOffice advocates estimate around 200 million users. Gartner analyst Jason Wong notes continued interest in LibreOffice as a desktop alternative to paid office suites, particularly for clients aiming to maintain on-premises implementations given Microsoft and Google's cloud focus. While cost-effective, LibreOffice requires specialized resources and new skills for maintenance.

(www.computerworld.com)

Development office suite

Finley Technologies is Hiring!

2025-03-28

Finley Technologies is seeking to fill 8 roles across various departments, including Engineering, Operations, Sales, and Post-Sales, with locations in SF, NY, and remote options. Open positions include a Founding Product Manager, Software Engineers, People Operations, Capital Markets Associate, Implementation Lead, Technical Implementation Specialist, Account Executives, and a Growth Associate focused on Financial Institutions.

(ats.rippling.com)

Startup Tech Jobs

Basecamp Ditches AWS S3, Builds 18PB Private Storage

2025-03-30

Basecamp Ditches AWS S3, Builds 18PB Private Storage

Basecamp, the company behind HEY and Basecamp, is leaving AWS S3 after a four-year contract expires on June 30th. They've built a private storage solution using Pure Storage, boasting 18PB of NVMe storage. An S3-compatible API simplifies the transition, although migrating 6PB of data will take roughly three weeks. This move avoids hefty S3 renewal fees, saving nearly $5 million over five years.

(world.hey.com)

Tech

GitHub CodeQL Supply Chain Attack Risk: A 1.022-Second Flaw

2025-03-30

GitHub CodeQL Supply Chain Attack Risk: A 1.022-Second Flaw

A researcher uncovered a publicly exposed secret in GitHub CodeQL, lasting only 1.022 seconds, that could have led to a devastating supply chain attack. Within that timeframe, an attacker could gain full write access to CodeQL workflows, stealing source code from private repositories, GitHub Actions secrets, and even executing code on internal infrastructure. Critically, attackers could modify the version tag used by the default CodeQL workflow, impacting all repositories using CodeQL. The vulnerability has been patched, but it highlights the critical importance of CI/CD security.

(www.praetorian.com)

Tech CI/CD security

Deportation Due to Tattoos: Venezuelan Man Wrongfully Sent to El Salvador

2025-03-30

Deportation Due to Tattoos: Venezuelan Man Wrongfully Sent to El Salvador

Neri Alvarado Borges, a Venezuelan man, was detained in Texas and deported to El Salvador due to his three tattoos, despite an ICE agent clearing him after he explained their meanings. One tattoo was an autism awareness ribbon for his brother. Despite being declared "clean," he was later deported, raising concerns about potential biases and procedural issues within immigration enforcement.

(www.latintimes.com)

Misc immigration deportation

Critical Ubuntu User Namespace Bypass Exploits Discovered

2025-03-29

Critical Ubuntu User Namespace Bypass Exploits Discovered

Qualys researchers have uncovered three critical security bypasses in Ubuntu 23.10 and 24.04's unprivileged user namespace restrictions. These bypasses, leveraging the aa-exec tool, busybox shell, and LD_PRELOAD technique, allow local attackers to create user namespaces with full administrative privileges, potentially exploiting kernel vulnerabilities. Canonical acknowledges these as limitations of their AppArmor defense, not vulnerabilities, and recommends administrative hardening steps such as enabling kernel.apparmor_restrict_unprivileged_unconfined=1 to mitigate the risks.

(www.bleepingcomputer.com)

Development

Real-Time Chess: A Physical Board That Eliminates Turns

2025-03-29

Real-Time Chess: A Physical Board That Eliminates Turns

Tired of the long waits in turn-based chess? A developer has created a real-time physical chessboard that eliminates turns entirely. Each piece has an individual cooldown, enforced by electronics and electromagnets, preventing cheating. The project's PCB designs and firmware are open-source, but the author notes issues like inadequate power distribution and tight tolerances.

(github.com)

Hardware

Anthropic's Claude 3.7 Sonnet: AI Planning Skills on Display in Pokémon

2025-03-27

Anthropic's Claude 3.7 Sonnet: AI Planning Skills on Display in Pokémon

Anthropic's latest language model, Claude 3.7 Sonnet, demonstrates impressive planning capabilities while playing Pokémon. Unlike previous AI models that wandered aimlessly or got stuck in loops, Sonnet plans ahead, remembers its objectives, and adapts when initial strategies fail. While Sonnet still struggles in complex scenarios (like getting stuck on Mt. Moon), requiring improvements in understanding game screenshots and expanding the context window, this marks significant progress in AI's strategic planning and long-term reasoning abilities. Researchers believe Sonnet's occasional displays of self-awareness and strategy adaptation suggest enormous potential for solving real-world problems.

(arstechnica.com)

AI strategic planning

Streaming Services Struggle with Differentiation as Viewers Can't Tell Them Apart

2025-03-26

Streaming Services Struggle with Differentiation as Viewers Can't Tell Them Apart

A new study from Hub Entertainment Research reveals that while viewers are aware of numerous streaming services, they struggle to differentiate between them. Major platforms like Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and Max have seen year-over-year declines in viewers' ability to explain what makes each service unique. Many streamers are cutting production and focusing on popular genres (dramas, movies, fantasy), resulting in a homogenization of original content and dampening subscription interest. Viewers are finding it harder to locate specific shows, while live sports have emerged as a key driver for new sign-ups and subscriber retention. Netflix's foray into live sports with NFL games proved particularly successful. The study suggests streamers should emphasize brand-defining features and value beyond exclusive originals to improve viewer loyalty.

(www.advanced-television.com)

Tech content homogenization

Can Earth's Rotation Power a Generator? Physicists Debate a Novel Claim

2025-03-29

Can Earth's Rotation Power a Generator? Physicists Debate a Novel Claim

A controversial new study claims that electricity can be generated from Earth's rotation. Researchers have devised a device that uses Earth's magnetic field to produce a minuscule current, although only 17 microvolts. While the amount of electricity generated is tiny, the implications are significant. If scalable, this technology could provide clean energy to remote locations or for medical applications. However, the findings are disputed; some scientists express skepticism and call for further evidence to rule out other contributing factors. This research opens a new avenue for clean energy exploration, but also highlights the challenges and uncertainties inherent in scientific discovery.

(www.scientificamerican.com)

Tech Earth's rotation electricity generation

LLMs: Stochastic Parrots or Sparks of AGI?

2025-03-28

LLMs: Stochastic Parrots or Sparks of AGI?

A debate on the nature of Large Language Models (LLMs) is coming! Emily M. Bender (coiner of the 'stochastic parrot' term) from the University of Washington will clash with OpenAI's Sébastien Bubeck (author of the influential 'Sparks of Artificial General Intelligence' paper) on whether LLMs truly understand the world or are just sophisticated simulations. Moderated by IEEE Spectrum's Eliza Strickland, the event invites audience participation through Q&A and voting. This debate delves into the fundamental questions of AI and is not to be missed!

(computerhistory.org)

AI

The Man Who Put the Queen on the Internet

2025-03-30

The Man Who Put the Queen on the Internet

Peter Kirstein, a pioneer of the internet, enabled Queen Elizabeth II to become one of the first heads of state to send an email in 1976. He not only set up her email account (username: HME2) but also played a crucial role in bringing the ARPANET, the precursor to the internet, to Great Britain. His efforts in connecting the UK to the ARPANET and promoting the adoption of TCP/IP protocols were pivotal in the development of the global internet. Kirstein's contributions have earned him a place in the Internet Hall of Fame alongside internet luminaries like Vint Cerf, Bob Kahn, and Tim Berners-Lee.

(www.wired.com)

Tech

← Previous 1 2 … 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 … 265 266 Next →