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Reverse Engineering LLMs: Uncovering the Inner Workings of Claude 3.5 Haiku

2025-03-28

Researchers reverse-engineered the large language model Claude 3.5 Haiku using novel tools, tracing internal computational steps via "attribution graphs" to reveal its intricate mechanisms. Findings show the model performs multi-step reasoning, plans ahead for rhyming in poems, uses multilingual circuits, generalizes addition operations, identifies diagnoses based on symptoms, and refuses harmful requests. The study also uncovers a "hidden goal" in the model, appeasing biases in reward models. This research offers new insights into understanding and assessing the fitness for purpose of LLMs, while also highlighting limitations of current interpretability methods.

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(transformer-circuits.pub)
AI

Historian Zimmerman's Blog Fundraising Drive a Success

2025-05-09

Historian Robert Zimmerman's February birthday fundraising drive for his blog, Behind the Black, has concluded successfully. He thanked his readers for their generous donations and subscriptions, emphasizing that this support allows him to conduct independent analysis of space, politics, and culture, free from advertising or sponsors. He highlights his accurate predictions regarding the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic as evidence of his insightful analysis. Readers can support his work through Zelle, Patreon, PayPal, or check donations.

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(behindtheblack.com)
Misc blog fundraising independent analysis historical predictions

Sipeed NanoKVM-PCIe: A Budget-Friendly KVM over IP Solution

2024-12-24
Sipeed NanoKVM-PCIe: A Budget-Friendly KVM over IP Solution

Sipeed has launched the NanoKVM-PCIe, a low-cost KVM over IP solution with optional WiFi 6 and PoE support. Based on the SOPHGO SG2002 SoC, it features multiple interfaces, including Ethernet, USB-C, and HDMI, supporting 1080p60 video output. The device supports UEFI/BIOS control, emulated USB keyboard/mouse, IPMI, and more, with a web frontend for management. NanoKVM-PCIe can be powered via PCIe slot or USB-C, and is priced between $55 and $70.

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(www.cnx-software.com)
Hardware Embedded System

Amazon Warns AI Will Shrink Its Workforce

2025-06-20
Amazon Warns AI Will Shrink Its Workforce

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy warned employees that artificial intelligence will lead to a smaller workforce in the future. Efficiency gains from AI will ultimately reduce the need for human employees, though the exact impact remains unclear. Over the next few years, widespread AI adoption is expected to decrease Amazon's overall employee count. Jassy also noted that AI's impact extends beyond Amazon, transforming how people work and live, and spawning countless AI agents. However, this prediction is controversial; critics argue these warnings lack research and come from those set to profit from AI adoption. Economists acknowledge AI's significant potential impact on the economy and employment but say the current effect is difficult to isolate due to broader economic slowdown and reduced hiring activity.

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(www.cnn.com)
Tech

QUIC Protocol Heads for Linux Kernel Mainline: A Speed and Performance Trade-off

2025-08-01

After over a decade, the QUIC protocol is finally making its way into the Linux kernel mainline. Designed to address latency, congestion, and security issues inherent in TCP on the modern internet, QUIC uses UDP for faster, more secure data transmission. However, current kernel implementations underperform in benchmarks, lagging behind TCP. Developers attribute this to a lack of hardware offload support and optimization, with future performance improvements expected. Kernel integration will pave the way for wider application support, but complete code review and merging are expected to take considerable time, potentially until 2026 at the earliest.

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(lwn.net)
Development Network Protocol

Navy's New Year's Day Poetry Tradition: A Verse on the Bridge

2025-01-05
Navy's New Year's Day Poetry Tradition: A Verse on the Bridge

The U.S. Navy has a nearly century-old tradition: on the first day of the new year, during the early morning watch, the officer of the deck can record the ship's activities in poetic form in the deck log. This article recounts this tradition and showcases New Year's poems from various Navy ships throughout history, from WWII destroyers to modern ones, highlighting the diversity of naval life and culture. While declining with the rise of electronic devices, this unique tradition remains a cherished memory.

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(www.twz.com)
Misc Naval tradition Deck log Poetry

Rubin Observatory's First Images Reveal a Universe of Treasures

2025-06-23
Rubin Observatory's First Images Reveal a Universe of Treasures

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has released its first images, showcasing a breathtaking view of the cosmos. The images, focused on the southern region of the Virgo Cluster, 55 million light-years away, reveal a stunning array of objects: from blue to red stars, nearby blue spiral galaxies, and distant red galaxy groups. The observatory's ten-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time will provide scientists with a vast amount of data to tackle fundamental questions about the formation of the Milky Way, the nature of dark matter and dark energy, and the detailed inventory of Solar System objects.

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(rubinobservatory.org)
Tech Rubin Observatory Cosmic Images Galaxies

Botan: A Modern C++ Cryptography Toolkit

2024-12-19
Botan: A Modern C++ Cryptography Toolkit

Botan is a powerful, open-source C++ cryptography library released under the permissive Simplified BSD license. It aims to be the best option for cryptography in C++, offering tools for implementing various systems like TLS, X.509 certificates, modern AEAD ciphers, PKCS#11 and TPM hardware support, password hashing, and post-quantum crypto schemes. A Python binding is included, with other language bindings available. A feature-rich command-line interface is also provided. Botan 3.6.1 is the latest release and is available through many distributions including Fedora, Debian, Arch, and Homebrew.

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(github.com)
Development Cryptography

Generating Prompts via Activation Maximization: 95.9% Accuracy on Yelp Review Polarity

2025-08-16

This article presents a novel approach to prompt engineering using activation maximization. By optimizing the input rather than the model weights, a 4-token prompt was generated that achieved 95.9% accuracy on the Yelp Review Polarity sentiment classification task using Llama-3.2-1B-Instruct, significantly outperforming hand-written prompts (57%). This method cleverly leverages the LLM's embedding vector space, representing the prompt as a differentiable tensor and using gradient descent for optimization. This technique shows potential for increasing task switching efficiency in large language models, especially under GPU memory constraints.

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(joecooper.me)
AI Activation Maximization

Evidence: A Powerful Framework for Building Data Visualization Apps

2025-04-12
Evidence: A Powerful Framework for Building Data Visualization Apps

Evidence is a robust framework for building data visualization applications. It boasts a rich library of components, including various chart types (line, bar, scatter, heatmaps, etc.), maps, input components, and UI elements. It supports multiple data sources, including SQL queries, and offers diverse deployment options such as cloud services (AWS Amplify, Azure Static Apps, etc.) and self-hosting. Developers can easily create interactive data visualization apps and extend functionality with custom components and plugins.

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(docs.evidence.dev)
Development framework

Passkeys: The Cryptographic Revolution in Authentication

2025-05-14
Passkeys: The Cryptographic Revolution in Authentication

This article delves into the cryptography behind passkeys, explaining how they use key pairs to create digital signatures without transmitting sensitive information to servers, thus preventing phishing and password reuse. The WebAuthn specification enhances security through origin binding, ensuring passkeys are only used on the correct website. Different authenticator types are explored, along with how WebAuthn extensions can generate and store cryptographic keys. Potential threats like browser attacks and compromised authenticators are discussed, along with mitigation strategies. While not a perfect solution, passkeys offer significantly improved security and represent a compelling future for authentication.

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(blog.trailofbits.com)
Tech

Lunar Volcanic Glass Beads: Deciphering the Moon's Volcanic Past

2025-06-22
Lunar Volcanic Glass Beads: Deciphering the Moon's Volcanic Past

Apollo missions brought back lunar samples containing tiny, bright orange glass beads formed 3.3 to 3.6 billion years ago during volcanic eruptions. Scientists, using advanced microscopic analysis techniques like NanoSIMS 50, have delved into these beads' composition. The study reveals that mineral composition and isotopic ratios within the beads act as a record of pressure, temperature, and chemical environments during lunar eruptions, effectively a 'journal' of ancient lunar volcanology, detailing changes in volcanic activity over time. This research employed multiple advanced techniques, including atom probe tomography and scanning electron microscopy, to reinterpret these 50-year-old samples.

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(www.sciencedaily.com)
Tech Volcanoes Glass Beads

Google's Contradictory Statements: Is the Open Web Dying?

2025-09-09
Google's Contradictory Statements: Is the Open Web Dying?

In May, Google executives stated that web publishing and the open web were thriving. However, a recent court document claims that "the open web is already in rapid decline." This contradicts previous statements and supports concerns voiced by the open web community. Google later clarified that it referred to the decline of "open-web display advertising," not the entire open web. This clarification, however, hasn't fully quelled the controversy, raising questions about whether Google misled the public and investors.

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(www.seroundtable.com)
Tech

Raspberry Pi Pico 2 Pinout: An Interactive Guide

2025-07-11

Gadgetoid has created an interactive, accessible, and beautiful GPIO pinout and pin function guide for the Raspberry Pi Pico 2. This guide details the function of each pin on the Pico 2, including interfaces like SPI, I2C, UART, and PWM, with clear diagrams and explanations. Users can easily see the purpose of each pin and understand its connection to various interfaces. The guide also includes information on Pico 2 power management, ADC, and other special pins. This is a highly useful tool and a valuable resource for anyone looking to develop with the Raspberry Pi Pico 2.

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(pico2.pinout.xyz)
Hardware Raspberry Pi Pico 2 GPIO Pinout Interactive Guide

Max's Imagebin: A Testament to Simplicity

2025-07-03
Max's Imagebin: A Testament to Simplicity

This story recounts the tale of Max, a programmer, and his Imagebin, a 15-year-old PHP image upload script. Imagebin's code is remarkably simple, a mere 233 lines, mostly changelog. The author attempted a Go rewrite, only to find the codebase ballooned and readability suffered. This led to a reflection on the complexity of software design, highlighting the ease of maintenance provided by concise code. Max's Imagebin's longevity is attributed to this simplicity. Ultimately, the author decided to keep Max's code and stick with PHP.

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(incoherency.co.uk)
Development

AI Startups: A New Era of Hypergrowth

2025-06-07
AI Startups: A New Era of Hypergrowth

The generative AI era has redefined startup growth. Data reveals median enterprise AI companies achieving over $2M ARR in their first year, with consumer AI companies surpassing $4.2M. This surpasses previous benchmarks and reflects strong user demand. However, this rapid growth also widens the gap between 'good' and 'exceptional' companies, emphasizing the continued importance of metrics like user retention and engagement. Surprisingly, consumer AI companies, often fueled by model updates causing revenue spikes, are outpacing B2B counterparts in revenue. The conclusion? It's a prime time to build application-layer software companies.

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(a16z.com)
Startup rapid growth application-layer software

C++ Template Inheritance and Copy Construction: A Puzzling static_assert

2025-06-10
C++ Template Inheritance and Copy Construction: A Puzzling static_assert

This article explores a puzzling issue regarding copy constructors in C++ template inheritance. The `Derived` class inherits from `Base`, where `Base`'s copy constructor is deleted. However, `Derived` defines its own copy constructor. Even though this constructor attempts to copy the uncopyable `Base` object, `std::is_copy_constructible` still returns true. This is because the compiler only checks for the presence of a non-deleted copy constructor, not its instantiability. The author further discusses the differences between explicitly defined and implicitly defined copy constructors, and the implications of moving the copy constructor definition out of line.

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(devblogs.microsoft.com)
Development Copy Construction

Information Software Design: The Triumph of Graphics, the Failure of Interaction?

2025-06-03

Bret Victor's paper challenges conventional software design, arguing that most software (information software) centers on information presentation, not interaction. He advocates for information software design grounded in graphic design, reducing user interaction through clever visualizations and context awareness. The paper uses examples like train schedules, online bookstores, and movie listings to contrast traditional interactive designs with graphic design-led approaches. It proposes context inference methods leveraging environmental sensing and historical data. Victor calls for the software design industry to prioritize visual communication, revolutionizing information software design for more intuitive and efficient user experiences.

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(worrydream.com)
Development Graphic Design

Bloomberg Philanthropies Steps Up Again to Fill US Climate Commitment Funding Gap

2025-01-25
Bloomberg Philanthropies Steps Up Again to Fill US Climate Commitment Funding Gap

Following the US government's second withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, Michael Bloomberg's Bloomberg Philanthropies announced it will fill the funding gap left by the federal government and ensure the US meets its reporting obligations under the UNFCCC. This isn't the first time: Bloomberg took similar action in 2017 after the Trump administration's withdrawal, working with states, cities, and businesses to maintain US emission reduction commitments. This action again highlights the crucial role of local governments, businesses, and philanthropy in addressing climate change in the absence of federal leadership.

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(www.bloomberg.org)
Environment Paris Agreement Bloomberg

Disk I/O Beats Memory Caching? A Surprising Benchmark

2025-09-05

Conventional wisdom dictates that memory access is far faster than disk I/O, making memory caching essential. This post challenges that assumption with a clever benchmark: counting the number of tens in a large dataset. Using an older server and optimizing code (loop unrolling and vectorization), along with a custom io_uring engine, the author demonstrates that direct disk reads can outperform memory caching under specific conditions. The key isn't that the disk is faster than memory, but rather that traditional memory access methods (mmap) introduce significant latency. The custom io_uring engine leverages the disk's high bandwidth and pipelining to mask latency. The article emphasizes adapting algorithms and data access to hardware characteristics for maximum performance in modern architectures, and looks ahead to future hardware trends.

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(www.bitflux.ai)
Hardware memory caching

Mathematician Cracks Algebra's Oldest Problem with Novel Number Sequences

2025-05-02
Mathematician Cracks Algebra's Oldest Problem with Novel Number Sequences

UNSW Sydney's Honorary Professor Norman Wildberger, in collaboration with computer scientist Dr. Dean Rubine, has unveiled a new method for solving higher-order polynomial equations, published in *The American Mathematical Monthly*. Rejecting the irrational numbers used in classical approaches, the method utilizes novel number sequences called the "Geode," a multi-dimensional extension of Catalan numbers. This breakthrough solves a centuries-old problem and promises improved algorithms for computer programs.

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(phys.org)
Tech Polynomial Equations

Comet: The Curiosity-Powered Browser That Reimagines the Web

2025-07-12
Comet: The Curiosity-Powered Browser That Reimagines the Web

Comet is a revolutionary browser designed to fuel curiosity. It consolidates all your tabs and tasks into a streamlined workspace, empowering you to explore the web like never before. More than just a browser, Comet acts as a thinking partner, connecting ideas, boosting productivity, and turning wonder into action. It learns your thinking style, collaborates on research, and keeps your digital life organized, ensuring you stay focused and never lose track of your work. Comet allows you to quickly understand any webpage, in any language, anytime, maximizing the potential of your curiosity.

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(comet.perplexity.ai)
Tech

UK Tightens Online Safety Act to Combat Self-Harm Content

2025-09-09
UK Tightens Online Safety Act to Combat Self-Harm Content

The UK government has announced urgent action to strengthen the Online Safety Act, designating content encouraging or assisting serious self-harm as a priority offense. This move aims to protect users of all ages, requiring tech companies to proactively remove such harmful material instead of reacting passively. New regulations will compel platforms to use advanced technology to actively find and delete this content before it reaches users, preventing irreparable harm. This change reflects the government's commitment to online safety and mental health and will significantly impact tech companies.

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(www.gov.uk)
Tech self-harm

Beyond "Hello, World": A Deep Dive into Executable Creation

2025-05-05

The author reminisces about the pleasant experience of learning C and C++, but contrasts it with the painful process of turning programs into executables. This led to this series of articles aiming to fill the gap in existing programming textbooks regarding the compilation process. The articles will delve into core compiler concepts, validating claims with reproducible steps using bintools and driver verbose mode (-v). Ultimately, it aims to equip readers with a complete mental map of executable creation, freeing them from the frustration of mysterious LNK2019 and LNK4002 errors.

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(fabiensanglard.net)
Development compilation process executable files

The AI Cheating Crisis: A Professor's Lament

2025-03-06
The AI Cheating Crisis: A Professor's Lament

The proliferation of AI tools like ChatGPT has led to a surge in student cheating. A California philosophy professor recounts the devastating impact on his teaching, as students use AI to generate essays, circumventing the learning process. While he explores various countermeasures, all prove limited. He argues that education transcends job training; it cultivates critical thinking and life understanding. AI cheating deprives students of this invaluable experience, ultimately harming both the students themselves and the fairness of the education system.

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(thewalrus.ca)
Misc AI cheating educational ethics

eVisa Scam: $79 Lesson in Canada

2025-08-20

The author mistakenly used a fake eVisa website, evisatravel.org, to apply for a Canadian eTA, paying $79 instead of the official $5 fee. The certificate received from the fake site had many suspicious aspects. After a chargeback, the author received a threatening email warning about a government blacklist. Despite this, the author successfully entered Canada, proving the threat was a bluff. This experience serves as a cautionary tale about fraudulent eVisa websites.

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(anguscheng.com)
Misc eVisa scam Canada visa

Saying Goodbye to tmux: A shpool and Window Manager Based Alternative

2025-08-01
Saying Goodbye to tmux: A shpool and Window Manager Based Alternative

The author, a long-time tmux user, sought an alternative due to its complexity and annoying issues like color rendering, buffer scrolling, and mouse selection. The article explores the shortcomings of terminal multiplexers and introduces how tools like shpool, combined with window managers (such as ghostty or sway), achieve session persistence and window management, ultimately replacing tmux. While shpool isn't perfect and has minor issues, the author finds its native scrollback, terminal notifications, and titles to be significant advantages. Detailed configuration instructions are provided.

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(bower.sh)
Development tmux alternative session persistence

Peak Energy Deploys First US Grid-Scale Sodium-Ion Battery

2025-08-02
Peak Energy Deploys First US Grid-Scale Sodium-Ion Battery

New York-based Peak Energy has shipped its first sodium-ion battery energy storage system, marking a threefold achievement: the US's first grid-scale sodium-ion battery system; the world's largest sodium-ion phosphate pyrophosphate (NFPP) battery system; and the first megawatt-hour scale system using passive cooling. This innovative design eliminates fire risks associated with active cooling systems, resulting in lower operational costs and improved reliability. The company projects shipping hundreds of megawatt-hours of its system within the next two years and is building its first US cell factory, slated for 2026 production.

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(electrek.co)
Tech
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