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Historic Dwingeloo Radio Telescope Receives Signals from Voyager 1

2024-12-19

The historic Dwingeloo radio telescope in the Netherlands, a national monument built in 1956, has successfully received faint signals from Voyager 1, nearly 25 billion kilometers from Earth. Despite the telescope's design frequency not matching Voyager 1's 8.4 GHz telemetry, researchers overcame this by mounting a new antenna and correcting for the Doppler shift. This achievement showcases the ingenuity of adapting older technology for remarkable feats and highlights humanity's enduring quest for space exploration.

(www.camras.nl)

Tech Voyager 1 radio telescope

Eventual Consistency: Challenges and Patterns in Distributed Systems

2024-12-13

Eventual Consistency: Challenges and Patterns in Distributed Systems

Eventual consistency is unavoidable in distributed systems. This article explores four common patterns for handling eventual consistency: event-based eventual consistency, background sync eventual consistency, saga-based eventual consistency, and CQRS-based eventual consistency. Each pattern has its advantages and disadvantages. For example, the event-based pattern emphasizes loose coupling and scalability, but consistency takes time; while the saga-based pattern is suitable for complex, long-running transactions, ensuring consistency through compensating transactions. The choice of pattern depends on the specific needs and trade-offs of the system.

(newsletter.systemdesigncodex.com)

Development eventual consistency distributed systems architectural patterns

Mystery Drone Sightings Continue to Plague US East Coast

2024-12-18

Mystery Drone Sightings Continue to Plague US East Coast

A wave of mysterious drone sightings is causing widespread concern and airspace closures along the US East Coast. These SUV-sized drones have been reported near military bases and airports in New Jersey and New York, disrupting air travel. While federal agencies are investigating, explanations remain elusive, with speculation ranging from political conspiracies to other unknown causes. The ongoing mystery fuels public anxiety and calls for swift resolution to prevent further disruptions and potential threats.

(www.theregister.com)

Misc drones US East Coast airspace closures

CCxTrust: A Confidential Computing Platform Leveraging Collaborative Trust from TEE and TPM

2024-12-12

CCxTrust is a novel confidential computing platform that cleverly combines the strengths of Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) and Trusted Platform Modules (TPMs) to establish a collaborative trust framework. By leveraging the black-box Root of Trust (RoT) embedded in CPU-TEEs and the flexible white-box RoT of TPMs, CCxTrust achieves end-to-end protection of sensitive data and models, overcoming the limitations of relying on a single hardware RoT. The platform implements independent Roots of Trust for Measurement (RTM) and a collaborative Root of Trust for Report (RTR), further enhanced by a composite attestation protocol for improved security and efficiency. Experimental results demonstrate significant performance advantages.

(arxiv.org)

AI Confidential Computing Trusted Execution Environment Trusted Platform Module

Early Bronze Age Massacre Unearthed in Somerset, UK

2024-12-18

Early Bronze Age Massacre Unearthed in Somerset, UK

Excavations at Charterhouse Warren in Somerset, UK, have revealed a shocking Early Bronze Age massacre. At least 37 men, women, and children were brutally killed and butchered, their dismembered remains discarded in a 15-meter-deep natural shaft. Cut marks and blunt force trauma on the bones indicate a deliberate act of extreme violence, possibly including cannibalism. This discovery offers a unique insight into prehistoric violence in Britain, challenging previous understandings of social stability during this period and prompting further investigation into the motivations and social context of the event.

(www.cambridge.org)

Misc Early Bronze Age Massacre Cannibalism

MIT Rocket Team Recovers Data from Crashed Rocket

2024-12-18

In Spring 2020, the MIT Rocket team launched rockets at the FAR site in the Mojave desert. A second-stage rocket crashed without deploying its parachutes, burying itself 3 meters underground. Despite significant damage to the avionics, the team successfully recovered data from a damaged flash chip. Using a salt solution to create temporary electrical contact, they were able to read the flash memory and determine the cause of the crash.

(dontvacuum.me)

Tech rocket crash data recovery flash chip

Visualizing 6D Mesh Parallelism in Deep Learning Training

2024-12-19

Visualizing 6D Mesh Parallelism in Deep Learning Training

This article delves into the complexities of 6D mesh parallelism in deep learning model training. Using a series of visualizations, the author meticulously explains the communication mechanisms of various parallel strategies—data parallelism, fully sharded data parallelism, tensor parallelism, context parallelism, expert parallelism, and pipeline parallelism—during the model's forward and backward passes. The author uses a simple attention layer model to illustrate the implementation details of each parallel approach, highlighting their interactions and potential challenges, such as the conflict between pipeline parallelism and fully sharded data parallelism. The article concludes by discussing mesh ordering, combining different parallel strategies, and practical considerations.

(main-horse.github.io)

AI parallel computing model training

OpenAI Releases Realtime Embedded SDK for Microcontrollers

2024-12-20

OpenAI Releases Realtime Embedded SDK for Microcontrollers

OpenAI has released the openai-realtime-embedded-sdk, enabling developers to utilize its Realtime API on microcontrollers such as the ESP32. Supporting Linux and ESP32S3, the SDK allows for testing on Linux without physical hardware. After installing protobufc, setting the target platform, and configuring WiFi and OpenAI API keys, developers can build and deploy applications. This expands OpenAI's AI capabilities to embedded devices, opening doors for innovative IoT and edge computing applications.

(github.com)

AI Realtime API Embedded SDK

Hadrius Hiring Founding UI/UX Designer, Up to $150K

2024-12-18

Hadrius Hiring Founding UI/UX Designer, Up to $150K

Hadrius, a Y Combinator-backed fintech startup, is hiring a Founding UI/UX Designer. They're using AI to automate the back office for financial firms, preventing future financial crises. The role is full-time in New York City, offering $80K-$150K salary and 0.01%-0.15% equity. The ideal candidate is a highly skilled designer with experience at a design-focused tech company, proficient in Figma, and passionate about Hadrius's mission. The team boasts engineers from Google, Chime, and other top companies, and the company is experiencing hyper-growth, doubling revenue every three months.

(www.ycombinator.com)

Development UI/UX Design

TSMC Unveils Nanosheet Transistors: A New Era for Chips

2024-12-15

TSMC Unveils Nanosheet Transistors: A New Era for Chips

TSMC showcased its next-generation N2 (2-nanometer) process at the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting, marking its first foray into nanosheet transistors. Compared to its N3 process, N2 boasts up to a 15 percent speed increase, 30 percent better energy efficiency, and a 15 percent density boost. This new architecture offers greater flexibility, allowing for the creation of nanosheets with varying widths on the same chip, optimizing performance for different logic units, especially SRAM. Intel's research further validated the scalability of nanosheet architecture, demonstrating a high-performing 6-nanometer gate-length transistor, pointing the way towards continued advancement in chip technology and suggesting a potential extension of Moore's Law.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Hardware TSMC Nanosheet Transistors 2nm Process

New Study Pinpoints Neanderthal Interbreeding with Modern Humans

2024-12-13

New Study Pinpoints Neanderthal Interbreeding with Modern Humans

A new analysis of ancient DNA from modern humans in Europe and Asia has precisely determined the timeframe of Neanderthal interbreeding with Homo sapiens. The interbreeding began approximately 50,500 years ago and lasted for about 7,000 years, until Neanderthals began to disappear. This research, using 58 ancient genomes and present-day human genomes, revealed an average interbreeding date of around 47,000 years ago, consistent with archeological evidence. The study also found that East Asians possess about 20% more Neanderthal genes than Europeans and West Asians, potentially due to the presence of mixed genes when modern humans migrated eastward around 47,000 years ago. The findings offer a more complete picture of past human migrations and gene flow, and shed light on the impact of Neanderthal genes on modern human health.

(news.berkeley.edu)

Tech Neanderthals Homo sapiens Gene flow

Cultural Evolution of Cooperation Among LLM Agents

2024-12-18

Researchers investigated whether a 'society' of Large Language Model (LLM) agents can learn mutually beneficial social norms despite incentives to defect. Experiments revealed significant differences in the evolution of cooperation across base models, with Claude 3.5 Sonnet significantly outperforming Gemini 1.5 Flash and GPT-4o. Furthermore, Claude 3.5 Sonnet leveraged a costly punishment mechanism to achieve even higher scores, a feat not replicated by the other models. This study proposes a new benchmark for LLMs focused on the societal implications of LLM agent deployment, offering insights into building more robust and cooperative AI agents.

(arxiv.org)

AI Cooperation Social Norms

Saturn's Rings: Older Than We Thought?

2024-12-19

Saturn's Rings: Older Than We Thought?

A new study challenges the long-held belief that Saturn's rings are relatively young. Previous research, based on data from the Cassini spacecraft, suggested an age of only a few hundred million years. However, a team led by planetary scientist Ryuki Hyodo used computer simulations to show that micrometeoroid impacts on the rings produce far less contamination than previously thought. This implies the rings could be billions of years old, as old as Saturn itself, predating even the dinosaurs. This finding significantly alters our understanding of early solar system evolution and points towards future missions for more detailed investigation.

(www.space.com)

Tech Saturn's rings age Cassini

Tektronix DVST Graphic Terminals: Pioneers of Computer Graphics Displays

2024-12-19

This article recounts the legendary story of Tektronix's DVST (bistable direct-view storage tube) graphic terminals. From Bob Anderson's invention of the DVST in 1961, to Tektronix's launch of its first 611 display, and later the iconic models T4002, 4010, and 4014, Tektronix spearheaded the development of computer graphics display technology. These terminals, with their high resolution and stability, became essential devices for computer graphics applications at the time, ultimately driving the progress of the entire industry. Even after the advent of low-cost raster-scanned CRTs, Tektronix's DVST terminals held a significant market share for years due to their compatibility and reliability.

(vintagetek.org)

Tech Computer Graphics

ModernBERT: A Revolutionary BERT Replacement

2024-12-19

ModernBERT: A Revolutionary BERT Replacement

Answer.AI and LightOn introduce ModernBERT, a family of state-of-the-art encoder-only models that outperform BERT in both speed and accuracy. ModernBERT incorporates numerous advancements from recent LLM research, boasting an extended context length (8192 tokens), faster processing, and superior performance across various benchmarks. Its particularly strong code retrieval capabilities unlock new applications like large-scale code search and enhanced IDE features. ModernBERT is a drop-in replacement for BERT models and is available on Hugging Face.

(huggingface.co)

AI encoder model

LLVM C Library Speeds Up GPUs: Running C Code on GPUs

2024-12-14

The LLVM project has released an exciting GPU C library enabling developers to run libc and libm functions directly on the GPU within C/C++ code. The library supports two main modes: as a supplementary library for offloading languages like OpenMP, CUDA, or HIP; and by directly compiling C/C++ code for the GPU. The article details how to use both modes, including compilation options, linking, and specific builds for AMD and NVIDIA GPUs. This library allows developers to leverage the parallel processing power of GPUs, significantly improving performance without needing deep knowledge of complex GPU programming models.

(libc.llvm.org)

Development GPU programming C library

Programmer Creates Pseudo-3D Game in Bash

2024-12-20

Programmer Creates Pseudo-3D Game in Bash

A programmer, izabera, has developed a surprisingly impressive pseudo-3D game using the Bash scripting language. This project, a homage to the classic game Wolfenstein 3D, is open-source on GitHub. The code is concise yet the result is stunning, showcasing the power of Bash and the programmer's ingenuity. The repository includes the game source code and demonstration videos. Developers interested in learning more can check it out on GitHub.

(github.com)

Development Game Development

One Woman Dev Team Reaches Two Million Users

2024-12-17

Nadia Odunayo, a software engineer, built The StoryGraph, a reading community app with over a million users, as a solo developer. The StoryGraph helps users track their reading and recommends books based on mood and preferences. This inspiring story highlights Odunayo's grit, technical skills, and the 'one-person framework' she used to achieve this impressive feat. It offers valuable insights for aspiring solo developers.

(brightonruby.com)

Development solo development reading community user growth

CCState: A Lightweight and Flexible State Management Library

2024-12-19

CCState: A Lightweight and Flexible State Management Library

CCState is a lightweight, semantically clear, and flexible state management library designed for medium to large single-page applications with complex state management needs. It's built on three basic data types: computed, command, and state, offering a simple and intuitive API with 100% test coverage. Framework-agnostic, CCState works seamlessly with React, Vanilla JS, and other UI frameworks, boasting blazing-fast performance, outperforming Jotai in various scenarios. The core APIs – `state`, `computed`, and `command` – handle basic value units, derived computations, and side effects respectively. React Hooks like `useGet`, `useSet`, `useLoadable`, and `useResolved` simplify data access and Promise handling. CCState also offers subscription capabilities for reactive updates.

(github.com)

Development state management JavaScript library

GitHub Open Sources Fully Documented Commodore 64 Elite Source Code

2024-12-20

GitHub Open Sources Fully Documented Commodore 64 Elite Source Code

A fully documented and annotated source code for the classic Commodore 64 game Elite has been open-sourced on GitHub. This repository provides four variants of the source code, catering to different hardware platforms and build processes. Developers can explore the meticulously commented source code to understand Elite's inner workings and even compile a playable D64 disk image on modern machines using the provided Makefile, runnable on emulators or real hardware. This project aims to help appreciate this iconic 8-bit game, offering significant educational and archival value.

(github.com)

Game Game Source Code

Raspberry Pi 500 Modder Successfully Adds M.2 Slot

2024-12-15

A Raspberry Pi enthusiast successfully added an M.2 slot to the Raspberry Pi 500! While the Pi 500 has the header, the slot itself is absent, leading to some controversy. The modder soldered on four tiny capacitors and used a bench power supply to power a bottom pad, enabling the use of NVMe SSDs and other PCIe devices. This modification requires excellent SMD soldering skills and has sparked discussion about the Pi 500's design choices; speculation includes reserving the feature for a future premium model.

(www.jeffgeerling.com)

Hardware Raspberry Pi 500 M.2 slot Hardware Mod

Tenstorrent: An Analysis of the AI Hardware Startup Landscape

2024-12-15

Tenstorrent: An Analysis of the AI Hardware Startup Landscape

This article delves into a deep dive analysis of Tenstorrent, an AI hardware startup. Initially skeptical, the author, after meeting with the Tenstorrent team and gaining a thorough understanding of their architecture (a mesh topology featuring high-performance RISC-V CPU cores and AI cores) and software stack, revised their opinion. The article details Tenstorrent's technical specifications, including its unique Baby RISC-V cores and efforts to reduce latency. The author argues that Tenstorrent's open-source strategy, strong engineering team, and rational business model give it a unique advantage in the competitive AI hardware market, expressing optimism for its future.

(irrationalanalysis.substack.com)

AI AI hardware

Spark vs. DuckDB vs. Polars: Benchmarking Performance for Small to Medium Workloads

2024-12-15

Spark vs. DuckDB vs. Polars: Benchmarking Performance for Small to Medium Workloads

This article benchmarks Spark, DuckDB, and Polars, comparing their performance, cost, and development ease on 10GB and 100GB datasets. Results show that for large datasets and ETL tasks, Spark remains dominant due to its distributed computing capabilities and mature ecosystem. DuckDB and Polars excel at interactive querying and data exploration on smaller datasets. The author recommends a strategic mix-and-match approach, using Spark for ETL, DuckDB for interactive queries, and Polars for niche scenarios, tailoring engine choice to specific needs.

(milescole.dev)

Development data processing engines benchmark

Website Showcases Early Christian Writings

2024-12-25

A new website, "Early Christian Writings," offers a comprehensive collection of Christian texts predating the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. It features the New Testament, Apocrypha, Gnostic texts, writings of the Church Fathers, and related non-Christian sources, all with translations and commentary. This resource provides invaluable insight into the history and development of early Christianity.

(www.earlychristianwritings.com)

Misc Early Christianity Texts History

The Enigma of Luigi Mangione: A Bright Young Man and a Shocking Crime

2024-12-22

The Enigma of Luigi Mangione: A Bright Young Man and a Shocking Crime

This article recounts the author's interactions with Luigi Mangione, the alleged assassin of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Luigi, a bright young man from a wealthy family, purchased a premium membership to the author's blog, leading to a two-hour video call. During their conversation, Luigi expressed concerns about the erosion of human agency in modern society, likening many to unthinking 'NPCs' manipulated by technology. He voiced frustration with high US healthcare costs. The author's shock at Luigi's subsequent arrest for murder forms the crux of the article, exploring the complexities of motivation, the coexistence of kindness and cruelty, and the multifaceted nature of human behavior. The article raises questions about free will and societal influences on individual actions.

(www.gurwinder.blog)

Misc free will social commentary murder mystery

A Decade-Old Fileserver's Second Life: Cost-Effective Storage Solution

2024-12-17

A company is still running a production machine, a fileserver over a decade old. While outdated, with a BMC requiring Java for KVM-over-IP, its 16 disk bays and 10G Ethernet ports make it ideal for repurposing. Used as a bring-your-own-disk low-cost storage server, it fulfills the need for high-capacity, low-performance storage despite its age and limited RAM. This highlights the value of reusing old hardware when requirements align.

(utcc.utoronto.ca)

Tech server reuse storage solution hardware cost

America's Healthcare System: A Total Breakdown, Beyond Insurance Companies

2024-12-14

America's Healthcare System: A Total Breakdown, Beyond Insurance Companies

The American healthcare system is broken, and the problem extends far beyond insurance companies. An oncologist argues that pharmaceutical firms, PBMs (pharmacy benefit managers), the FDA, CMS, hospitals, and doctors all share responsibility. Pharmaceutical companies push unproven drugs, PBMs profit excessively, regulators are lax, hospitals charge exorbitant fees and engage in predatory practices, and doctors order unnecessary tests and treatments. While insurance companies are frustrating, they are a scapegoat for a larger systemic issue. The author calls for sweeping reforms of the FDA and CMS to end corporate capture of regulatory agencies, addressing the high costs and inefficiency of the US healthcare system. The recent assassination of an insurance CEO highlights public frustration with the system.

(www.sensible-med.com)

Misc healthcare reform healthcare costs US healthcare

Maine Prison's Remote Work Program: A Path to Redemption

2024-12-24

Maine Prison's Remote Work Program: A Path to Redemption

Maine's prison system is conducting a bold experiment: allowing inmates to work remotely. This program not only provides inmates with fair market wages, helping them pay restitution, support children, and save for the future, but also instills dignity and hope. Remote work allows inmates to learn new skills, build self-worth, and prepare for re-entry into society. While facing skepticism from victims and the public, the program's positive impact is undeniable, offering a model for prison reform in other states.

(www.bostonglobe.com)

Misc prison reform reintegration

Frankfurt Silver Amulet Rewrites Early Christian History

2024-12-18

Frankfurt Silver Amulet Rewrites Early Christian History

Archaeologists unearthed a groundbreaking artifact in a 3rd-century Roman grave near Frankfurt, Germany: a silver amulet, the "Frankfurt Silver Inscription." Dating back to 230-270 CE, this amulet predates previously known Christian artifacts in the region by almost 50 years. Its inscription, deciphered using advanced technology, contains exclusively Christian content, including invocations to Jesus Christ and biblical quotations. This discovery significantly pushes back the timeline of Christianity's presence north of the Alps, shedding light on its early spread and influence in Roman Germania. The find has major implications for archaeology, theology, and Roman history.

(archaeologymag.com)

Misc Christianity Archaeological Discovery Roman Empire

Rec Room Releases Copyable Game: BonkysInferno

2024-12-21

Rec Room Releases Copyable Game: BonkysInferno

Rec Room has launched a new copyable game, ^BonkysInferno. Based on the 'Make it to Midnight' environment, the objective is to score the most points by knocking opponents into lava or past a laser fence with Bonky's hammer. The game features a collectible system, damage system, Bonky's hammer mechanics, a round system, and a HUD, all built using Circuits and Rec Room Studio, allowing for player replication and modification. Players are encouraged to explore the circuits with their Maker Pen and use Rec Room Studio for deeper customization.

(forum.rec.net)

Game copyable game game development

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