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The Evolving Saga of 80387 FPU State Saving: A Tale of Documented Errors

2025-02-07

While investigating the behavior of x87 Floating Point Units (FPUs) and their state saving mechanisms (FSTENV/FLDENV and FSAVE/FRSTOR instructions), the author discovered discrepancies between early Intel documentation and later revisions concerning the 32-bit protected mode FPU state. Early 80387 documentation omitted the floating-point opcode from the 32-bit protected mode FPU state, while updated documentation included it. This led to several third-party reference books perpetuating the outdated information for years. The story highlights the evolution of technical documentation and how errors can persist in technical literature for extended periods.

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(www.os2museum.com)
Hardware documentation errors

Reverse Engineering a SanDisk High Endurance microSD Card: Uncovering the Flash Memory Secret

2025-02-02
Reverse Engineering a SanDisk High Endurance microSD Card: Uncovering the Flash Memory Secret

Blogger Jason reverse-engineered a SanDisk High Endurance microSD card to uncover the mystery of its flash memory. SanDisk was tight-lipped about the type of flash used, even refusing to answer his support requests. Through meticulous analysis of test pads and bus signals, Jason determined that the card uses Toshiba/Kioxia BiCS3 3D TLC NAND flash. He detailed the NAND Flash ID and JEDEC Parameter Page, overcoming challenges like deciphering obscure test pad layouts, controller interference, and SanDisk's custom Parameter Page format. The findings reveal the use of 3D TLC flash, but SanDisk's secrecy surrounding this detail sparked Jason's criticism.

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(ripitapart.com)
Hardware NAND flash

Intellectual Property is Dumb: A Vision for Open-Source AI

2025-02-22

The author argues that intellectual property is a flawed concept, countering President Biden's comparison of piracy to theft. Piracy, unlike theft, allows widespread access to resources, akin to photography rather than robbery. Concerned about wealth concentration, the author envisions AI delivering immense societal value without profit. He reminisces about the early internet's open-source, high-value, low-profit model and aims to disrupt current business models through open-source projects like comma.ai and tinygrad. The goal is to make the tech sector unprofitable for speculators, creating a fairer technological landscape.

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(geohot.github.io)
AI

Physicists Challenge the Accelerating Universe: Is Dark Energy Dead?

2025-01-12
Physicists Challenge the Accelerating Universe: Is Dark Energy Dead?

A new study published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters challenges the Nobel Prize-winning theory of an accelerating universe. Researchers argue that the observed expansion isn't accelerating but an illusion caused by uneven galaxy distribution. They propose a 'timescape' model, suggesting different regions of the universe experience time at different rates, explaining supernova observations without requiring dark energy. While needing further validation, this model offers a fresh perspective on the universe and questions the existence of dark energy.

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(nautil.us)
Tech universe expansion

Axana: A Portable MRI Scanner Revolutionizing Stroke Diagnosis

2025-03-08
Axana: A Portable MRI Scanner Revolutionizing Stroke Diagnosis

Strokes are a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Wellumio, a New Zealand company, has developed Axana, a portable MRI scanner designed to address the critical time sensitivity of stroke diagnosis. Axana's compact size and user-friendly interface require minimal training, allowing for immediate head scans in emergency rooms, drastically reducing diagnostic delays and improving treatment outcomes. Utilizing magnetic fields at varying frequencies, it eliminates the need for pulsed gradient coils, lowering cost and complexity. While currently lower resolution, it's sufficient for gross anatomical analysis, with future versions aiming for higher resolution. Axana promises to revolutionize stroke care, particularly in underserved communities, by offering accessibility, affordability, and ease of use.

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(spectrum.ieee.org)
Tech Portable MRI Stroke Diagnosis

The Curious History of JavaScript Comments: Why `<!--` and `-->` Work

2025-03-12

This article unravels the curious history behind the use of `` as comment characters in JavaScript. Initially, to ensure compatibility with older browsers, developers would wrap their JavaScript code within HTML comments inside `` tags. Surprisingly, modern browsers still support this syntax due to historical browser compatibility burdens and the standardization committee's commitment to 'not breaking the web'. The article explains how this syntax works and why `-->` must appear at the beginning of a line.

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(www.hillelwayne.com)
Development

Yale Study Uncovers Potential Immunological Patterns in Post-Vaccination Syndrome

2025-02-23
Yale Study Uncovers Potential Immunological Patterns in Post-Vaccination Syndrome

Yale researchers have made initial strides in characterizing post-vaccination syndrome (PVS), a persistent condition following COVID-19 vaccination. Their study, published as a preprint on MedRxiv, reveals potential immunological differences between individuals with PVS and those without. Individuals with PVS showed lower levels of effector CD4+ T cells and higher levels of TNF-alpha+ CD8 T cells. Some also exhibited persistent SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, even months after vaccination. While early, these findings offer hope for future diagnosis and treatment. Further research is underway to investigate other potential factors like autoimmunity and viral reactivation.

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(news.yale.edu)
Tech COVID-19 vaccine Post-Vaccination Syndrome Immunology

Motorola Edge 2024 and Moto G Power 2025 Review: Budget Kings?

2025-03-02
Motorola Edge 2024 and Moto G Power 2025 Review: Budget Kings?

This review compares the Motorola Edge 2024 and Moto G Power 2025. The Edge 2024 offers good value at its $300 sale price, but suffers from shutter lag in its camera and limited software updates (only two Android OS upgrades). The Moto G Power 2025 boasts IP68 water resistance, longer battery life, and extended software support, but its performance is slightly weaker than its predecessor, and the camera is just adequate. Ultimately, both phones have strengths and weaknesses, requiring careful consideration based on individual needs.

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(www.wired.com)
Hardware phone review Motorola budget phones

B-Trees: A Deep Dive into Database Optimization

2025-01-04
B-Trees: A Deep Dive into Database Optimization

This article delves into the practical application of B-trees, particularly their optimization strategies within databases. By comparing B-trees and binary search trees in disk storage, the author explains how the high fan-out of B-trees reduces the number of disk I/O operations, thereby enhancing database performance. The article details B-tree optimizations such as slotted pages, separator key truncation, overflow pages, and sibling pointers, and how these techniques improve data locality, space utilization, and query efficiency. Finally, the author points out that real-world B-tree applications are far more complex than theoretical models, requiring consideration of specific hardware and operating system constraints.

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(benjamincongdon.me)
Development B-tree

WinRAR 7.10 Released: Dark Mode and Enhanced Privacy

2025-02-21
WinRAR 7.10 Released: Dark Mode and Enhanced Privacy

WinRAR 7.10 has been released, boasting numerous improvements including larger memory pages for performance boosts, a much-requested dark mode, and a redesigned settings interface. A standout feature is its enhanced privacy controls. Users can now fine-tune how information from the Mark-of-the-Web (MoTW) is propagated, with a default setting that only retains the security zone value, stripping potentially revealing URLs and IP addresses from extracted files. While this might impact digital forensics, it's a welcome addition for privacy-conscious users.

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(www.bleepingcomputer.com)
Hardware

Mysterious Illness Kills Over 50 in Northwest Congo

2025-02-25
Mysterious Illness Kills Over 50 in Northwest Congo

A mysterious illness has claimed the lives of over 50 people in northwestern Congo. The outbreak, which began on January 21st, has seen 419 cases reported with 53 deaths. The rapid progression of the illness, with most patients dying within 48 hours of symptom onset, is alarming health officials. Initial investigations suggest a possible link to children consuming bats. Samples have been sent for testing to rule out Ebola and other hemorrhagic fevers; some tested positive for malaria. The incident highlights concerns about zoonotic diseases, particularly in areas where wild animal consumption is common.

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(apnews.com)
Tech unknown illness Congo

Critical Vulnerability Found in FreeSWITCH: Open Source Telecom Software Security Risks

2025-03-12
Critical Vulnerability Found in FreeSWITCH: Open Source Telecom Software Security Risks

A security researcher discovered a buffer overflow vulnerability in the open-source telecommunications software FreeSWITCH, potentially leading to remote code execution. While SignalWire (FreeSWITCH's developer) has patched the vulnerability, they won't release a new version with the fix until summer, leaving potentially thousands of vulnerable systems at risk. This highlights the shortcomings in security management of open-source telecom software and how security issues are often neglected in the absence of financial incentives.

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(soatok.blog)
Tech

Budget Reasoning Models Outperform Giants: Conquering Logic Puzzles with Reinforcement Learning

2025-03-06
Budget Reasoning Models Outperform Giants: Conquering Logic Puzzles with Reinforcement Learning

Researchers used reinforcement learning to train smaller, cheaper open-source language models that surpassed DeepSeek R1, OpenAI's o1 and o3-mini, and nearly matched Anthropic's Sonnet 3.7 in a reasoning-heavy game called "Temporal Clue," while being over 100x cheaper at inference time. They achieved this through careful task design, hyperparameter tuning, and the use of the Group Relative Policy Optimization (GRPO) algorithm and the torchtune library. This research demonstrates the potential of reinforcement learning to efficiently train open models for complex deduction tasks, even with limited data, achieving significant performance gains with as few as 16 training examples.

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(openpipe.ai)
AI

Firefox Alternatives? A Long-Time User's Dilemma

2025-03-02
Firefox Alternatives? A Long-Time User's Dilemma

A long-time Firefox user (20 years!), concerned by Mozilla's recent shifts towards advertising and AI, seeks a viable alternative browser. LibreWolf is considered but its reliance on Firefox is a concern. Debian's Firefox repository offers a potentially safer, albeit older, version, but requires constant setting checks. Standalone apps, Tor Browser, and the terminal-based browser 'links' are explored but fall short of complete needs. Ultimately, the user decides to stick with Firefox for now, monitoring its future direction.

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(neilzone.co.uk)
Development

Revolutionary OCR System: Powering AI Education Datasets

2025-04-05
Revolutionary OCR System: Powering AI Education Datasets

A groundbreaking OCR system optimized for machine learning extracts structured data from complex educational materials like exam papers. Supporting multilingual text, mathematical formulas, tables, diagrams, and charts, it's ideal for creating high-quality training datasets. The system semantically annotates extracted elements and automatically generates natural language descriptions, such as descriptive text for diagrams. Supporting Japanese, Korean, and English with easy customization for additional languages, it outputs AI-ready JSON or Markdown, including human-readable descriptions of mathematical expressions, table summaries, and figure captions. Achieving over 90-95% accuracy on real-world academic datasets, it handles complex layouts with dense scientific content and rich visuals.

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(github.com)
AI

Ignoring Near Misses: A Hidden Risk for Tech Companies

2025-02-08
Ignoring Near Misses: A Hidden Risk for Tech Companies

FAA data reveals 30 near-misses at Reagan Airport. This article argues that tech companies often prioritize preventing major incidents, overlooking the numerous near-misses that could escalate. Near misses, precursors to significant incidents, are frequently ignored due to their zero impact. The author advocates treating near misses as seriously as major incidents, creating mechanisms to identify and analyze them proactively. This requires a cultural shift, encouraging reporting and analysis to improve reliability.

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(surfingcomplexity.blog)
Tech reliability

Hobby Lobby, the Lost City of Irisagrig, and a Multi-Billion Dollar Evangelical Empire

2025-03-24
Hobby Lobby, the Lost City of Irisagrig, and a Multi-Billion Dollar Evangelical Empire

This article details how the Green family, owners of Hobby Lobby, amassed a vast collection of ancient artifacts, including tens of thousands of cuneiform tablets from the lost city of Irisagrig. Driven by their faith, the Greens channeled their profits into evangelical missions, viewing artifact acquisition as a means to this end. The article explores their acquisition methods and the ensuing controversy surrounding the artifacts' provenance and legality, prompting reflection on the complex interplay between commercial interests, religious beliefs, and the preservation of cultural heritage.

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(meghanboilard.substack.com)
Misc artifacts

Botswana Launches its First Satellite: BOTSAT-1

2025-03-26
Botswana Launches its First Satellite: BOTSAT-1

Botswana successfully launched its first satellite, BOTSAT-1, on March 15th, 2025, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This 3U hyperspectral Earth observation satellite, developed by the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST), will provide crucial data for national development priorities including food security, environmental conservation, and urban planning. The launch represents a significant milestone in Botswana's space program and fosters human capital development through practical training for local engineers. Collaboration with Dragonfly Aerospace enhances BIUST's capabilities with advanced imaging technology and support for cleanroom facility development.

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(spaceinafrica.com)
Tech Satellite Launch African Space Program

Zep AI: Building the Foundational Memory for Next-Gen AI Agents

2025-02-07
Zep AI: Building the Foundational Memory for Next-Gen AI Agents

Zep AI is building the foundational memory layer for next-generation AI agents. Their continuously learning knowledge graph technology allows AI systems to build rich, temporal understanding from user interactions and business data. Trusted by industry leaders like Mattel and WebMD, Zep enhances AI application personalization and accuracy. They're seeking a Staff Engineer to build scalable, innovative solutions and shape technical strategy alongside the founder, working across infrastructure, APIs, and front-end technologies. The ideal candidate will have 7+ years of hands-on software engineering experience, expertise in at least two of Python, TypeScript, or Go, and a proven track record in system architecture, production-scale software, and team leadership.

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(www.ycombinator.com)
Development

o3-mini Accurately Simulates Complex Computations Without Code Interpreter

2025-02-24
o3-mini Accurately Simulates Complex Computations Without Code Interpreter

The author used the o3-mini large language model to accurately simulate the output of a Python script using the Scikit-learn library's TfidfVectorizer function, under different parameter settings. Remarkably, o3-mini achieved this without access to a code interpreter, producing results nearly identical to the actual execution. This demonstrates the impressive ability of LLMs to understand and simulate complex computations, raising questions about the nature of AI and simulation.

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(www.emsi.me)
AI code simulation

POSH is Hiring an Energy Analysis & Modeling Engineer

2025-02-21
POSH is Hiring an Energy Analysis & Modeling Engineer

POSH, a company revolutionizing the battery energy storage industry with innovative solutions for commercial and industrial applications, is seeking an Energy Analysis & Modeling Engineer. This role involves developing, analyzing, and optimizing energy storage models to improve system performance, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Ideal candidates will possess a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Energy Systems, or a related field, along with 2+ years of experience in energy modeling or battery storage system analysis. Proficiency in Python and other simulation software is essential. Responsibilities include developing energy models for battery storage and hybrid systems, performing technical and economic analysis, collaborating with hardware and software teams, and working with sales to generate proposals. POSH offers a competitive salary, benefits, and equity participation.

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(www.ycombinator.com)
Tech energy modeling job posting

Exoscale: Swiss Cloud Computing with Granular API Control

2025-03-10
Exoscale: Swiss Cloud Computing with Granular API Control

Exoscale, a Swiss cloud computing platform with multiple European server locations, offers virtual servers, S3-compatible object storage, managed Kubernetes, managed databases, DNS, and CDN. Its managed database service includes Apache Kafka and Redis alongside MySQL and PostgreSQL. Virtual servers come in various configurations optimized for CPU, memory, or storage, plus dedicated GPU instances for intensive workloads. API keys boast granular permission control, down to individual service groups (e.g., 'Compute') and even bucket-level access for object storage. The company is owned by A1, a major Austrian telecommunications provider.

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(european-alternatives.eu)
Tech API permissions European cloud

The Arithmometer's Rocky Road to Success: From Obscurity to Industry Standard

2025-03-22

This paper tells the story of Charles Xavier Thomas de Colmar's arithmometer. While not the first calculating machine, its robust design and mass production capabilities led to its eventual success. The paper traces the machine's journey from its first public appearance in 1820 to its widespread adoption in the 1870s, examining its mechanical development, marketing strategies, and user experiences. The arithmometer underwent significant redesigns, with its design and market positioning continually adjusted. Despite initial slow adoption and setbacks against competitors in exhibitions, consistent improvements and promotional efforts ultimately led to widespread acceptance and its crucial role in the computing industry.

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(www.mhs.ox.ac.uk)
Tech mechanical engineering

America's Rare Earth Magnet Gamble: Can it Break China's Dominance?

2025-02-09
America's Rare Earth Magnet Gamble: Can it Break China's Dominance?

Several US companies are attempting to build a domestic rare-earth magnet industry to challenge China's near-total dominance. While new factories are emerging, their combined capacity pales in comparison to China's massive production. China controls over 90% of the global market, possessing a vertically integrated supply chain. The US Department of Defense's requirement for domestically sourced magnets for its systems could increase costs, while China's overcapacity might lead to price wars. The success of US rare-earth magnet manufacturers hinges on overcoming cost and technological hurdles, alongside strong government support.

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(spectrum.ieee.org)
Tech rare earth magnets US-China competition defense industry

NVIDIA's Global Website Directory

2025-03-18
NVIDIA's Global Website Directory

NVIDIA provides a comprehensive list of its regional websites, allowing users to access localized content, pricing, and retailer information based on their country. The list includes links to sites for Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Germany, Spain, France, India, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Middle East, Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Peru, Poland, Rest of Europe, Romania, Singapore, Finland, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, CIS, Korea, Mainland China, Taiwan, and Japan.

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(www.nvidia.com)
Hardware Global Websites Regional Information

Alibaba Cloud's Qwen2.5-Max: A Giant Leap for AI

2025-01-29
Alibaba Cloud's Qwen2.5-Max: A Giant Leap for AI

Alibaba Cloud unveiled Qwen2.5-Max, a large-scale Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) language model. Pre-trained on over 20 trillion tokens, it boasts a context length of up to 100,000 tokens, excelling in handling long texts and complex reasoning. Its MoE architecture provides superior efficiency and performance, enabling rapid and accurate processing of vast information for applications like real-time analytics, automated customer support, and gaming bots. Focused on enterprise use cases, Qwen2.5-Max aims to help businesses reduce infrastructure costs and improve performance. Its release signifies China's significant advancements in global AI competition and a more diverse future for AI technology.

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(medium.com)
AI Alibaba Cloud

New Ocean Predator Discovered in Atacama Trench

2024-12-21
New Ocean Predator Discovered in Atacama Trench

Scientists have discovered a new large predatory amphipod, *Dulcibella camanchaca*, in the Atacama Trench at depths exceeding 8,000 meters. This is the first large, active predatory amphipod found in this extreme environment. The nearly 4-centimeter-long crustacean uses specialized appendages to hunt smaller amphipods. The discovery highlights the Atacama Trench as a biodiversity hotspot and underscores the importance of continued deep-sea exploration.

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(phys.org)
Biology deep sea creature Atacama Trench

Microsoft to Shutter Skype? The End of an Era?

2025-02-28
Microsoft to Shutter Skype? The End of an Era?

Reports suggest Microsoft is preparing to shut down its long-standing communication app, Skype, in the coming months. A hidden string in the latest Skype for Windows preview hints at a May shutdown, prompting users to switch to Teams. Once a dominant VoIP platform, Skype has faced stiff competition from newer apps like Telegram and WhatsApp. Despite integration attempts within the Microsoft ecosystem, Skype has struggled to maintain relevance. The move appears to be a strategic shift towards consolidating users on the Teams platform.

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(www.windowscentral.com)
Tech Communication App
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