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

The Pentium's Mysterious ×3 Circuit: A Deep Dive into Chip Design

2025-03-02
The Pentium's Mysterious ×3 Circuit: A Deep Dive into Chip Design

In 1993, Intel released the high-performance Pentium processor. This article delves into the surprisingly complex design of a seemingly simple circuit within the Pentium: the multiply-by-three circuit (×3 circuit). This circuit is part of the floating-point multiplier; the Pentium uses radix-8 multiplication, which is faster than binary multiplication, but multiplication by three requires special handling. The article explains how this circuit combines techniques like carry lookahead, Kogge-Stone adders, and carry-select adders to maximize performance. Analysis of microscope images of the chip reveals the intricate structure of the ×3 circuit and its crucial role in the Pentium, highlighting the ingenuity and technical innovation in processor design.

Read more
(www.righto.com)
Hardware processor design chip architecture radix-8 multiplication

The Man Keeping 70-Year-Old Pinball Machines Alive

2025-01-06
The Man Keeping 70-Year-Old Pinball Machines Alive

Steve Young, a metallurgical engineer with a lifelong passion for pinball, has built The Pinball Resource, a unique business that supplies parts and expertise for repairing vintage pinball machines. His vast collection of rare parts and schematics, accumulated over 50 years, makes him the go-to resource for enthusiasts worldwide. Operating out of an unassuming workshop, Young eschews modern marketing, relying instead on word-of-mouth and a reputation for trust and expertise to maintain his thriving, old-school business.

Read more
(arstechnica.com)
Game vintage games pinball

nnd: A Blazing Fast, Lightweight Native Debugger for Linux

2025-05-06
nnd: A Blazing Fast, Lightweight Native Debugger for Linux

Meet nnd, a Linux debugger inspired by RemedyBG, prioritizing speed and lightweight design. It boasts a TUI interface, is built largely from scratch (not based on gdb or lldb), and handles large executables efficiently (tested on a 2.5GB ClickHouse executable). nnd focuses on speed; instantaneous operations are truly instantaneous, while longer operations are handled asynchronously with progress bars. Currently, it only supports Linux x86-64 native code debugging and lacks remote debugging, multi-process support, and reverse stepping. Distributed as a single 6MB executable with no dependencies, it's easily installed via curl or built from source.

Read more
(github.com)
Development

Empirical Health: Seeking Design Engineer to Revolutionize Primary Care

2025-02-11
Empirical Health: Seeking Design Engineer to Revolutionize Primary Care

Empirical Health, a virtual-first medical service using AI and wearable health sensors, is hiring a Design Engineer. You'll build core features for their patient-facing mobile app (React Native, TypeScript), crafting intuitive data visualizations, designing GenAI UI patterns beyond chat, and launching features to improve AI-driven care plans. They emphasize rapid iteration, impactful work, and a small, experienced team. This role offers a unique opportunity to make a real difference in healthcare.

Read more
(www.ycombinator.com)
Tech Mobile App Development Digital Health

HP 9845C: A Colorful Pioneer of 80s Computer Graphics

2024-12-13

In 1981, the HP 9845C, the top-of-the-line model in the 9845 series, emerged as the first HP computer to support color, stunning the world with its powerful graphics capabilities. Featuring hardware-accelerated vector drawing and polygon fill, and supporting fast matrix operations for 3D model rendering, this machine initially designed for scientific and engineering use quickly became a multipurpose system, even contributing to the graphic scenes in the 1983 film "WarGames." Its demo program was remarkable, boasting over 4000 lines of code and showcasing cutting-edge concepts like 3D shading, ordered dithering, wireframe rendering, interactive light pen control, and color infographics at a high resolution of up to 4913 colors.

Read more
(socks-studio.com)
Tech computer graphics vintage computer

Flexible Software Design Trumps Rigid Domain Models

2025-09-08

This article challenges the popular software design principle of tightly binding code to the domain model. The author argues that over-emphasizing the avoidance of invalid states, such as through strict database schemas and type constraints, limits software flexibility and makes it difficult to handle inevitable real-world exceptions. Using state machines and foreign key constraints as examples, the author demonstrates how to allow arbitrary state transitions while keeping the core design simple, thus improving software adaptability and maintainability. Ultimately, the author advocates for allowing the representation of some invalid states in user-facing software to cope with evolving requirements and unforeseen circumstances.

Read more
(www.seangoedecke.com)
Development domain model

World's Fastest Petahertz Quantum Transistor Developed

2025-05-24
World's Fastest Petahertz Quantum Transistor Developed

Researchers at the University of Arizona have developed the world's fastest petahertz quantum transistor using ultrafast light pulses to manipulate electrons in graphene. This groundbreaking achievement leverages quantum tunneling to achieve speeds over 1,000 times faster than current computer chips. The transistor operates at ambient conditions, paving the way for commercial applications and revolutionizing computing in fields like AI, space exploration, and healthcare.

Read more
(news.arizona.edu)
Tech Petahertz Transistor

The Case for Letting Malibu Burn: A Controversial Look at Wildfires and Reconstruction

2025-01-12
The Case for Letting Malibu Burn: A Controversial Look at Wildfires and Reconstruction

This article delves into the recurring wildfire disasters in Malibu, California. Malibu's unique geography and vegetation make it highly susceptible to fires, and long-standing fire suppression efforts have paradoxically led to fuel accumulation, resulting in more catastrophic blazes. Tracing Malibu's history from early Spanish colonial times to its modern development as a wealthy enclave, the article highlights the conflict between human activity and natural disasters. The author questions the wisdom of rebuilding in high-risk areas and points out the fallacy of focusing solely on fire suppression rather than preventative measures.

Read more
(longreads.com)
Misc

Sqawk: SQL-powered command-line tool for processing delimited files

2025-05-26
Sqawk: SQL-powered command-line tool for processing delimited files

Sqawk is an SQL-based command-line tool inspired by awk, designed for efficient processing of delimiter-separated files like CSV and TSV. It loads data into in-memory tables, allowing for powerful SQL queries (SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE) with filtering, sorting, aggregation, and multi-table joins. Sqawk boasts features like automatic type inference, null value support, custom delimiters, and a safe operation mode preventing accidental file modification. Its intuitive syntax and speed make it ideal for data manipulation tasks.

Read more
(github.com)
Development

Qualcomm Accuses Arm of Anti-Competitive Practices

2025-03-27
Qualcomm Accuses Arm of Anti-Competitive Practices

Qualcomm has filed antitrust complaints against Arm with regulators in the US, Europe, and South Korea, alleging that Arm is limiting access to its technologies and changing licensing models to harm competition. Arm denies the accusations, framing Qualcomm's actions as a diversion from their ongoing commercial dispute. This follows a recent Delaware court case where Qualcomm won, but Arm is seeking a retrial. The complaints highlight a significant rift between the two tech giants, with Qualcomm seeking to secure access to Arm's crucial technologies.

Read more
(www.tomshardware.com)
Tech

CISA's Leadership Exodus Deepens Amidst Budget Cuts and Security Concerns

2025-06-12
CISA's Leadership Exodus Deepens Amidst Budget Cuts and Security Concerns

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is facing a leadership crisis. Executive Director Bridget Bean's departure follows a pattern of high-level exits, leaving the agency without a Senate-confirmed director and struggling with significant budget cuts. A former employee cited a "culture of fear" under the new administration as hindering CISA's mission. With potential budget cuts ranging from $135 million to $495 million, and the confirmation of a new director blocked, CISA's future, and the nation's cybersecurity, remains uncertain.

Read more
(www.theregister.com)
Tech leadership crisis

AI Agents Are Invading Surveys: A Crisis of Data Quality

2025-05-20
AI Agents Are Invading Surveys: A Crisis of Data Quality

Surveys are the cornerstone of political polling, market research, and public policy, but they're facing a dual crisis: plummeting response rates and a surge of AI-generated responses. Response rates, once between 30% and 50% in the 70s and 80s, have fallen to as low as 5%. Simultaneously, AI agents can easily participate in surveys for profit. The author demonstrates the ease with which an AI agent can be built to take surveys, analyzing the negative impact on political polls, market research, and public policy, leading to biased data and flawed models. Solutions proposed include improving survey design, developing AI detection tools, increasing compensation, and exploring alternative data collection methods. The article emphasizes the need for collective action to enhance data quality and ensure the validity of surveys.

Read more
(laurenleek.substack.com)
AI data quality

Rethinking In-Car Climate Control: A Rotary Dial Prototype

2025-02-11
Rethinking In-Car Climate Control: A Rotary Dial Prototype

Frustrated by carmakers' over-reliance on touchscreens and overly complex interfaces, the author spent two years rethinking in-car climate control. He designed an automated system controlled by a rotary dial, adjusting fan speed and seat heating, with touchscreen overrides. Prototyping involved the Seedlabs Smart Knob kit, experimenting with haptic feedback's impact on usability. The conclusion: a dial controlling temperature and fan speed is optimal, with separate physical controls for seat heating. The author urges carmakers to return to physical controls for improved UX and safety.

Read more
(www.theturnsignalblog.com)
Hardware automotive systems hardware prototyping

Transitive Dependencies: Security vs. Productivity in Modern Software

2025-01-28

Modern software development relies heavily on external libraries, creating a trust relationship akin to leaving one's door unlocked. The author argues that this reliance on transitive dependencies, while boosting productivity, introduces significant security risks. The article explores the tension between efficiency and security, proposing component isolation and the principle of least privilege as solutions. It draws parallels to OpenSSH and the Actor model, envisioning a more secure software architecture that requires rethinking hardware, operating systems, and programming languages.

Read more
(tratt.net)
Development software architecture

Forced AI in Development: A Disaster in the Making?

2025-08-31
Forced AI in Development: A Disaster in the Making?

Piccalilli publishes an article exposing the dark side of mandatory AI tool usage in software development. Multiple developers anonymously share their negative experiences: AI-generated code is buggy and difficult to debug; tech leads outsource decision-making to AI, leading to lower quality projects; companies use AI proficiency as a performance metric, creating employee anxiety. The author urges developers to document negative outcomes, protect their interests, and beware of over-reliance and potential risks of AI tools.

Read more
(piccalil.li)
Development Professional Risks

Hacking the Clock: How Scientists Are Reviving Ancient Forests

2025-03-10
Hacking the Clock: How Scientists Are Reviving Ancient Forests

Britain faces a biodiversity crisis, with the decline of ancient oak trees threatening countless species. This article explores how scientists are using technology—from laser scanning and microbial injections to artificial wounding—to accelerate the development of features in young trees that mimic the habitats found in centuries-old giants. This 'veteranization' process, while seemingly destructive, speeds up the natural creation of hollows and decay crucial for supporting diverse ecosystems, bridging the centuries-long gap between young and ancient trees, and offering hope for endangered species.

Read more
(www.noemamag.com)
Tech

Chernobyl Radiation Crashed a Soviet Rail System

2025-08-20

In the 1980s, programmer Sergei encountered mysterious crashes on an SM-1800 microcomputer at a Soviet rail station. The system, used for routing trains, would randomly fail at night. Investigation revealed the crashes only occurred when processing livestock from northern Ukraine and western Russia. Suspecting Chernobyl radiation, Sergei confirmed his theory: high radiation levels flipped bits in the SM-1800's memory. The Soviet government mixed contaminated and uncontaminated meat to avoid waste. Upon discovering this, Sergei immediately filed immigration papers. The computer crashes resolved themselves as radiation levels dropped.

Read more
(beza1e1.tuxen.de)
Tech

AI Adoption in the US: Younger Generations Embrace AI, But Limitations Remain

2025-07-30
AI Adoption in the US: Younger Generations Embrace AI, But Limitations Remain

A recent poll reveals that most US adults utilize AI for information searches, yet its application in work tasks, email drafting, and shopping remains limited. Younger adults are significantly more likely to integrate AI into their lives, employing it for brainstorming and work-related activities. The survey highlights that 60% of Americans (74% of those under 30) use AI for information retrieval at least occasionally. However, only about 40% employ AI for work tasks or idea generation, suggesting that the tech industry's promises of highly productive AI assistants haven't yet materialized for most. Younger Americans demonstrate a notably higher AI adoption rate, especially for brainstorming, with those under 30 twice as likely to use it compared to those aged 60 and older. Individuals like 34-year-old Courtney Thayer selectively utilize AI, such as using ChatGPT for meal planning and nutritional calculations, but avoid it for crucial information, particularly medical advice, due to concerns about AI inaccuracies. In summary, while information search is the most prevalent AI application, its adoption in work, email, and shopping lags, with the younger generation's greater acceptance potentially signaling a future shift in broader AI usage.

Read more
(apnews.com)
AI Generational divide

Prevent Common Go Bugs with Custom Types

2025-07-25
Prevent Common Go Bugs with Custom Types

In Go development, mixing up integers, strings, or UUIDs representing different things leads to subtle bugs. This post introduces a simple yet effective technique: define distinct types for different meanings. For instance, use AccountID and UserID for account and user IDs respectively; the compiler will catch type mismatches, preventing errors. The author demonstrates this in their libwx weather library, avoiding errors from using generic types like float64. This simple yet often overlooked technique is worth adopting.

Read more
(www.dzombak.com)
Development Coding Best Practices

The Zombocom Problem: From 'Anything' to 'Something Specific' in Software Development

2024-12-29
The Zombocom Problem: From 'Anything' to 'Something Specific' in Software Development

This article explores the 'Zombocom Problem' – the failure of many low-code/no-code platforms, super apps, etc., due to their inability to meet specific user needs. The author argues that success hinges on solving a specific problem for a specific user, finding product-market fit. Amazon's success story illustrates this: it started as an online bookstore, gradually expanding into other areas. Similarly, Excel succeeded because it initially targeted small business owners and accountants. The author emphasizes that platforms should emerge from products, not the other way around; build great standalone products first, then consider platformization. Ultimately, the author concludes that the key to success lies in combining systems thinking and product thinking—understanding system-level opportunities while identifying the first best customer, thus transforming from a 'single-purpose product' to a 'platform'.

Read more
(newsletter.squishy.computer)
Development product strategy platform building

Millions of Windows 10 PCs Face Security Disaster as Microsoft Ends Support

2025-01-06
Millions of Windows 10 PCs Face Security Disaster as Microsoft Ends Support

Millions of Windows 10 users face a looming security crisis as Microsoft plans to end support for the OS on October 14, 2025. With millions of devices still running Windows 10, especially in Germany, the lack of security updates leaves them vulnerable to cyberattacks. Security experts urge immediate action: upgrade to Windows 11, switch to an alternative OS, or face significant risks like ransomware and data breaches. Businesses face additional compliance and productivity concerns. The situation is more critical than the Windows 7 end-of-life, highlighting the urgent need for users and businesses to act now.

Read more
(betanews.com)
Tech Security Risk OS Upgrade

Chrome Kills uBlock Origin, Firefox Rises?

2025-07-22

Chrome's Manifest V3 crippled the powerful ad-blocker uBlock Origin, pushing many users towards Firefox. The author details Firefox's advantages: fully open-source, effective ad-blocking, an excellent Android version supporting the full uBlock Origin extension, and high customizability. They share their Firefox setup, including using uBlock Origin with custom filters for enhanced privacy and ad-blocking, and leveraging Firefox's container feature for managing multiple accounts. The article concludes by highlighting hidden Firefox features like quick find, bypassing right-click disabling, and URL search shortcuts. The author champions Firefox as a way to reclaim a cleaner, more beautiful web experience.

Read more
(kau.sh)
Development

Savile Row Tailors Face Ozempic-Induced Crisis

2025-01-31
Savile Row Tailors Face Ozempic-Induced Crisis

Savile Row, the home of bespoke tailoring, is facing an unprecedented crisis, not from high rents or taxes, but from the popular weight-loss drug Ozempic. The drug's dramatic weight loss effects are forcing clients to have their expensive, custom-made suits drastically altered or remade. Tailors are facing a double challenge: time constraints and staffing shortages. Altering a suit can cost £1,600, while a replacement is £5,000-£7,000. Many clients own numerous suits and are reluctant to discard them, further increasing the tailors' workload. The issue extends beyond suits to shirts, which lack the internal space for adjustments. Tailors worry about weight rebound once clients stop using the drug, creating a potential 'Part 2' to this story.

Read more
(www.thetimes.com)
Misc Bespoke Tailoring Weight Loss

Perceptually-Aligned Dynamic Facial Projection Mapping: High-Speed Tracking & Co-axial Setup

2025-02-03
Perceptually-Aligned Dynamic Facial Projection Mapping: High-Speed Tracking & Co-axial Setup

Researchers developed a novel high-speed dynamic facial projection mapping (DFPM) system that significantly reduces misalignment artifacts. This is achieved through a high-speed face-tracking method using a cropped-area-limited interpolation/extrapolation-based face detection and a fast Ensemble of Regression Trees (ERT) for landmark detection (0.107ms). A lens-shift co-axial projector-camera setup maintains high optical alignment with minimal error (1.274 pixels between 1m and 2m). This system achieves near-perfect alignment, improving immersive experiences in makeup and entertainment.

Read more
(www.vision.ict.e.titech.ac.jp)
AI Dynamic Facial Projection Mapping Face Tracking

Chernobyl Fungus Feeds on Radiation

2025-02-23
Chernobyl Fungus Feeds on Radiation

Scientists have discovered a black fungus, Cladosporium sphaerospermum, thriving in the Chernobyl exclusion zone. This fungus not only survives but actively absorbs gamma radiation, using it as an energy source in a process dubbed 'radiosynthesis'. Its melanin pigment plays a key role in this radiation absorption and energy conversion. This remarkable adaptation opens up possibilities for bioremediation of radioactive waste and even radiation shielding for space travel, highlighting the resilience of life in extreme environments.

Read more
(makerfairerome.eu)
Tech Fungus Radiation

Level Up Your Coding: The Infinite Canvas Advantage

2025-03-15

A game developer shares how using a graphics tablet and Milton software revolutionized his note-taking process. Milton's infinite canvas and zoom capabilities allow for clear visualization of complex algorithms. Even when days pass with minimal code written, reviewing notes reveals the thought process and planning, maintaining momentum. The author advocates for graphics tablets, suggesting even entry-level models significantly boost efficiency.

Read more
(jeandavidmoisan.com)
Development coding tips graphics tablet note-taking software

Gift Card Site Leaks Hundreds of Thousands of Identity Documents

2025-01-03
Gift Card Site Leaks Hundreds of Thousands of Identity Documents

A US online gift card store, MyGiftCardSupply, suffered a massive security breach exposing hundreds of thousands of customer identity documents. Security researcher JayeLTee discovered an unsecured server containing over 600,000 images of driver's licenses, passports, and selfies from around 200,000 customers. MyGiftCardSupply claimed the data was collected for anti-money laundering compliance ('know your customer' checks), but its founder admitted the security lapse, stating the data is now secured. However, the company hasn't disclosed the duration of the exposure or plans to notify affected users. This incident highlights the ongoing risks associated with KYC procedures and data breaches.

Read more
(techcrunch.com)
Tech

HTTPX Fiber Concurrency Plugin: Seamlessly Share Connections Across Fibers

2025-09-05

The HTTPX :fiber_concurrency plugin allows a single session's connections to be used across fibers managed by a fiber scheduler, ideal for long-lived connections. It's required by default when using the :persistent plugin. Example code shows launching multiple fibers within a thread, each concurrently using `http.get()` to access a URL. This plugin is essential for programs using fiber schedulers, such as those built with the async gem.

Read more
(honeyryderchuck.gitlab.io)
Development

TopoSort: A Highly Efficient Zig Library for Topological Sorting

2025-04-01
TopoSort: A Highly Efficient Zig Library for Topological Sorting

TopoSort is a highly efficient Zig library for performing topological sorting on dependency graphs. It boasts features like dependency graph building, topological sorting, generation of dependency-free subsets for parallel processing, cycle detection and reporting, and support for various node types. A command-line interface tool, `toposort-cli`, simplifies usage. Performance is optimized by setting the `max_range` parameter, potentially speeding up dependency tree building by 3-4 times. TopoSort is MIT licensed.

Read more
(github.com)
Development Topological Sort
1 2 … 314 315 316 318 320 321 322 … 596 597