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Earthquake Early Warning: The Speed-Accuracy Tradeoff in Magnitude Estimation

2025-07-23

Earthquake Early Warning: The Speed-Accuracy Tradeoff in Magnitude Estimation

A major challenge in Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) systems is real-time estimation of earthquake magnitude. Magnitude determines the extent of shaking and who needs warning. Underestimation risks missed warnings, while overestimation leads to false alarms and erosion of public trust. The key challenge lies in balancing speed and accuracy; initial data is limited, but delaying alerts reduces warning time. Over the past three years, we've significantly improved magnitude estimation, reducing the median absolute error from 0.50 to 0.25. Our accuracy now rivals, and in some cases surpasses, established seismic networks.

(research.google)

Tech Magnitude Estimation Real-time Monitoring

90s Web Design Nostalgia: Modernizing Image Maps

2025-05-13

90s Web Design Nostalgia: Modernizing Image Maps

This article details the author's experience designing a website for Emmy-award-winning game composer Mike Worth. To evoke a 90s animation style, the author initially explored using image maps, but discovered limitations regarding responsive design. By combining SVG paths with embedded anchors and leveraging CSS and a small amount of JavaScript, the author successfully created a web design that blends 90s aesthetics with modern technical advantages, demonstrating creative problem-solving with older technologies.

(css-tricks.com)

Design

Debian 13's /tmp Moves to tmpfs: Speed and Challenges

2025-08-29

Debian 13's /tmp Moves to tmpfs: Speed and Challenges

Debian 13 revolutionizes /tmp by moving it to the tmpfs in-memory filesystem, resulting in dramatically faster file access. However, this introduces challenges: users could consume significant RAM, impacting system performance. Debian defaults to a 50% RAM limit for tmpfs, but this is customizable. Furthermore, Debian 13 includes automatic cleanup, deleting unused files in /tmp after 10 days by default. For low-memory systems, users can easily disable tmpfs.

(lowendbox.com)

Development

Physicists Develop Mathematical Model to Predict Bowling Ball Trajectories

2025-04-16

Physicists Develop Mathematical Model to Predict Bowling Ball Trajectories

With over 45 million bowling fans in the US, improving strike percentage is a constant pursuit. A team of physicists, including three skilled bowlers and a Team England coach, has developed a mathematical model to predict bowling ball trajectories. The model accounts for lane oil composition and patterns, ball asymmetries, and player variability, offering a more nuanced approach than previous statistical analyses. The complexity stems from numerous variables influencing the ball's path, such as inconsistent oil application on lanes. This research provides a new perspective for enhancing bowling performance by leveraging physics and mathematics.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech bowling physics model

Foundry: Enabling AI Agents to Master Web Browsers

2025-06-17

Foundry: Enabling AI Agents to Master Web Browsers

Foundry, a San Francisco-based startup, is building infrastructure that allows AI agents to use web browsers just like humans. They're tackling the current limitations of AI agents interacting with enterprise applications (like Salesforce and SAP), such as frequent stalling and extensive manual debugging. Foundry employs a similar strategy to Waymo and Scale AI, building robust infrastructure for rapid performance improvements in AI agents, aiming to make AI-powered automation more reliable and practical. They're actively recruiting elite engineers passionate about delivering foundational technology quickly.

(www.ycombinator.com)

AI

WebGL Viewer for Sparse Voxel Scenes

2025-04-09

WebGL Viewer for Sparse Voxel Scenes

An interactive WebGL viewer for visualizing sparse voxel scenes from the Nvidia Sparse Voxels Rasterization paper. This viewer lets you explore and visualize the voxel radiance field from your web browser. Rendering is similar to the reference CUDA implementation. It features interactive camera controls (mouse and touch), performance metrics display (FPS), and supports loading custom PLY files. The project leveraged AI assistance, proving highly efficient for boilerplate code but less so for complex graphics debugging. Generated PLY files can be large; consider limiting voxel count.

(github.com)

Development Voxel Rendering

ANEMLL: Accelerating LLMs on Apple's Neural Engine

2025-05-03

ANEMLL: Accelerating LLMs on Apple's Neural Engine

ANEMLL is an open-source project focused on accelerating Large Language Models (LLMs) to tensor processors, starting with Apple's Neural Engine (ANE). It provides a complete open-source pipeline from model conversion (from Hugging Face) to inference on ANE, enabling seamless on-device inference for low-power edge applications, maximizing privacy and security. Currently supporting models like LLaMA 3.1, ANEMLL offers Swift and Python sample code, along with iOS/macOS applications. This is an alpha release, so expect improvements in quantization.

(github.com)

Development Apple Neural Engine

Firefox Terms of Use: A Deep Dive

2025-02-28

Firefox Terms of Use: A Deep Dive

Firefox, the free and open-source web browser, operates under a comprehensive set of Terms of Use outlining the agreement between users and Mozilla. These terms cover software licensing, intellectual property rights, user feedback, terms for optional features, updates and termination, user responsibilities, limitations of liability, and disclaimers. Users must adhere to Mozilla's Acceptable Use Policy, refraining from infringing on others' rights or violating applicable laws. Mozilla disclaims liability for losses incurred through Firefox usage but commits to notifying users of service suspensions or terminations. California law governs the agreement.

(www.mozilla.org)

Development Terms of Use

LLMs Are Surprisingly Cheap to Run

2025-06-09

This post challenges the widespread misconception that Large Language Models (LLMs) are prohibitively expensive to operate. By comparing the costs of LLMs to web search engines and citing various LLM API prices, the author demonstrates that LLM inference costs have dropped dramatically, even being an order of magnitude cheaper than some search APIs. The author also refutes common objections to LLM pricing strategies, such as price subsidization and high underlying costs, and points out that the real cost challenge lies in the backend services interacting with AI, not the LLMs themselves.

(www.snellman.net)

AI Cost Analysis

TarFlow: Transformer-based Normalizing Flows Achieve SOTA Image Likelihood Estimation

2025-06-28

TarFlow: Transformer-based Normalizing Flows Achieve SOTA Image Likelihood Estimation

Researchers introduce TarFlow, a novel normalizing flow model leveraging Transformers and masked autoregressive flows. TarFlow efficiently estimates density and generates images by processing image patches with autoregressive Transformer blocks, alternating the autoregression direction between layers. Three key techniques boost sample quality: Gaussian noise augmentation during training, post-training denoising, and an effective guidance method for both class-conditional and unconditional generation. TarFlow achieves state-of-the-art results in image likelihood estimation, significantly outperforming previous methods and generating samples comparable in quality and diversity to diffusion models—a first for a standalone normalizing flow model.

(machinelearning.apple.com)

AI

Math Academy: A Veteran's Return to Linear Algebra

2025-02-22

Math Academy: A Veteran's Return to Linear Algebra

A blogger with a degree in math and physics has been stuck on the concept of eigenvectors in linear algebra for years. After struggling with traditional textbooks, he discovered Math Academy, an online education platform, and decided to subscribe. This series of blog posts will document his journey, from skepticism to experimentation, and a deep dive into the Math Academy system and curriculum. Ultimately, he'll explore the value and effectiveness of Math Academy, and its implications in the age of LLMs.

(frankhecker.com)

Development

California Makes Building Friend Compounds Way Easier

2025-03-26

California Makes Building Friend Compounds Way Easier

Two new California laws, SB 684 and SB 1211, significantly simplify the process of building "friend compounds." SB 684 allows subdividing large lots into smaller ones for individually owned homes, perfect for friends to live together. SB 1211 permits building many more Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) on existing properties, up to 8! These laws reduce costs and streamline approvals, offering Californians flexible housing options. The author plans to use SB 684 to build a 6-home compound in Alameda.

(supernuclear.substack.com)

Startup California housing policy friend compounds ADUs

Kitten TTS: Lightweight, High-Quality Text-to-Speech

2025-08-06

Kitten TTS: Lightweight, High-Quality Text-to-Speech

Kitten TTS is a new open-source, realistic text-to-speech model boasting just 15 million parameters. Designed for lightweight deployment, it delivers surprisingly high-quality voice synthesis. A simple pip install and a few lines of code are all it takes to generate speech with several voice options, making it ideal for resource-constrained devices.

(github.com)

AI

Anti-Aliasing SDFs: It's More Complicated Than You Think

2025-08-04

Anti-Aliasing SDFs: It's More Complicated Than You Think

This article delves into the intricacies of anti-aliasing signed distance fields (SDFs). While seemingly straightforward, the process involves numerous considerations, including gradients, transition zone width, coordinate spaces, and color space choices. It explains the use of linear interpolation and smoothstep functions for anti-aliasing SDFs, compares different approaches, and provides practical solutions using pixel size, numerical derivatives, and various color spaces.

(blog.pkh.me)

Development Anti-aliasing

Accidental Security Bug Discovery: A Right-Click Adventure

2025-03-08

Accidental Security Bug Discovery: A Right-Click Adventure

While configuring a self-service portal, the author, driven by curiosity, modified a supposedly uneditable email field and discovered an SSO vulnerability. This allowed changing the work email to a personal one, bypassing authentication. The vulnerability was reported, and the vendor swiftly fixed it. This highlights how even simple tests can uncover critical security flaws and emphasizes the importance of curiosity and a user-centric approach in software testing.

(mattsayar.com)

Development security bug

Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Null Pointers

2025-02-01

Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Null Pointers

This article debunks common misconceptions about null pointers. It explores fallacies ranging from the simple (dereferencing a null pointer doesn't always crash the program immediately) to the bizarre (the null pointer's address isn't always 0). The author argues against relying on compiler optimizations or hardware specifics, highlighting the dangers of assuming consistent behavior across platforms. The article emphasizes that C should be treated as a higher-level language, not just "portable assembler," and encourages leveraging modern languages' memory safety features for more robust and portable code.

(purplesyringa.moe)

Development null pointer

The Rise of Hyperlegibility: Information Overload in the Modern Age

2025-03-28

The Rise of Hyperlegibility: Information Overload in the Modern Age

Once, accessing information required Herculean efforts, like scaling a treacherous cliff to find an inscription. Now, information is readily available, even unavoidable. The author coins the term "Hyperlegibility" to describe this ease of information access and dissemination. This stems not only from technological advancements but also from people's proactive pursuit of clarity. To stand out in competition, they openly share ideas and strategies. It's a game-theoretic outcome: information is no longer a scarce resource, yet it shapes new competitive landscapes, giving rise to a new generation of "Hyperlegibility Natives" with supercharged information processing abilities.

(www.notboring.co)

Misc information dissemination

Goodbye RSI: My Journey with the Svalboard Keyboard

2025-08-02

Years of computer use led to RSI, prompting a quest for the perfect ergonomic keyboard. From Microsoft Ergonomic to Kinesis Advantage and Ergodox EZ, my search culminated in the Svalboard Lightly. Its infrared optical keys and magnetic feedback, coupled with QMK firmware and Keybard software, allowed unparalleled customization. While pricey and with a steep learning curve, the Svalboard's superior ergonomics and customizability dramatically improved my typing comfort and efficiency, making it a worthwhile investment for the discerning user.

(twey.io)

Hardware Ergonomic Keyboard

Remote Code Execution on a Synth via MIDI Shellcode: Bad Apple on an LCD

2025-01-05

A hacker achieved remote code execution on a Yamaha PSR-E433 synthesizer using its MIDI interface. Through reverse engineering, they created a shell accessible via MIDI SysEx messages. This shell allowed them to manipulate the synth's memory, ultimately resulting in a Bad Apple video playing on its LCD screen. The project involved intricate JTAG debugging, firmware analysis, ARM assembly programming, and clever memory manipulation techniques. This impressive feat showcases a deep understanding of embedded systems reverse engineering.

(psi3.ru)

Tech

Kennedy's 'Make America Healthy Again' Report: A Sea of Scientific Errors

2025-05-29

Kennedy's 'Make America Healthy Again' Report: A Sea of Scientific Errors

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "Make America Healthy Again" Commission report, boasting over 500 cited studies, is plagued by significant inaccuracies. Seven cited sources are nonexistent, and numerous others misrepresent findings or contain broken links. Multiple researchers contacted confirmed the report misattributed or misinterpreted their work. This raises serious concerns about the report's scientific rigor and suggests a decline in the federal government's commitment to scientific accuracy.

(www.notus.org)

Tech scientific report research errors

Emulating Closures in Tcl: A Clever Hack

2025-05-03

This article explores implementing closure-like behavior in Tcl, a language lacking native closure support. The author cleverly leverages namespaces and the TclOO object system to create a class that mimics closures. This class captures external variables and maintains their validity outside their original scope, effectively achieving closure-like functionality. While differing slightly from C++ closures, this approach provides a practical solution for those needing closures in Tcl.

(world-playground-deceit.net)

Development

Feature Comparison: Two Powerful Photo & Video Management Apps

2025-09-08

Feature Comparison: Two Powerful Photo & Video Management Apps

This comparison analyzes the features of two photo and video management applications. Both support uploading and viewing videos and photos, auto-backup, duplicate prevention, selective album backup, downloading to local devices, multi-user support, albums and shared albums, scrubbable scrollbars, RAW format support, metadata viewing (EXIF, map), search by metadata, objects, faces, and CLIP, virtual scrolling, OAuth support, LivePhoto/MotionPhoto backup and playback, user-defined storage structures, public sharing, archiving and favorites, global map, partner sharing, facial recognition and clustering, memories (x years ago), stacked photos, and folder view. However, one app lacks administrative functions, background backup, 360-degree image display, tags, and offline support.

(github.com)

Development photo management video management app comparison

X11 DPI Scaling: Debunking the Myth

2025-06-25

The author challenges the common belief that X11 doesn't support DPI scaling by successfully drawing a two-inch circle across multiple screens with varying sizes and resolutions. Using OpenGL and X server configuration events, the author dynamically adjusts the circle's radius based on physical screen dimensions obtained from the X server. Despite encountering minor inaccuracies, like a discrepancy in the TV's reported size, the experiment proves DPI scaling in X11 is achievable. The process highlights the importance of ignoring limitations imposed by others and pursuing seemingly impossible tasks.

(flak.tedunangst.com)

Development DPI scaling

Maximizing GPU Utilization: From Allocation to FLOP/s

2025-05-07

Maximizing GPU Utilization: From Allocation to FLOP/s

This article delves into three levels of GPU utilization: GPU Allocation Utilization, GPU Kernel Utilization, and Model FLOP/s Utilization. The authors highlight the importance of maximizing GPU utilization given their high cost and performance sensitivity. The article analyzes factors affecting utilization at each level, such as economic limitations, DevOps limitations, and host overhead, and proposes optimization strategies like using the Modal platform for improved GPU allocation efficiency, optimizing kernel code, and increasing arithmetic intensity. Finally, the article shares the current state of GPU utilization in the industry and best practices, providing valuable experience and guidance for developers.

(modal.com)

Development

UK Debt Yields Surge, Echoing 2022 Crisis Fears

2025-08-19

UK Debt Yields Surge, Echoing 2022 Crisis Fears

Yields on long-term UK government bonds have surged, exceeding their US counterparts for the first time this century, sparking concerns about the UK's fiscal situation. The 30-year UK gilt yield hit 5.61%, 68 basis points higher than the US equivalent. This widening gap reflects growing investor apprehension. The UK faces long-term structural economic challenges, high inflation, slowing growth, and rising unemployment. The upcoming inflation report is crucial; hotter-than-expected data could push yields higher and potentially trigger another 2022-style pension crisis.

(www.coindesk.com)

Tech UK Gilts

Go vs. Rust: Backend Battle Royale of 2025

2025-03-09

Go vs. Rust: Backend Battle Royale of 2025

A crab and a gopher stroll into a server room, the crab flexing its zero-cost abstractions, the gopher showcasing its goroutines. Welcome to the backend battle of 2025! This post compares Go and Rust for high-performance production needs, acknowledging TypeScript as a strong contender for new projects but highlighting Go and Rust's dominance when ultimate speed is crucial. A real-world JSON-processing HTTP server scenario is used for comparison, although specific performance benchmarks aren't detailed, emphasizing the complexities inherent in performance metrics.

(effective-programmer.com)

Development Backend Performance

Trump Admin Dismantles US Defenses Against Foreign Interference

2025-02-21

In recent weeks, the Trump administration has rapidly dismantled a decade-long effort by US government agencies, tech companies, and civil society organizations to build a comprehensive shield against foreign interference in American politics. Driven by transparently political motives, the move offers little justification beyond a desire for retribution. This not only weakens America's defenses but also signals to adversaries that the current leadership prioritizes appeasing a political base over national security. Key agencies like the State Department's Global Engagement Center, the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force, and elements of CISA have been gutted or sidelined. This represents a significant blow to American democracy and could have profound implications for future elections.

(www.lawfaremedia.org)

Tech foreign interference

OpenAI Misses Deadline for Photographer Opt-Out System

2025-01-16

OpenAI Misses Deadline for Photographer Opt-Out System

OpenAI has failed to deliver on its promise of a tool allowing photographers to opt out of having their work used in its AI training data by its self-imposed 2025 deadline. The planned Media Manager tool was meant to address copyright concerns and avoid legal disputes. However, its development appears stalled, with a former employee stating it wasn't a priority. This leaves photographers feeling exploited, their work used without permission or compensation. The situation highlights the ongoing challenges of managing copyright in AI training data.

(petapixel.com)

Tech AI training data

Project Mini Rack: Compact, Portable Homelabs

2025-01-17

Jeff Geerling announces Project MINI RACK, an open-source project for building compact 10" homelabs. The project provides resources for hardware and software, showcasing three example mini-racks: a battery-backed solar-powered rack, a low-cost Raspberry Pi cluster, and a high-performance compute-dense rack. A build showcase encourages community contributions and sharing of designs. This addresses the need for smaller, more portable homelab solutions.

(www.jeffgeerling.com)

Hardware homelab mini rack open source hardware

DOGE's Risky Plan to Migrate SSA's COBOL Code Sparks Concerns

2025-03-28

DOGE's Risky Plan to Migrate SSA's COBOL Code Sparks Concerns

The core systems of the US Social Security Administration (SSA) still rely on outdated COBOL code. A group called DOGE is planning to migrate millions of lines of this code to a modern language within months, but this plan has sparked serious concerns. The migration process could result in system failures affecting millions of beneficiaries' payments. Experts warn of the extreme risk of system crashes, given the SSA's complex and fragile system, likened to a house of cards or a Jenga tower. DOGE plans to utilize AI to assist in code conversion, but testing and resolving all potential edge cases would take years, not months.

(www.wired.com)

Tech

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