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18 Rules for Running a Successful Skunkworks Project at a Large Tech Company

2025-05-01

This article distills the author's experience building large-scale software projects at Meta and Confluent, outlining 18 principles for running successful skunkworks projects within large companies. These rules cover team composition, communication styles, incentive structures, and risk management. The core idea is to build a small, highly collaborative, and innovative team, ensuring success through rapid iteration, precise external communication, and results-oriented rewards. The author emphasizes avoiding premature exit from skunkworks mode, valuing individual skills in the context of overall project success rather than individual promotion.

(maheshba.bitbucket.io)

Development skunkworks

Pea Protein Foam: Revolutionizing Plant-Based Baking

2024-12-18

Pea Protein Foam: Revolutionizing Plant-Based Baking

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute have developed a plant-based protein foam made from legumes like peas and lentils. This foam can be used in baking to create light and airy baked goods, offering a healthy vegan alternative to egg whites. The process involves extracting pea protein and optimizing its foaming properties using high-pressure homogenization. The resulting foam closely matches the quality of animal-derived protein foams. While discerning palates might detect subtle differences, this innovation represents a significant breakthrough for plant-based baking, reflecting the growing demand for healthy and sustainable food options.

(phys.org)

Tech plant-based protein baking

Samsung Locks Down Bootloaders in One UI 8, Stifling Customization

2025-07-29

Samsung Locks Down Bootloaders in One UI 8, Stifling Customization

The Android modding community is up in arms after discovering Samsung's One UI 8 update removes the bootloader unlock option on many devices. Previously available outside the US, this feature allowed users to install custom ROMs and kernels. Evidence shows this option is gone in One UI 8 beta builds for the Galaxy S25 and stable builds for the Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7, affecting global users. While Samsung now offers seven years of OS updates, this move prevents users from extending device life or enhancing performance through custom ROMs, a significant blow to those who appreciate deep Android customization.

(www.sammobile.com)

Development

Hubble's Epic Panorama: 200 Million Stars in Andromeda Galaxy

2025-01-25

Hubble's Epic Panorama: 200 Million Stars in Andromeda Galaxy

The Hubble Space Telescope has created its largest-ever panorama of the Andromeda galaxy, showcasing over 200 million stars after more than a decade of work. Composed of over 600 individual Hubble images, this 2.5-billion-pixel mosaic reveals unprecedented detail of our galactic neighbor. Astronomers will use this data to study Andromeda's age, heavy element abundance, stellar masses, and its merger history with other galaxies. This monumental achievement provides invaluable data for understanding the evolution of the universe. The successor to Hubble, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, is set to launch in 2027 and will capture even higher resolution images.

(www.techspot.com)

Tech

Perlin Noise: The Magic Behind Procedural Terrain Generation

2025-03-08

Perlin Noise: The Magic Behind Procedural Terrain Generation

This article provides a clear explanation of the Perlin noise algorithm and its application in procedural terrain generation. Starting with examples like Minecraft, it illustrates how Perlin noise uses algorithms, not manual design, to create realistic natural textures and objects. The article details how Perlin noise works, provides a Python implementation, and shows how to adjust parameters (like scale, persistence, and lacunarity) to control terrain smoothness, detail, and complexity. Furthermore, it explores combining multiple layers of Perlin noise (fractal Brownian motion) and other techniques (moisture levels, radial dropoff, custom functions) to generate more refined terrain and even underground cave systems, ultimately showcasing the powerful potential of Perlin noise in game development and generative art.

(jdhwilkins.com)

Game Perlin noise

Sanders Slams Trump Admin's Slide Towards Oligarchy, Authoritarianism, and Kleptocracy

2025-02-06

Sanders Slams Trump Admin's Slide Towards Oligarchy, Authoritarianism, and Kleptocracy

Senator Bernie Sanders delivered a scathing critique of the Trump administration on February 4, 2025, accusing it of steering the US towards oligarchy, authoritarianism, and kleptocracy. He highlighted policies enriching a small number of billionaires while undermining democratic institutions through unconstitutional actions. These include the illegal firing of inspectors general, media suppression, and the use of cryptocurrencies for personal enrichment. Sanders urged resistance and proposed solutions like universal healthcare, a living wage, and strengthening labor unions to improve the lives of ordinary Americans.

(www.counterpunch.org)

Politics

NetBSD: The Open-Source OS Conquering Space

2025-07-21

NetBSD: The Open-Source OS Conquering Space

NetBSD, a highly portable, open-source Unix-like operating system, has proven itself a critical component in satellite technology. Its use in missions like AeroCube, BRICSat-P, ITSAT, and NASA's SAMPEX highlights its ability to handle the demanding constraints of space. NetBSD's lightweight design, robust reliability, and customizability, along with its real-time capabilities and cross-compilation support, make it a powerful choice for resource-limited spacecraft.

(machaddr.substack.com)

Tech

Distributed Database Replication using SWIM and BadgerDB

2025-05-14

Distributed Database Replication using SWIM and BadgerDB

This article details a distributed database replication scheme leveraging the SWIM protocol and BadgerDB's incremental backup feature. Using Hashicorp's memberlist package and its TCP Push/Pull mechanism, nodes periodically compute their local state and send it to other nodes. Remote nodes merge the remote state with their local state, triggering the replication process. Node state is defined as the set of last known versions of other nodes. Upon receiving state, a node sends HTTP requests to the remote node, concurrently syncing incremental backups of auth, config, and log databases, thus achieving actual replication.

(david-delassus.medium.com)

Development replication SWIM protocol

Call of Duty Movie Officially in the Works

2025-09-03

Call of Duty Movie Officially in the Works

Paramount Pictures and Activision have officially partnered to bring the globally successful video game franchise, Call of Duty, to the big screen. Spearheaded by Paramount's Chairman & CEO David Ellison, a lifelong fan of the game, and produced by Skydance, this collaboration aims to deliver a high-quality film adaptation. While Activision previously attempted a Call of Duty film adaptation, this new partnership leverages the success of the Top Gun: Maverick team, promising a cinematic experience that will satisfy the millions of fans worldwide.

(deadline.com)

Game movie adaptation video game adaptation

Cosmo Music Closes After 57 Years: Tech Investments Fail, Store-Closing Sale Underway

2025-03-18

Cosmo Music Closes After 57 Years: Tech Investments Fail, Store-Closing Sale Underway

After 57 years of serving musicians, Canadian music retailer Cosmo Music is closing its doors. Post-COVID challenges and unsuccessful, expensive technology investments led to declining market share, ultimately proving insurmountable. The physical store remains open for a store-closing sale, with the exact closing date yet to be determined. Cosmo Music's e-commerce website is closed, but customers with existing orders will receive refunds or shipments. School music programs, the repair shop, and event A/V production and rentals will be taken over by Long & McQuade.

(cosmomusic.ca)

Startup store closing sale

America in 2024: A Year of Rage and Confusion

2024-12-29

America in 2024: A Year of Rage and Confusion

The year 2024 in America was marked by a stark contrast between widespread anger and elite confusion. Soaring homelessness, particularly among families, fueled public resentment. This anger manifested in various ways, from schadenfreude towards the Titan submersible victims to support for Trump and outrage over the murder of a healthcare CEO. The elite, however, struggled to understand this anger, resorting to ineffective security measures like a CEO crisis hotline, further alienating the public. Senator Warren's attempt to articulate the root of the anger was stifled, highlighting a critical communication breakdown.

(www.kenklippenstein.com)

Misc American society inequality political unrest

RedNote's Dilemma: A Flood of 'TikTok Refugees' and the Threat of US Influence

2025-01-17

RedNote's Dilemma: A Flood of 'TikTok Refugees' and the Threat of US Influence

The impending US ban on TikTok has sent millions of users flocking to RedNote, a Chinese social media platform. However, this influx presents a challenge. To prevent US users from influencing its Chinese user base, RedNote may soon segregate users, sparking controversy. This move risks cutting off Chinese-Americans from Chinese culture and information, while simultaneously highlighting China's long-standing concerns about Western social media influence – a situation ironically mirroring the US's planned TikTok ban. RedNote's unexpected popularity has caught it off guard, forcing it to scramble to moderate English content and build translation tools.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech

Laptop Mag Shuts Down After 35 Years

2025-07-02

Laptop Mag, a long-standing laptop and technology review website, has ceased operations after nearly 35 years. Its parent company, Future PLC, cited a strategic review as the reason for the closure. Starting as a print publication in 1991, Laptop Mag transitioned to a digital-only format in 2013. The shutdown follows the recent closure of AnandTech, also owned by Future PLC, raising concerns about the future of tech journalism and leaving the fate of Laptop Mag's archives uncertain.

(www.theverge.com)

Tech

Efficient Maze Generation using Disjoint-Set Data Structure

2025-07-02

Efficient Maze Generation using Disjoint-Set Data Structure

This talk presents an efficient method for generating mazes using the disjoint-set data structure. The speaker first explains the properties of mazes and how to represent them as graphs, then introduces the disjoint-set data structure and its `union` and `find` operations. By repeatedly performing the `union` operation until only one set remains, a maze can be generated. The speaker also discusses optimizations for the `find` operation, including union by rank and path compression, reducing lookup time from O(n) to near constant time. Finally, the speaker demonstrates how to connect multiple mazes to create more complex ones.

(utk.claranguyen.me)

Game disjoint-set

Obama's Super-Secure BlackBerry: A Tale of Tech and Security

2025-05-08

Obama's Super-Secure BlackBerry: A Tale of Tech and Security

Upon taking office in 2009, President Obama faced the challenge of relinquishing his beloved BlackBerry due to security concerns. However, instead of abandoning his device, a collaborative effort between the Secret Service, White House Communications Agency, and NSA led to a solution: a custom-built SecurVoice encryption software package. This allowed Obama to maintain secure communication, albeit with a limited circle of contacts using the same encrypted system. The story highlights the need for secure communication at the highest levels, showcasing a shift from dedicated hardware to software-based security on commercial smartphones. Today, Obama's secure BlackBerrys are on display at the National Cryptologic Museum, a testament to this fascinating chapter in tech and security.

(www.electrospaces.net)

Tech BlackBerry

Autoscaling Your Kubernetes Apps with Dash0: Beyond CPU and Memory

2025-01-11

Autoscaling Your Kubernetes Apps with Dash0: Beyond CPU and Memory

This blog post demonstrates how to leverage Dash0 for automated scaling of Kubernetes applications. While Kubernetes simplifies scaling, manual replica adjustments are inefficient. Dash0 automates this process by monitoring application telemetry. The post explores three Kubernetes autoscaling types: Horizontal Pod Autoscaling, Vertical Pod Autoscaling, and Cluster Autoscaling, focusing on Horizontal Pod Autoscaling. It explains its mechanics and how to utilize custom metrics (like latency) instead of solely relying on CPU and memory utilization for optimal scaling strategies. Dash0 integrates with the Prometheus Adapter, enabling PromQL queries against Dash0 data to drive HPA, resulting in automated scaling based on application performance and improved user experience.

(www.dash0.com)

Development Autoscaling

Automating Daily Weather Text Messages

2025-06-14

Tired of opening the weather app every morning? The author explored two methods: First, a Zapier automation sent a daily weather text message around 7 AM. However, lacking customizability and relying on a third party, he built a more flexible system using TypeScript, Twilio, and GitHub Actions. Open-Meteo API provides weather data, Twilio sends SMS messages, and GitHub Actions triggers the task at 6:45 AM daily (accounting for timezones). While the custom summary is less detailed than Zapier's, he gained control and cost-effectiveness, planning improvements to the summary's detail.

(bensilverman.co.uk)

Development weather

OpenWrt 24.10 Stable Release: Over 1970 Devices Supported

2025-02-06

The OpenWrt community proudly announces the stable release of OpenWrt 24.10, a major update from 23.05. Developed over a year and incorporating over 5400 commits, it boasts support for over 1970 devices, adding over 100 new ones, including OpenWrt One. Upgrading from OpenWrt 23.05 is generally supported via sysupgrade, but a configuration backup is highly recommended. However, users of specific devices (like Linksys E8450, Xiaomi AX3200, and Zyxel GS1900 series switches) need to follow special upgrade instructions to avoid bricking their devices.

(openwrt.org)

Development

Microsoft Avoids EU Antitrust Fine by Unbundling Teams

2025-09-15

Microsoft Avoids EU Antitrust Fine by Unbundling Teams

The European Commission has closed a multi-year antitrust investigation into Microsoft after the company agreed to unbundle its Teams messaging app from its Office productivity suites. This avoids potentially massive fines for Microsoft. The tech giant pledged to offer cheaper versions of Microsoft 365 and Office 365 without Teams for the next seven years and to open APIs for better interoperability with third-party tools. The decision is seen as a win-win, allowing the EU to avoid a legal battle and Microsoft to escape a potential fine reaching 10% of its annual revenue.

(techcrunch.com)

Tech

Nebula Sans: A New Brand Font for Nebula Streaming Service

2025-04-05

Nebula, a premium streaming service from independent creators, has released its new brand typeface, Nebula Sans. Based on Source Sans and designed as a drop-in replacement for Whitney SSm, Nebula Sans is available under the SIL Open Font License for anyone to use. A short documentary details the story behind Nebula Sans. Featuring two styles in six weights, it's suitable for interfaces, print, and any graphical, digital, physical, metaphysical, metaphorical, or allegorical needs.

(nebulasans.com)

Design

AI Adoption Soars in the Workplace, But Leadership Lags

2025-06-17

AI Adoption Soars in the Workplace, But Leadership Lags

AI use at work is exploding. In just two years, the percentage of US employees using AI at least a few times a year has nearly doubled to 40%. This increase is heavily concentrated in white-collar jobs, particularly in tech, professional services, and finance. While AI adoption is rising, employee fears of job displacement haven't increased. However, a significant gap exists: many companies lack clear AI strategies and guidelines, leaving employees to use AI without guardrails. This hinders the realization of AI's value and employee buy-in. Strong leadership and clear AI strategies are crucial for maximizing AI's potential in the workplace.

(www.gallup.com)

Tech

Italian YouTuber Faces Criminal Charges for Promoting ROM-Loaded Handhelds

2025-07-17

Italian YouTuber Faces Criminal Charges for Promoting ROM-Loaded Handhelds

Italian YouTuber Once Were Nerd is facing legal trouble for reviewing Android handheld gaming consoles pre-loaded with ROMs on his YouTube channel. Agents from Italy's Guardia di Finanza raided his home, confiscating his consoles and accusing him of promoting copyright infringement. While emulation software itself is legal, the pre-loaded ROMs violate copyright law, serving as a warning to other YouTubers reviewing similar devices and highlighting the complexities of digital copyright protection.

(arstechnica.com)

Game Android handhelds

Jeju Air Crash: Black Boxes Silent Before Impact

2025-01-11

Jeju Air Crash: Black Boxes Silent Before Impact

A Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 crashed in Korea, resulting in 179 fatalities. The investigation revealed that both the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) stopped recording four minutes before the plane crashed. This crucial data loss complicates the investigation, forcing investigators to rely on other evidence to determine the cause of the crash. Possible causes under investigation include bird strike, landing gear malfunction, and the runway barrier. The transport minister resigned, and authorities are investigating the airport and Jeju Air.

(www.koreatimes.co.kr)

Tech black box Jeju Air

The Perils of Over-Reliance on AI Coding Tools: Don't Let Automation Become Your Crutch

2025-04-03

The author recounts their experience with over-reliance on AI coding tools, drawing a parallel to using Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature. Initially, AI boosted efficiency, but long-term dependence led to a decline in coding skills, particularly in tackling complex problems independently. The author advocates for cautious AI usage, warning against becoming a 'prompt engineer'. They emphasize mastering fundamental skills and maintaining independent problem-solving abilities to thrive in the age of AI.

(lucianonooijen.com)

Development

KDE Plasma 6.5: Rounded Corners and UI Improvements on the Way

2025-07-21

KDE Plasma 6.5: Rounded Corners and UI Improvements on the Way

The KDE team released its weekly update, highlighting the upcoming Plasma 6.5's rounded window corners, a long-requested feature. Improvements also include refined KRunner search result ordering, a more flexible Disks & Devices widget, resizable sidebars in Discover and System Monitor, and an improved Weather Report widget. Plasma 6.4.4, addressing several bugs, will be released on August 5th.

(www.neowin.net)

Development UI improvements

The Magic of Code: From Beginner to Burnout, to Becoming Santa

2025-07-21

The Magic of Code: From Beginner to Burnout, to Becoming Santa

This article chronicles a programmer's journey: the initial feeling of omnipotence, the subsequent disillusionment upon realizing reliance on large tech companies' APIs, and the ultimate realization that true magic stems from persistent effort and deep domain expertise. The author uses a lighthearted tone, weaving in personal anecdotes and work examples to illustrate the essence of software development. The article encourages programmers to persevere, continuously improving their skills to create their own 'magic'.

(digitalseams.com)

Development

Vim's Rebirth After the Passing of its Founder

2025-01-24

The death of Bram Moolenaar, Vim's creator, shook the community. However, the project continues under the stewardship of Christian Brabandt. The team tackled website modernization, security updates, and new feature development, including XDG directory support and Wayland support. While controversies, such as Tree-sitter integration, exist, the Vim community remains active and dedicated to the project's future.

(lwn.net)

Development

Printercow: AI Printing, Now Accessible to All

2025-01-21

Printercow transforms any thermal printer into an API endpoint, letting you print anything from receipts to AI-generated art via HTTP requests. Support for various thermal printer brands is included, along with 300 free prints per month. Simple installation via command line or desktop app makes setup a breeze. Whether you're a hobbyist printing AI poems or a business handling thousands of receipts daily, Printercow scales to your needs. Its flexible settings, robust features, and privacy-focused design make it the perfect bridge between AI and the physical world.

(www.printercow.com)

Tech

Microsoft's Next-Gen Xbox: Beyond the Console, Embracing Any Screen

2025-06-12

Microsoft's Next-Gen Xbox: Beyond the Console, Embracing Any Screen

Microsoft's partnership with ASUS to launch the ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X handhelds signals a major shift in its next-gen Xbox strategy. These Windows-based devices feature a full-screen Xbox UI, extending the gaming experience beyond a single console. This reinforces Microsoft's 'Xbox as a service' vision, pushing the platform to various devices. While currently focused on PC games, Microsoft is addressing compatibility issues through Xbox Play Anywhere and cloud gaming, with plans to leverage emulation for future backward compatibility. The strategy prioritizes player choice, aiming to make any screen an Xbox.

(www.theverge.com)

Game

ScummVM Wiki Fends Off Massive DDoS Attack with Anubis

2025-05-01

ScummVM Wiki Fends Off Massive DDoS Attack with Anubis

The ScummVM wiki website suffered a massive DDoS attack from roughly 35,000 IPs worldwide, causing an outage. Attackers exploited specific URLs to heavily load the database, exhausting resources on the Apache, PHP-FPM, and MariaDB servers. To counter this, the author deployed Anubis, a system using a proof-of-work mechanism to efficiently filter malicious requests. Anubis successfully defended against the attack with minimal server resource consumption, ensuring website uptime. Anubis not only effectively blocks AI scrapers but also functions as a DDoS protection system.

(fabulous.systems)

Development website security

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