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Zest: A Programming Language Balancing Malleability and Legibility

2025-03-19
Zest: A Programming Language Balancing Malleability and Legibility

Zest is a work-in-progress programming language designed to create systems that are both malleable and legible. It aims to combine the interactivity and liveness of systems like emacs with features like static typing, early binding, and jump-to-definition. Currently, Zest supports basic control flow, arithmetic, and functions, but still needs improvements in error handling, memory management, and recursive functions. Code can be interpreted or compiled, but mixed mode is not yet supported. The documentation includes embedded tests to verify the output of different dialects (lax and strict).

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(github.com)
Development

Make Ubuntu Packages 90% Faster: A Tale of Recompilation and Allocators

2025-03-19
Make Ubuntu Packages 90% Faster: A Tale of Recompilation and Allocators

This post details how recompiling the jq source package used by Ubuntu resulted in a staggering 90% performance improvement. The author benchmarked against a 500MB GeoJSON file. Simply rebuilding the package yielded a small but noticeable speedup. Further optimizations included using clang with better flags (-O3, -flto, -DNDEBUG), which provided a 20% boost. Switching to the TCMalloc allocator improved performance by another 40%. Finally, using mimalloc, either dynamically loaded or integrated during the rebuild, resulted in the remarkable 90% speed increase. The recompiled jq with mimalloc is nearly twice as fast as the default Ubuntu package in various tests.

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(gist.github.com)
Development compilation optimization memory allocation

Reaktiv: A Reactive Programming Library for Python

2025-01-31
Reaktiv: A Reactive Programming Library for Python

Reaktiv is a reactive programming library for Python, inspired by Angular's reactivity model and featuring first-class async/await support. It simplifies building and managing data-dependent signals, automatically updating dependencies when data changes. With a straightforward API, Reaktiv supports both synchronous and asynchronous contexts, boasts automatic dependency tracking, zero external dependencies, and efficient memory management, significantly reducing the complexity of asynchronous programming.

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(github.com)
Development reactive programming

From Johnny Appleseed to Sewage Treatment: A History of Water Management

2025-05-01
From Johnny Appleseed to Sewage Treatment: A History of Water Management

This article begins with the story of Johnny Appleseed, exploring humanity's millennia-long struggle with water resource utilization and management. Appleseed's apple trees weren't for eating, but for cider—a crucial public health measure in early America, providing a safer alternative to polluted water. This introduces the central theme: accessing and treating clean water has always been a monumental challenge. The article traces the history from the sophisticated drainage systems of ancient Mohenjo-daro, to Roman aqueducts and sewers, and the evolution of urban sewage treatment post-Industrial Revolution. It reveals the tension between technological advancements and societal management. While modern sewage treatment boasts three-stage processes, corruption, inefficiency, and underinvestment remain major obstacles globally, demanding urgent attention.

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(www.thenewatlantis.com)
Tech water resources sewage treatment

Dumac: Significant Performance Improvements in a macOS Disk Usage Tool

2025-08-11

Dumac, a macOS disk usage utility faster than `du -sh`, leverages the macOS-specific `getattrlistbulk` syscall. After incorporating community feedback, the author boosted performance by ~33% by switching from Tokio to Rayon for improved parallelism and optimizing inode hash-set sharding. Addressing inode contention through a refined sharding strategy yielded further speed gains.

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(healeycodes.com)
Development

The Last Months with Patricia Highsmith: A Young Assistant's Memoir

2025-06-15
The Last Months with Patricia Highsmith: A Young Assistant's Memoir

The author recounts their experience as Patricia Highsmith's assistant during the novelist's final months, a time filled with suspense and complex emotions. Beginning with a chance encounter in Zurich, the author is drawn into Highsmith's unique world in Tegna, Switzerland. Highsmith's eccentric personality, frugal nature, and ambivalent treatment of the author create a sense of unease. Yet, through the mundane tasks and interactions, the author gradually uncovers the deep loneliness and yearning for love within the legendary writer, alongside her struggles with self-acceptance. This brief but profound experience provides a deeper understanding of the acclaimed author and offers fresh insight into the complexities of life and human nature.

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(yalereview.org)
Misc author Patricia Highsmith

Scrapscript: A Compact Programming Language Serialized with Msgpack

2024-12-28
Scrapscript: A Compact Programming Language Serialized with Msgpack

Scrapscript is a novel programming language that compiles programs into "flat scraps" in the Msgpack format, enabling efficient network transmission and storage. Using reverse Polish notation and custom operators, Scrapscript supports various data types and operations, and is interoperable with multiple languages. Its compact nature makes it ideal for bandwidth-constrained environments and offers potential advantages in code hashing and optimization.

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(taylor.town)
Development serialization

compile_flagz: Boosting C/C++ IDE Support in Zig Build Systems

2025-09-13

Zig's build system offers powerful cross-compilation capabilities for C/C++ projects, but editor support often lags due to missing include paths. compile_flagz addresses this by generating a `compile_flags.txt` file, a standard format used by language servers like clangd. This file provides the necessary compilation settings, enabling features like code completion and error highlighting. The author details its usage and implementation, showcasing its effectiveness in a game decompilation project (ROLLER). A quick start guide is also provided.

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(simonhartcher.com)
Development

FOSS Projects and Takedown Requests: A Practical Guide

2025-09-13
FOSS Projects and Takedown Requests: A Practical Guide

This article explores how Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) projects can effectively handle takedown requests related to copyright, censorship, privacy, and other issues. Key strategies include establishing a formal takedown policy with clear channels and legal requirements; creating a transparent process to carefully review requests; strategically using jurisdiction, prioritizing domestic law; fairly and transparently notifying developers and offering appeals; and publicly documenting takedown activity to resist censorship. F-Droid is revising its takedown policy based on these lessons, emphasizing Dutch law, EU regulations, and community best practices.

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(f-droid.org)
Development legal compliance takedown requests

The Centuries-Old Papal Election Ritual: A Blend of Tradition and Intrigue

2025-05-08
The Centuries-Old Papal Election Ritual: A Blend of Tradition and Intrigue

The papal election follows a centuries-old tradition. Nine cardinals are randomly selected for specific roles: three scrutineers oversee the voting, three infirmarii collect votes from the sick, and three revisers verify the results. Cardinals cast their ballots in order of seniority. Ballots are meticulously checked and counted, ensuring the number matches the electors. The scrutineers then read each name aloud, sewing the ballots together. Finally, the color of the smoke from the burning ballots signals the world whether a new pope has been elected.

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(www.cnn.com)
Misc Papal Election Religious Ritual Historical Tradition

Saying Goodbye to `podman generate systemd`: Quadlet Simplifies Podman Container Systemd Management

2025-03-24
Saying Goodbye to `podman generate systemd`: Quadlet Simplifies Podman Container Systemd Management

This blog post introduces Quadlet, a superior method for managing Podman containers as systemd services, replacing the deprecated `podman generate systemd` command. Quadlet uses concise `.container` files for configuration, offering features like automatic updates, dependency management, and automatic restart after server reboots. It's presented as a more flexible, powerful, and maintainable alternative to the previous shell scripting approach. The author provides a detailed comparison of both methods, highlighting Quadlet's advantages, including single configuration files, full systemd feature utilization, and simpler dependency management. The post also mentions `podman auto-update` and the `podlet` migration tool.

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(mo8it.com)
Development

ToddlerBot 2.0: Acknowledgements and Funding

2025-09-12

This paper acknowledges the numerous individuals who contributed to the ToddlerBot 2.0 robotics project. This includes individuals who assisted with assembly, animation, and demo recording, as well as those who provided guidance and discussions on locomotion, manipulation policy deployment, and mathematical formulation. The project was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Sloan Fellowship, Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, and Stanford Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance.

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(toddlerbot.github.io)
AI Acknowledgements

Ambulance Chasing After a 911 Call: Capitalism's Dark Side?

2025-01-31
Ambulance Chasing After a 911 Call: Capitalism's Dark Side?

A false alarm at 3 AM led to a fire department visit, ultimately revealing a faulty HVAC system. Hours later, a Servpro representative aggressively solicited cleanup services. The author suspects their 911 call information, likely accessible via platforms like PulsePoint, was used to generate a sales lead. This incident highlights a disturbing trend of exploiting emergencies for profit, raising concerns about consumer privacy and the ethical implications of data sharing.

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(a.wholelottanothing.org)
Misc disaster capitalism

Turning Urine into Bone: A Biotech Breakthrough

2025-06-28
Turning Urine into Bone: A Biotech Breakthrough

Researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, UC Irvine, and UIUC have engineered yeast to convert human urine into hydroxyapatite, a valuable mineral used in bone and tooth repair. This cost-effective process not only provides a sustainable source of hydroxyapatite but also offers a solution for reducing wastewater treatment costs and creating fertilizer. The modified yeast, dubbed 'osteoyeast', efficiently extracts minerals from urine, mimicking the natural bone-building process. This 'pee-cycling' approach promises a significant environmental and economic impact.

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(newscenter.lbl.gov)
Tech

France Slaps Apple with €150M Fine Over App Tracking Transparency

2025-03-31
France Slaps Apple with €150M Fine Over App Tracking Transparency

France's competition authority fined Apple €150 million for violating competition law with its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework. The authority argues that ATT disproportionately harms smaller publishers because Apple's own ad tracking requires only single consent, while others need double consent. While the fine is insignificant to Apple's revenue, Apple must modify ATT to comply. Apple maintains that ATT is consistent for all developers and enjoys broad support.

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(arstechnica.com)
Tech

2024 Amiga Game Releases Index: Retro Gaming Thrives

2024-12-31
2024 Amiga Game Releases Index: Retro Gaming Thrives

The Lemon Amiga website has released its 2024 index of Amiga game releases, showcasing a plethora of new titles spanning various genres, including platformers, puzzles, and shooters. The index features both faithful ports of classic arcade games and original creations, highlighting the vibrant Amiga gaming community. It also includes game prototypes and titles under development, demonstrating the enduring passion for Amiga game creation.

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(www.lemonamiga.com)
Game Amiga games retro gaming

A Lavish 16th-Century Christening: A Pictorial Record

2025-08-11
A Lavish 16th-Century Christening: A Pictorial Record

The christening of Princess Elisabeth von Hessen-Kassel in 1596 was a four-day extravaganza featuring fireworks, knightly tournaments (among the last in Europe), and elaborate pageantry. Engineer-engraver Wilhelm Dilich commemorated the event with his richly illustrated work, *Historische Beschreibung der Kindtauf des Fräuleins Elisabeth zu Hessen* (Description of the Christening of Lady Elisabeth of Hesse). The images depict the four-day celebration and showcase the participants' costumes, drawing on mythological, allegorical, and historical figures: Hannibal, Impudence, Alexander the Great, Jason, Perseus, Fortune, and Julius Caesar all make appearances.

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(publicdomainreview.org)
Misc celebration

The Unfathomable Complexity of Playing Cards

2025-01-17
The Unfathomable Complexity of Playing Cards

The seemingly simple act of playing cards hides an incredible mathematical complexity. From the randomness of shuffling to the 'aha' moments in card games, the topic has fascinated mathematicians and game designers alike. This article explores the origins and evolution of playing cards, their use in modern game design, and the captivating allure that keeps us hooked, highlighting the challenges they present in mathematics and game development.

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(www.polygon.com)
Game playing cards

Intel Pentium: The FDIV Bug and the Rise of the Pentium Pro

2025-03-24
Intel Pentium: The FDIV Bug and the Rise of the Pentium Pro

By 1994, Intel's Pentium processor, based on the x86 architecture, dominated the PC market with a 75% share. However, a significant flaw, the FDIV bug, surfaced, causing inaccurate results in certain floating-point calculations. This led to a costly recall and replacement program. Despite this setback, the Pentium's success fueled Intel's growth. In 1995, Intel launched the groundbreaking Pentium Pro, featuring the innovative P6 architecture. Outperforming competitors, the Pentium Pro successfully penetrated the workstation and server markets, laying the foundation for Intel's future dominance.

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(www.abortretry.fail)
Tech

Don't Let Self-Serve UIs Fool You: They Aren't Always a Silver Bullet

2025-03-27

This article explores the pros and cons of building self-serve UIs for accessing internal systems. While simplifying configuration seems appealing, for complex tasks, self-serve UIs can be counterproductive. They don't solve underlying engineering problems and can mask risks, leading to errors and security vulnerabilities. The author suggests that before building a self-serve UI, one should first delve deeper into the root cause of the problem and improve the system itself, rather than just relying on superficial simplification.

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(jeremymikkola.com)
Development Engineering Efficiency

1995's Predictions for 2025: Hits and Misses

2025-03-31
1995's Predictions for 2025: Hits and Misses

This article revisits predictions made in 1995 about life in 2025. Some predictions, such as the widespread adoption of the internet and mobile devices, were surprisingly accurate. Others, like supersonic passenger planes and a Mars colony, completely missed the mark. The article explores the relationship between prediction accuracy and the context of the time, noting that technological advancements don't always translate to increased leisure time.

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(newslttrs.com)
Tech tech predictions futurism

Childhood Leukemia: From Death Sentence to Treatable Disease

2025-06-15
Childhood Leukemia: From Death Sentence to Treatable Disease

Before the 1970s, childhood leukemia was a death sentence, with less than 10% of diagnosed children surviving five years. Today, in North America and Europe, that survival rate has soared to around 85%! This dramatic turnaround is due to a series of breakthroughs: collaborative research leading to more effective chemotherapy regimens, personalized treatments based on risk stratification, the development of targeted drugs and immunotherapies fueled by molecular research, and improved supportive care. This is a testament to the power of scientific collaboration and a model for what medical research can achieve.

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(ourworldindata.org)
Tech childhood leukemia medical progress

Intel Shakes Up Executive Suite, CEO Ousts Top Product Officer

2025-09-10
Intel Shakes Up Executive Suite, CEO Ousts Top Product Officer

Intel is undergoing a major executive shakeup under new CEO Lip-Bu Tan. Since March, Tan has overseen mass layoffs, eliminated Intel's automotive division, and flattened the leadership structure. The latest casualty is Michelle Johnston Holthaus, Chief Product Officer, who departed after a 10-month tenure. Tan is bringing in executives from Cadence and Arm to bolster Intel's custom silicon and datacenter businesses. These changes, coupled with government investment and a government equity stake, point towards a leaner, custom-silicon-focused future for Intel.

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(www.tomshardware.com)
Tech Executive Changes Chip Industry

Senior Devs Embrace AI Code, But Efficiency Gains Aren't Always Smooth Sailing

2025-09-01
Senior Devs Embrace AI Code, But Efficiency Gains Aren't Always Smooth Sailing

A Fastly survey reveals senior developers are more likely to use AI-generated code than junior developers, with over half of their shipped code originating from AI. While AI can significantly boost coding speed, senior developers also spend more time fixing AI-generated errors, offsetting some time savings. The survey also uncovers the hidden costs of AI coding: high energy consumption and potential vulnerabilities. Despite this, AI still improves developer job satisfaction.

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(www.fastly.com)
Development

Wartime Trade: A Surprising Economic Reality

2025-09-01
Wartime Trade: A Surprising Economic Reality

MIT political scientist Mariya Grinberg's groundbreaking new book, "Trade in War," challenges conventional wisdom about wartime trade. Contrary to popular belief, nations frequently trade with their enemies during conflicts. Grinberg's research reveals that state leaders carefully calculate the economic benefits and military risks of trade, selectively engaging in it based on the potential utility of goods to the enemy, the impact on their own economy, and their estimations of war duration. For example, Germany's WWI dye exports to Britain are analyzed through this lens. The book offers a fresh perspective on international relations, highlighting the complex economic strategies states employ during war and their remarkably poor predictions of conflict length.

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(news.mit.edu)
Tech war economics international relations

The Surprisingly Simple Power of LLM Agent Loops with Tool Use

2025-05-15

The author and their team built an AI programming assistant called Sketch, whose core is a surprisingly simple loop: the LLM receives user input, performs actions (potentially involving tool calls like bash), and outputs results. This simple loop, combined with powerful LLMs like Claude 3.7 Sonnet, allows Sketch to efficiently handle many programming tasks such as git operations, code modifications, and error handling. The author believes this LLM agent loop approach will find widespread use in everyday automation, drastically improving efficiency.

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(sketch.dev)
Development AI programming assistant LLM agent loop tool use

Rainy Day Project: A TinyBASIC to Go Compiler

2025-06-18

Over a rainy weekend, the author built a compiler that translates TinyBASIC code into Go. Leveraging Go's nex (lexer) and goyacc (parser), the project comprises three stages: lexical analysis, parsing, and code generation. The author details the grammar and code generation process, showcasing example programs and outputs. This fun, challenging project demonstrates the practical application of compiler principles.

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(blog.singleton.io)
Development

No-Build Web App: Little Webby Press Reborn

2025-06-05

The author rewrote his ebook generator, Little Webby Press, to eliminate the build process. The new version ditches Svelte, BrowserFS, and other build tools and dependencies, opting instead for Mithril and Pico CSS, cleverly using importMap to load dependencies from JsDelivr. This resulted in cleaner code and a massive performance boost; generating the ebook and website for Moby Dick went from 4.7 seconds to under 0.5 seconds. The author finds this "no-build" approach more enjoyable and plans to focus on such web app development in the future.

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(andregarzia.com)
Development no-build

The Death of SSL Certificate Management (as We Know It)

2025-08-26

Managing SSL certificates is becoming a nightmare. What was once a quarterly task is now a weekly struggle, driven by increasingly stringent validation requirements and drastically shortened certificate lifespans—down to a mere 47 days by 2029! This escalating burden is pushing organizations towards platform-integrated certificate management or free alternatives like Let's Encrypt, potentially disrupting the traditional CA market. The author questions whether these changes genuinely enhance security or simply add unnecessary overhead for already strained IT teams.

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(www.chrislockard.net)
Development certificate management

Michigan Supreme Court Limits Scope of Smartphone Search Warrants

2025-08-27
Michigan Supreme Court Limits Scope of Smartphone Search Warrants

The Michigan Supreme Court ruled that overly broad warrants cannot be used by police to search a person's phone. In People v. Carson, the court found that warrants for digital devices must be specific, allowing access only to information directly related to the suspected crime. A warrant allowed police to search Carson's phone without limitations, leading to the collection of vast amounts of irrelevant data. The court deemed this a violation of the Fourth Amendment, requiring warrants to specify what can be searched and seized. The decision highlights the importance of digital privacy, emphasizing that warrants must precisely list what investigators seek and why, with magistrates verifying the factual basis for such access.

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(reclaimthenet.org)
Tech search warrant fourth amendment
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