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Roons: A Mechanical Computer Kit Woven from Physical Logic

2025-05-01

Roons is an amazing mechanical computer kit cleverly combining a physical loom with logic gates. By arranging special "Roons" tiles on the loom, users can build various logic circuits, even achieving Turing completeness. The project, spanning several years, overcame numerous challenges in miniaturization, reliability, and ease of use, resulting in a compact and reasonably fast mechanical computer. A Kickstarter campaign is launching soon, with limited review kits available.

(whomtech.com)

Hardware mechanical computer Turing complete

Gukesh Crowned Youngest World Chess Champion in History

2024-12-12

Gukesh Crowned Youngest World Chess Champion in History

In round 14 of the 2024 World Chess Championship, 18-year-old Indian Grandmaster Gukesh D defeated defending champion Ding Liren to become the youngest world champion ever! Ding employed a Reversed Grünfeld Defense, but Gukesh, with precise opening play and deep preparation, steered the game into a complex endgame. After a prolonged struggle, Ding blundered, allowing Gukesh to capitalize and secure a historic victory, fulfilling a lifelong dream.

(lichess.org)

Game chess world champion Gukesh

C++ Compiler Errors: Nonsensical Errors from a Function Declaration

2024-12-12

C++ Compiler Errors: Nonsensical Errors from a Function Declaration

A developer adding XAML support to a C++ application encountered a series of compiler errors simply by including the winrt/Windows.UI.Xaml.h header file. The errors stemmed from what appeared to be a normal function declaration: `template struct consume_Windows_UI_Xaml_IExceptionRoutedEventArgs { [[nodiscard]] auto ErrorMessage() const; };` The root cause was a pre-existing macro named ErrorMessage in the developer's project, conflicting with the function name. This macro created an ErrorMessageString object and returned a pointer to an error message string. The macro's lack of boundaries caused the compiler to misinterpret the function declaration as a macro invocation, resulting in errors like "not enough arguments." The solution involved disabling the macro using #pragma undef before including the header or removing the macro entirely and replacing it with an inline function.

(devblogs.microsoft.com)

Development compiler errors macro conflict Compiler Errors Macro Definition macro

Cubix: A ZX Spectrum 3D Platformer Defies Expectations

2025-08-21

Cubix: A ZX Spectrum 3D Platformer Defies Expectations

Gogin's Cubix, released during the YRGB 2025 retro game competition, is being hailed as the first-ever 3D platformer for the ZX Spectrum. This impressive feat is achieved through clever 2D manipulation and pre-calculation, creating a Fez-like rotating level mechanic. By pre-calculating and storing data to overcome the hardware limitations of the ZX Spectrum, Gogin completed this stunning game in just 4.5 months. Cubix challenges the boundaries of what's possible on this classic '80s computer.

(www.timeextension.com)

Game 3D Platformer

Lord of the Rings: A Leftist Reading of a Right-Wing Classic?

2025-05-01

Lord of the Rings: A Leftist Reading of a Right-Wing Classic?

The immense popularity of *The Lord of the Rings* is juxtaposed with its curious embrace by the political right. This article explores this paradox: despite overt elements of racism, imperialism, and sexism, many on the left continue to cherish Tolkien's work. The author argues this stems from inherent contradictions and ambiguities within the text. For instance, the celebration of working-class heroes like Samwise Gamgee, critiques of power and control, and reflections on the horrors of war resonate with leftist values. Further, the narrative structure itself invites critical readings, encouraging examination of contradictions, gaps, and omissions, challenging the very nature of historical narratives. Ultimately, the work's open-endedness and ambiguity allows for multiple interpretations, serving both right-wing appropriations and leftist critiques of power, inequality, and historical fabrication.

(www.dissentmagazine.org)

Misc Lord of the Rings political interpretation left-wing

Ten Windows 11 Improvements We Actually Want

2025-08-16

Ten Windows 11 Improvements We Actually Want

Windows 11 is plagued by useless features and annoying pop-up ads, neglecting what users truly need. This article lists ten crucial improvements: multiple clipboards, multiple clocks in the taskbar, a fourth modifier key, remapping all keyboard shortcuts, a movable and resizable taskbar, an audio firewall, pinning apps to specific screens, program groups launching multiple apps at once, easier audio device switching, and a reduction in Microsoft's distracting features. These enhancements would significantly boost user productivity instead of focusing on flashy, unnecessary features.

(www.theregister.com)

Development OS Improvements

Ubuntu 25.10 to Ship with Rust-Rewritten Core Utilities

2025-03-13

Ubuntu 25.10 to Ship with Rust-Rewritten Core Utilities

Ubuntu engineers announced plans to replace core system utilities (e.g., ls, cp, mv) with modern Rust-based versions in Ubuntu 25.10. The goal is enhanced security and stability, not just performance. Rust's type system and borrow checker help mitigate memory safety vulnerabilities. A tool called `oxidizr` facilitates easy switching between implementations. While some compatibility issues exist, the project promises to enhance the overall robustness of the system in future Ubuntu releases.

(discourse.ubuntu.com)

Development System Utilities

VP Vance's Apple Watch: A National Security Risk?

2025-02-09

VP Vance's Apple Watch: A National Security Risk?

An open letter from a former CIA case officer warns Vice President Vance about the significant national security risks posed by his Apple Watch. The letter highlights how the watch's microphone, GPS tracking, and biometric data collection features could be exploited by hostile intelligence agencies to steal secrets and even manipulate him. The author recommends safer alternatives such as the Sangin Instruments Neptune, Marathon 41mm Diver's Automatic (GSAR), or a Breitling “White House” Aerospace. This article offers a unique perspective on the potential national security implications of seemingly innocuous tech devices, prompting reflection on personal privacy and information security.

(www.watchesofespionage.com)

Tech intelligence smartwatch

Defect Engineering and Luminescent Materials: A Review

2025-02-20

Defect Engineering and Luminescent Materials: A Review

This review summarizes recent advances in defect engineering of metal oxides and their applications in luminescent materials. The article covers various aspects, including oxygen vacancy characterization, defect TiO2 photocatalysis, luminescence property tuning of rare-earth doped oxides, and optical information storage technologies based on photoluminescence. Research shows that controlling defect concentration and type can effectively modulate the optical and electrical properties of materials, providing a crucial theoretical and experimental foundation for developing novel optoelectronic devices.

(www.degruyter.com)

Tech defect engineering photoluminescence optical data storage

Solar Orbiter Captures First-Ever Images of Sun's Poles

2025-06-14

Solar Orbiter Captures First-Ever Images of Sun's Poles

The European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter, thanks to its newly tilted orbit, has captured the first-ever images of the Sun's poles from outside the ecliptic plane. This unique perspective will revolutionize our understanding of the Sun's magnetic field, solar cycle, and space weather. Images reveal a complex magnetic field structure at the Sun's south pole and detailed movements of solar material, crucial for understanding the Sun's magnetic field reversal and solar wind generation. With further orbital tilting in the coming years, Solar Orbiter promises even more groundbreaking discoveries, ushering in a new era of solar science.

(www.esa.int)

Tech Solar Physics

Truchet Tiles: Simple Geometry, Infinite Possibilities

2025-07-29

Truchet tiles, simple square tiles with non-rotationally symmetric patterns, create surprisingly complex and captivating visual effects. First described in 1704 by Sébastien Truchet, they're now widely used in information visualization and graphic design. By varying the tile orientations, diverse patterns emerge, even creating labyrinths. Their elegant simplicity extends to programming; a single line of code can generate endless variations, highlighting the beauty of concise algorithms and infinite possibilities. This makes them a prime example of generative art.

(en.wikipedia.org)

Design geometric patterns

Taming the Shell History Beast: A Zsh Function for Cleaner Histories

2025-06-06

This article explores the debate of disabling versus maximizing shell history. The author advocates for a cleaner history, arguing against saving failed attempts and typos. A practical zsh function, `smite`, leveraging fzf, is introduced. This function allows users to interactively browse and delete unwanted history entries, keeping the history file concise and efficient. The author emphasizes the importance of managing shell history effectively, balancing the need to retain useful commands with the necessity of removing clutter.

(esham.io)

Development

Reinforcement Learning: Powering the Rise of Agentic AI in 2025

2025-06-28

Reinforcement Learning: Powering the Rise of Agentic AI in 2025

Early attempts at AI agents like BabyAGI and AutoGPT in 2023, while initially hyped, faltered due to large language models (LLMs) struggling with multi-step reasoning. However, mid-2024 saw a turnaround. Advances in reinforcement learning enabled a new generation of AI agents capable of consistently completing complex, multi-step tasks, exemplified by code generation tools like Bolt.new and Anthropic's Claude 3.5 Sonnet. Reinforcement learning, through trial-and-error training, overcomes the compounding error problem inherent in imitation learning, allowing models to remain robust even with unseen data. Techniques like OpenAI's RLHF and Anthropic's Constitutional AI automate feedback, further boosting reinforcement learning's efficiency. DeepSeek's R1 model showcased the remarkable potential of models "self-teaching" reasoning through reinforcement learning. In short, advancements in reinforcement learning are the key driver behind the surge in agentic AI in 2025.

(www.understandingai.org)

AI

CubeTrek: 3D Visualization for Your GPS Tracks

2025-01-11

CubeTrek: 3D Visualization for Your GPS Tracks

CubeTrek is a web-based platform for visualizing, sharing, and managing your GPS tracks. Breaking free from the limitations of 2D maps, it utilizes Babylon.js to create an interactive 3D terrain view, offering a more intuitive way to experience the thrill of outdoor activities. Supporting data import from Garmin, Polar, and Coros watches, CubeTrek combines NASA SRTM data and OpenStreetMap data to provide rich statistics and activity analysis, even automatically identifying the peaks you've climbed. The backend is built with Java and Spring Boot, while the frontend leverages technologies like Bootstrap, D3.js, and MapLibre GL JS.

(github.com)

Development GPS tracks 3D visualization outdoor activities

The Surprising Struggle with UTC Time Strings in C/C++

2025-01-19

The Surprising Struggle with UTC Time Strings in C/C++

This article delves into the complexities of converting UTC time strings to Unix timestamps in C/C++. The author uncovers unexpected behaviors in POSIX time handling functions across various C libraries and languages. The focus is on using `strptime()`, `mktime()`, and `timegm()`, highlighting issues with daylight saving time and locales. Solutions are provided, including using `timegm()` for UTC times and leveraging C++ streams to bypass locale problems. The article concludes by recommending more robust time handling libraries available in C++20 and later, such as Howard Hinnant's tz library.

(berthub.eu)

Development

Sci-Fi Author Ted Chiang on AI and the Future of Tech

2025-02-02

Sci-Fi Author Ted Chiang on AI and the Future of Tech

This interview with science fiction master Ted Chiang explores his creative inspiration, his critical perspective on AI, and his concerns about the future direction of technology. Chiang argues that current AI, especially large language models, are more like low-resolution images of the internet, lacking reliability and true understanding. He emphasizes the relationship between humans and tools, and the human tendency to see ourselves in our tools. The interview also touches on the nature of language, the role of AI in artistic creation, and ethical considerations in technological development. Chiang's optimism about technology is cautious; he believes we need to be mindful of potential negative impacts and work to mitigate their harm.

(lareviewofbooks.org)

AI

Engineering Leadership: A Monthly/Quarterly System Health Check

2025-09-13

This post proposes a 2-4 hour system health check for engineering teams to conduct monthly or quarterly. The check assesses system quality across dimensions like reliability, performance, cost, delivery, security, simplicity, and organizational structure. Thought-provoking questions guide reflection on the system's current state, moving beyond mere metrics to identify and address underlying issues. The goal is to improve overall system quality and team effectiveness.

(blog.nilenso.com)

Development system health check

Real-time Hand Gesture & Voice Control for 3D Models

2025-06-03

Real-time Hand Gesture & Voice Control for 3D Models

Control 3D models in real-time using only your hands and voice! This interactive web app leverages three.js, MediaPipe computer vision, the Web Speech API, and Rosebud AI. You can drag, rotate, scale, and animate models, and import your own GLTF models by drag-and-drop. All you need is a modern WebGL-enabled browser, camera and microphone access. Clone the repo and experience the magic!

(github.com)

Development

Explore PostgreSQL & MySQL Databases Visually – No SQL Needed!

2025-07-16

Explore PostgreSQL & MySQL Databases Visually – No SQL Needed!

This tool lets you connect to your PostgreSQL and MySQL databases using just your credentials and instantly explore your schema, viewing tables, columns, types, and relationships (PKs, FKs). It offers a simple visual interface to filter, sort, join, and summarize data without writing SQL. Follow relationships by clicking to expand related records, such as nested tables – it's intuitive and powerful. Visually insert and update data directly – no syntax errors! Save your queries for later use. And of course, you can always drop into SQL mode and run your own code.

(dataramen.xyz)

Development database visualization

Rediscovering Piranesi's Perspective Trick: A Forgotten Artistic Technique

2025-03-27

Rediscovering Piranesi's Perspective Trick: A Forgotten Artistic Technique

This article delves into the unique perspective technique employed by 18th-century artist Giovanni Battista Piranesi. Unlike traditional perspective, Piranesi's trick uses a near-large, far-small ratio when depicting a series of similar objects, rather than true perspective convergence. This technique, while violating perspective rules, enhances image readability and comprehension. The article analyzes the mathematical principles of this technique and, through comparison with traditional perspective, demonstrates its potential applications in image processing and mapmaking. The author even developed an algorithm to apply this technique to image editing software, offering a fresh perspective on image manipulation.

(medium.com)

Design

Visualizing Chromium's Include Graph: A 150MB GraphML Adventure

2025-05-21

Visualizing Chromium's Include Graph: A 150MB GraphML Adventure

This post details visualizing Chromium's massive include graph using clang-include-graph, a command-line tool. The process involved building Chromium to generate compile_commands.json, then using clang-include-graph to produce a 150MB GraphML file. This file, containing over 140,000 nodes and 1.3 million edges, was visualized with Gephi. Python scripts analyzed the graph, revealing interesting statistics like a 92-node strongly connected component responsible for 99% of the cycles. The author explores various visualization layouts and discusses the challenges of working with such a large dataset.

(blog.bkryza.com)

Development

Training Robots with Pi0, Lerobot, and Rerun: A Human Pose Motion Retargeting Approach

2025-05-02

Training Robots with Pi0, Lerobot, and Rerun: A Human Pose Motion Retargeting Approach

This project explores training robots using Pi0, Lerobot, and Rerun. It supports Linux and utilizes the Pixi package manager. The project involves camera calibration, human pose and kinematics analysis, and extracting 3D joint positions and angles from multi-view images. The ultimate goal is to convert time-synced multi-camera footage into axis-angle joint parameters and 3D positions usable by robots for motion retargeting and learning fine motor skills. Jupyter Notebook tutorials are provided, covering human pose and kinematics, body and hand pose retargeting, and imitation learning and teleoperation.

(github.com)

Development motion capture

Groundbreaking Study: Myocardial Infarction May Be Infectious

2025-09-14

Groundbreaking Study: Myocardial Infarction May Be Infectious

A groundbreaking study from Finland and the UK reveals that myocardial infarction (heart attack) may be an infectious disease. Researchers discovered that bacterial biofilms within atherosclerotic plaques can be activated by viral infections or other triggers, leading to inflammation, plaque rupture, and ultimately, a heart attack. This challenges the conventional understanding of heart attack pathogenesis and opens doors for new treatments, diagnostics, and even vaccines. The study found bacterial DNA in plaques and developed antibodies confirming bacterial involvement. The findings offer novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies and the potential for preventing heart attacks through vaccination.

(www.sciencedaily.com)

Tech Myocardial Infarction Infectious Disease Atherosclerosis

Arsenic Drives Gold Concentration: A Breakthrough Discovery

2025-02-08

Arsenic Drives Gold Concentration: A Breakthrough Discovery

Scientists using the intense X-ray beam of the European Synchrotron (ESRF) have uncovered the crucial role of arsenic in gold ore enrichment. Research reveals an atomic-scale attraction between arsenic and gold. When minerals are arsenic-rich, gold directly binds to arsenic, forming stable chemical bonds and thus being captured by the mineral. Conversely, with low arsenic concentration, gold only forms weak bonds with the mineral surface. This discovery not only explains the formation and distribution mechanisms of gold deposits but also offers new avenues for finding new gold resources and improving gold extraction processes, while also helping mitigate the health risks posed by arsenic to gold miners.

(www.mining.com)

Tech gold ore arsenic minerals

Will Smith Concert Video Sparks AI Controversy: Real Crowds, AI-Enhanced Footage

2025-08-26

Will Smith Concert Video Sparks AI Controversy: Real Crowds, AI-Enhanced Footage

A short clip of a Will Smith concert went viral, sparking accusations of AI-generated fake crowds and signs. The reality is more nuanced. The video uses real footage of actual concertgoers from Smith's European tour. However, Smith's team used AI image-to-video models to create short animated clips from professionally shot audience photos for a concert montage. YouTube's subsequent post-processing added blurring and distortions, exacerbating the perception of AI-generated content. The 'AI artifacts' aren't entirely AI-generated but a result of AI application and YouTube's post-processing.

(waxy.org)

Tech video post-processing

DeepWiki: Your AI Coding Powerhouse

2025-08-26

DeepWiki: Your AI Coding Powerhouse

DeepWiki instantly transforms any GitHub repository into a navigable wiki, dramatically boosting AI-assisted coding efficiency. It offers fast and deep search modes, providing precise answers with source code links. The DeepWiki MCP server integrates seamlessly with AI IDEs like Claude and Cursor for real-time context querying. DeepWiki helps understand codebases, generate code snippets, evaluate open-source library security and licenses, and even assists with code reviews. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, DeepWiki is a powerful tool for efficient coding.

(www.aitidbits.ai)

Development

Running MacOS 9 on an Unmodified Nintendo Wii: A Retro Hack

2025-02-11

Running MacOS 9 on an Unmodified Nintendo Wii: A Retro Hack

A hacker has successfully run MacOS 9 on an unmodified original Nintendo Wii console! This was achieved by leveraging the Wii's PowerPC processor, similar to those in older Mac G3 machines, and the Wii's ability to run Linux-based OSes. While the installation was challenging, MacOS 9 was successfully booted, running games like DOOM, Internet Explorer 5, and even iTunes (with some audio/visual issues). Attempts to run MacOS X failed, but this feat is still impressive, showcasing the potential of repurposed hardware.

(hackaday.com)

Tech Nintendo Wii

Shmøergh Hog: A Two-Year Journey Building a Simple Analog Synth

2025-01-03

Shmøergh Hog: A Two-Year Journey Building a Simple Analog Synth

The Shmøergh Hog is a meticulously crafted analog synthesizer, a weekend project spanning two years, built by two designers from tech companies. Designed for simplicity and ease of use, it employs a classic subtractive synthesis architecture. The authors detail their journey from initial concept and circuit simulation through PCB manufacturing and custom stainless steel enclosure creation. While mass production isn't the goal, they hope to share this unique instrument with fellow music enthusiasts. The build guide is open source.

(www.peterzimon.com)

Hardware analog synthesizer electronic music

AMD Radeon Instinct MI300A: A Deep Dive into its Massive APU Architecture

2025-01-18

AMD Radeon Instinct MI300A: A Deep Dive into its Massive APU Architecture

The AMD Radeon Instinct MI300A is a colossal APU integrating 24 Zen 4 cores and 228 CDNA3 compute units. This article delves into its massive Infinity Fabric interconnect, highlighting its high-bandwidth, low-latency characteristics and efficient CPU-GPU data sharing. While its high-bandwidth memory subsystem excels for the GPU, it impacts CPU latency, resulting in single-threaded integer performance comparable to the Ryzen 9 3950X from years ago. Despite this, MI300A has achieved significant success in supercomputing, notably powering LLNL's El Capitan system and topping the TOP500 list.

(chipsandcheese.com)

Hardware

Mojo: Chris Lattner's Next Big Swing at Revolutionizing Machine Learning Programming

2025-09-05

Mojo: Chris Lattner's Next Big Swing at Revolutionizing Machine Learning Programming

Chris Lattner, creator of LLVM and Swift, discusses his new language, Mojo, with Ron. Mojo aims to make harnessing the full power of modern GPUs productive and fun. The design focuses on making a language easy to use while providing the control needed for state-of-the-art kernel writing. A key concept is requiring programmers to understand hardware details, but making that manageable and shareable through type-safe metaprogramming. The goal is to support specialization for both the computation and the hardware platform. Lattner argues this is necessary to prevent single vendors from dominating the AI computing ecosystem.

(signalsandthreads.com)

Development

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