Draneria has released a free Krita brush toolkit featuring brushes that emulate metallic effects and a unique RGBA eraser. This eraser allows adding universal RGBA to any brushstroke or flattening existing paint. Installation is easy—simply import the .bundle file. The toolkit also includes bonus tips and notes for optimal usage.
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Swift 6 introduces the `@isolated(any)` attribute, which describes the isolation of asynchronous functions, initially appearing confusing. It always requires an argument, but this argument cannot vary. The article explains its introduction: to solve the problem of lost isolation information during asynchronous function scheduling. `@isolated(any)` provides access to a function's isolation property, enabling more intelligent scheduling, especially when handling `Task` and `TaskGroup`, ensuring the execution order of tasks on the MainActor. While it can mostly be ignored, understanding `@isolated(any)` is crucial for writing efficient and reliable concurrent code when dealing with asynchronous function isolation and scheduling.
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Facing a project requiring numerous PWM channels, the author found a single RP2350 insufficient. The solution? Using a second RP2350 as a port expander, communicating via the UART bootloader. This avoids the complexities of managing different firmware versions on multiple chips. The article details the UART boot process, including unlocking, firmware transmission, and SRAM execution. It also covers embedding the RP2350's firmware within another microcontroller's and using RS-485 for robust long-distance communication. This clever hardware-software approach offers a novel solution for similar challenges.
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Facing pressure from FCC Chair Brendan Carr, telecom giants Verizon and T-Mobile have announced modifications or cancellations of their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. Verizon stated it will eliminate its dedicated DEI team, reassigning employees to other roles. T-Mobile is conducting a comprehensive review of its DEI policies. This move has sparked controversy, with media outlets criticizing Verizon's actions as "cowardly," a surrender to political pressure prioritizing profit over social responsibility. Carr's actions have also been condemned as using regulatory power to suppress civil rights protections and equal opportunity.
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This blog post describes a novel approach to low-overhead statistical memory profiling for PyPy. Instead of recording every allocation, it samples every nth allocated byte, cleverly integrating the sampling logic into PyPy's garbage collector's (GC) bump pointer allocator check. This ensures the fast path remains identical with and without memory sampling, minimizing overhead. Experiments demonstrate good performance across various sampling rates, offering finer control and lower overhead for memory profiling.
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This article explores the crucial role of rope in maritime history, particularly in whaling, and its evolution towards industrial production. Starting with Jeremiah Reynolds' 1839 account of the legendary white whale "Mocha Dick", it highlights the immense demand for rope in the whaling industry. The article details the 18th-century revolution in rope-making technology, including the invention of the register plate and forming tube, the rise and development of ropewalks, and concludes by emphasizing rope's importance as "naval stores" and its indispensable role in seafaring and shipbuilding.
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A Moscow-based disinformation network called "Pravda" (Russian for "truth") is infiltrating AI chatbots' data, injecting false claims and propaganda to manipulate their responses to news. By flooding search results with pro-Kremlin falsehoods, the network distorts how large language models process information. This resulted in millions of articles of Russian propaganda being incorporated into Western AI systems, infecting their outputs. NewsGuard's audit of 10 leading AI chatbots revealed they repeated false narratives from the Pravda network 33% of the time. The network doesn't create original content but acts as a laundering machine for Kremlin propaganda, aggregating it across numerous seemingly independent websites. This large-scale operation highlights the vulnerability of AI models to disinformation campaigns.
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A friend, Victor, conducted a unique experiment exploring the impact of language on personality. Using a standardized personality test on English/German bilinguals, he found half showed significant personality shifts depending on the language used. This fascinating result sparked a discussion on coordinate and compound bilingualism, and touched upon linguistic relativity and determinism. While the data is limited, Victor's study hints at a subtle but intriguing link between language and personality.
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EloqKV is a high-performance distributed database with a Redis/ValKey compatible API. It offers ACID transactions, full elasticity and scalability, tiered storage, and session-style transaction syntax, all while maintaining Redis' simplicity. EloqKV achieves up to 1.6 million QPS on a c6g.8xlarge instance, exceeding Redis and ValKey's performance. Its distributed ACID transactions eliminate cross-slot errors, and tiered storage automatically offloads cold data to disk, saving up to 70% on memory costs. EloqKV is designed for developers needing a robust database solution for demanding AI applications.
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Following a major network outage last year caused by a botched update, AT&T is now promising full-day bill credits for future outages. The credits apply to wireless outages lasting at least 60 minutes affecting 10 or more cell towers, and fiber outages lasting at least 20 minutes (using an AT&T-provided gateway). However, the promise has caveats, excluding events like natural disasters or third-party issues. AT&T retains sole discretion on credit eligibility, raising concerns about service reliability and transparency in handling such incidents.
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While profiling, the author found that `memcpy` was a bottleneck for large binary messages. Several custom memory copy methods were implemented and benchmarked, including variations using REP MOVSB and AVX instructions (aligned, stream aligned, and stream aligned with prefetching). For small to medium sized messages, the unrolled AVX version performed best. For large messages (>1MB), the stream aligned AVX version with prefetching was fastest, but its performance on small messages was abysmal. The conclusion? `std::memcpy` offers a good balance of performance and adaptability; custom methods are unnecessary unless performance is paramount.
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Turso is thrilled to announce the public beta of Turso Offline Sync! Your applications can now function seamlessly, even without internet connectivity. Local database operations continue normally, automatically syncing upon reconnection. Leveraging embedded replicas, your local database (on-device or server) stays in sync with your Turso Cloud database, with changes propagated to all replicas. This beta addresses previous limitations of unidirectional sync, enabling fast local writes, offline capabilities, and later syncing to the Turso Cloud. This simplifies development for local-first apps, mobile apps, POS systems, field data collection, and IoT applications. The beta currently supports TypeScript and Rust, and includes features like bi-directional sync, remote write support, WAL sync checkpointing, and conflict detection (resolution coming soon).
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Researchers discovered vulnerabilities in the software infrastructure of Linux distributions, enabling attackers to compromise entire systems within days. Unlike complex supply chain attacks targeting dependencies, this research focused on the distributions' infrastructure itself, such as Fedora's Pagure and openSUSE's Open Build Service. By exploiting argument injection vulnerabilities, attackers could easily bypass security controls and inject malicious code. This highlights the significant supply chain security risks faced even by major open-source projects, underscoring the need for enhanced security audits and protections for software infrastructure.
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Antidepressants have long been understood as correcting a 'chemical imbalance' in the brain to treat depression. However, a vast body of research reviewed here reveals this explanation to be overly simplistic. The article summarizes numerous studies on the relationship between serotonin and depression, demonstrating that it's not a simple linear relationship and the mechanism of action of antidepressants is far more complex than the 'chemical imbalance' theory suggests. While antidepressants are effective to a degree, their mechanisms of action and long-term effects require further investigation, and public understanding of the causes of depression needs a more nuanced scientific approach.
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This post explores the decentralized social protocol ATProto and its application Bluesky. The author recounts their evolving perspective, explaining that ATProto isn't fully decentralized but achieves data decentralization through Personal Data Servers (PDSes). While most apps built on ATProto are centralized, the PDS ensures users own and control their data, even if an app shuts down. Bluesky's mainstream adoption boosts ATProto's reach, but its centralization remains debated. The post also discusses identity verification, the need for more PDS providers, and concerns about the centralized PLC directory. Despite shortcomings, the author believes ATProto represents significant progress in data ownership and openness, with further potential yet to be explored.
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A Reddit user calculated that if all humans were blended into a single mass, it would form a sphere less than 1 kilometer wide, easily fitting within Central Park. The article humorously compares the total mass of humanity to that of insects, fish, and bacteria, prompting reflection on the sheer scale of life on Earth. The quirky conclusion apologizes to the author's mother.
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Henrique Godoy, a 20-year-old Brazilian mathematical prodigy, is revolutionizing AI in Latin America. At 15, he was the youngest student ever admitted to the University of São Paulo's elite mathematics program. He later secured a substantial scholarship to study computer science, achieving a top 200 ranking in the Brazilian University Mathematics Olympiad. Godoy pioneered the first successful Large Language Model (LLM) implementation in Latin American investment banking, and founded Doki, a fintech platform managing over R$10 million for medical professionals. His work has garnered over 500 citations, showcasing his significant contributions to AI and fintech. Godoy's exceptional achievements position him as a leading figure in the future of AI.
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Render, a cloud platform boasting over 2 million developers, announced an $80 million Series C funding round, bringing its total funding to $157 million. Addressing the limitations of legacy cloud platforms, Render offers a powerful yet user-friendly infrastructure. Its platform attracts 100,000 new developers monthly. Focusing on a balance of flexibility and ease of use, Render supports diverse languages and frameworks. Further, it's developing AI-focused tools to streamline workflows, empowering businesses to innovate rapidly in the age of AI.
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Following two deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreaks linked to Boar's Head deli meats and Yu Shang ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, resulting in dozens of illnesses and multiple deaths, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has finally acted. Despite prior knowledge of deficiencies at the Boar's Head facility, FSIS failed to intervene until after the outbreak. The agency announced stronger measures, including expanded testing, improved inspector training, and enhanced facility oversight, to prevent future incidents. This highlights vulnerabilities in food safety regulation and the critical need for prompt and effective intervention.
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Some programming languages fail to gain traction due to obscurity or overly ambitious designs. The article explores the challenges faced by concise, elegantly designed languages like BF and Scheme, where developers often prioritize building their own implementations rather than using existing ones. The author argues that a balance between simplicity and practicality is crucial. Multiple implementations are beneficial only when a strong user community exists and demands diverse implementations. The success of Clojure and Racket suggests that languages need to reach a critical mass to attract users who focus on application development, rather than implementation.
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This article showcases remarkable human endeavors spanning decades and centuries, from proving Fermat's Last Theorem to the ongoing construction of Sagrada Familia and long-term experiments like the Framingham Heart Study. It explores how humanity tackles problems requiring sustained commitment over extended periods, highlighting projects driven by relentless effort and those leveraging accumulated technological advancements. The piece prompts reflection on which projects necessitate such lengthy timelines and which could be significantly accelerated. This falls under the Tech category, examining human perseverance and innovation in pursuing long-term goals.
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The Trump administration has disbanded a Department of Justice unit focused on cryptocurrency fraud, ending what it terms “regulation by prosecution.” A memo from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche instructs prosecutors to halt actions imposing regulatory frameworks on digital assets, ceasing investigations into exchanges, mixers, and wallets for user actions. This shift aligns with Trump's recent pro-crypto stance, fueled by donations from crypto billionaires and his own crypto initiatives. Instead, the DOJ will prioritize prosecuting individuals using crypto for criminal activities like terrorism and drug trafficking. This deregulation raises concerns about potential risks and regulatory gaps.
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Wasmer is seeking a skilled compiler engineer to join its team building the next generation of cloud computing platforms powered by WebAssembly. The ideal candidate will possess strong Rust or C/C++ skills, a deep understanding of compiler development, and excellent communication and teamwork abilities. Wasmer is committed to open source and offers competitive salaries, stock options, and flexible work arrangements. This is a unique opportunity to make a significant impact on the future of cloud computing within a dynamic, open-source-focused startup.
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A recent MIT economics paper claiming that AI significantly boosts the efficiency of materials science research has been exposed as fraudulent. Author Aidan Toner-Rodgers purportedly used data from a randomized trial of over 1,000 researchers to show that AI tools dramatically improved metrics like materials discovery, patent filings, and prototype development. However, the data's source is questionable, the results are suspiciously perfect, and the paper demonstrates a clear lack of expertise in materials science. MIT has confirmed the fraud, sending shockwaves through the academic community. This incident highlights the crucial need for rigorous scrutiny and skepticism of research findings, and exposes vulnerabilities in the rapid-paced AI field where unsubstantiated research can gain traction.
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Debugging failed GitHub Actions workflows can be a nightmare. This post details a clever method: using netcat and ngrok to create a reverse shell, giving you interactive shell access to the runner. By configuring netcat commands and ngrok port forwarding in your GitHub Actions workflow, you can listen on a local port and get a shell connected to the runner for easier debugging. While slightly complex, this method is incredibly effective for troubleshooting, significantly improving developer efficiency. A simpler alternative using the `mxschmitt/action-tmate` action is also presented.
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Patrick McKenzie's popular essay on salary negotiation for engineers has helped millions secure higher salaries. This audio adaptation tackles the psychological barriers preventing professionals from negotiating, emphasizing that it's not immoral, but a crucial skill. Practical tips include never disclosing your desired salary first, actively listening and mirroring the hiring manager's language, thorough research, leveraging multiple preferences, and understanding the negotiation's timing and dynamics. The essay empowers readers to confidently negotiate and achieve optimal compensation.
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Upgrading libraries in the Rust ecosystem often causes cascading effects and significant trouble. This article introduces a technique called the "semver trick", which cleverly solves the problem of upgrading less frequently used APIs without changing commonly used ones by having a library depend on its future version. This method is particularly useful for avoiding the need for large-scale coordinated upgrades across the entire dependency chain due to breaking changes in a single library, greatly simplifying the upgrade process.
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An Oregon woman's nude photos became the talk of her small town after a prosecutor viewed her sensitive cellphone data without a warrant, consent, or suspicion of a crime. While a federal appeals court ruled the Grant County DA had qualified immunity, the case highlights a troubling Fourth Amendment violation. The court acknowledged the Idaho State Police had consent to search the phone, but that didn't extend to another state's DA reviewing the data and disseminating private photos. The ruling sparks criticism of qualified immunity's protection of officials from liability. Though the woman received no remedy, the case serves as a warning to law enforcement; similar actions violate the Constitution and could result in liability.
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Two physicists have created a chart encompassing every known object in the universe's history, plotted by mass and size. The chart reveals that all objects reside within a triangle bounded by gravitational and Compton limits. Black holes lie on the gravitational limit, while fundamental particles are on the Compton limit. Intriguingly, the universe itself also sits on the gravitational limit, raising the question: is our universe a black hole? The chart also illustrates the universe's evolution, from the formation of fundamental particles after the Big Bang to the emergence of stars and galaxies, and points towards the exploration of unknowns like dark matter.
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PyCon US 2025 is coming to Pittsburgh! Tickets, sponsorships, and hotel bookings are open, with the schedule now live, featuring over 100 talks and events. The PyLadies auction, tutorials, summits, and sprint projects are also open for registration. Plus, the PyPI Organizations feature rollout is progressing, and PEP 770 (on Software Bills of Materials) is in provisional status. PSF board elections are upcoming, and the 2024 PSF fellows have been announced. Don't miss the retro game-themed fun at the PSF booth at PyCon US 2025!
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