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Northern Giant Hornet Eradicated from the United States

2024-12-23

The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the eradication of the northern giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia) from Washington state and the US after three years without confirmed detections. This success is attributed to a multi-year collaborative effort involving state and federal agencies, community members, and the public, who played a crucial role in reporting sightings. The hornets posed a significant threat to honeybees, other pollinators, and agriculture, and their eradication protects the US ecosystem and agricultural industry. While eradicated, vigilance continues to prevent reintroduction.

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(agr.wa.gov)
Misc Northern Giant Hornet invasive species eradication

PgDog: A High-Performance PostgreSQL Transaction Pool and Logical Replication Manager

2025-05-26
PgDog: A High-Performance PostgreSQL Transaction Pool and Logical Replication Manager

PgDog, written in Rust, is a fast, secure, and scalable transaction pooler and logical replication manager for PostgreSQL, capable of handling hundreds of databases and hundreds of thousands of connections. It features database sharding, load balancing with health checks and failover, transaction and session pooling for efficient client connection management. Monitoring is facilitated by OpenMetrics, and it includes a CSV parser and logical replication support for streamlined data ingestion and database sharding.

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(github.com)
Development Database Sharding

Package Phobia: Pre-install npm Package Size Checker

2025-03-20
Package Phobia: Pre-install npm Package Size Checker

Package Phobia is a tool that reports the size of an npm package before you install it. It differentiates between 'publish size' (the size of the source code, usually small) and 'install size' (the size after installation, including all dependencies, which can be much larger). This allows developers to inspect potential dependencies without wasting disk space or waiting for lengthy installations, improving dependency management.

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(packagephobia.com)
Development package size

Arch Linux Added to url.town Directory

2025-08-04
Arch Linux Added to url.town Directory

url.town, a web directory curated by the omg.lol community, has added Arch Linux. Arch Linux is a lightweight, flexible DIY general-purpose GNU/Linux distribution where users only get what they install. The directory also features a wide range of other resources, spanning blogs, games, art, tech news, and much more.

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(url.town)
Development Linux Distribution

Chirping Cosmic Waves Detected Far From Earth

2025-01-23
Chirping Cosmic Waves Detected Far From Earth

Scientists have detected 'chorus waves,' bursts of plasma sounding like birds chirping, from an unprecedented distance of over 62,000 miles from Earth. Previously observed closer to our planet, these waves, whose frequency matches human hearing, were detected by NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale satellites. The discovery, published in Nature, raises questions about the physics involved and the role of Earth's magnetic field. While chorus waves are known to exist near other planets and potentially disrupt satellite communications, this distant detection is exciting and prompts further research.

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(apnews.com)
Tech cosmic waves chorus waves space physics Chorus Waves Space Plasma Earth's Magnetosphere

Federal Workers Ditch Messenger for Signal Amidst Privacy Fears

2025-02-13
Federal Workers Ditch Messenger for Signal Amidst Privacy Fears

Driven by concerns about government surveillance and the perceived coziness between tech companies and the administration, US federal employees are increasingly migrating to encrypted messaging apps like Signal. Fearful of their communications being leaked, they're abandoning platforms like Facebook Messenger and adopting Signal for sensitive conversations, highlighting a growing distrust in both the government and mainstream tech companies. This shift underscores the importance of robust privacy measures in an era of heightened political polarization.

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(www.theverge.com)
Tech

USPS Halts Packages from Hong Kong and China Amid Trade War Escalation

2025-02-05
USPS Halts Packages from Hong Kong and China Amid Trade War Escalation

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has abruptly stopped accepting packages from Hong Kong and China, a direct consequence of escalating trade tensions between the US and China. Following retaliatory tariffs imposed by China in response to increased US tariffs, US Customs and Border Protection is rigorously scrutinizing packages from China, turning away numerous trucks at the border. This impacts e-commerce platforms and consumers reliant on goods from China, highlighting the complexities of the US-China trade dispute.

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(www.wired.com)
Tech Customs scrutiny E-commerce

Meta's AI Training Data Scandal: Leaked Emails Expose Torrenting of 81.7TB of Pirated Material

2025-02-16
Meta's AI Training Data Scandal: Leaked Emails Expose Torrenting of 81.7TB of Pirated Material

Meta is facing a class-action lawsuit for copyright infringement. Newly unsealed court documents reveal internal communications showing Meta employees used at least 81.7TB of illegally torrented data from shadow libraries like LibGen to train their AI models. Emails reveal employees voiced ethical concerns and even used VPNs to mask their IP addresses while torrenting and seeding copyrighted material. This contradicts previous depositions, bolstering the plaintiff's case and potentially significantly damaging Meta's defense.

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(hothardware.com)
Tech

Treasury Department Delays Enforcement of Corporate Transparency Act Penalties

2025-03-03
Treasury Department Delays Enforcement of Corporate Transparency Act Penalties

The US Treasury Department announced it will delay enforcement of penalties under the Corporate Transparency Act's beneficial ownership information reporting rule. This move aims to support American taxpayers and small businesses. A proposed rule will narrow the scope to foreign companies only. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called it a 'victory for common sense,' aligning with President Trump's agenda to reduce regulatory burdens on businesses.

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(home.treasury.gov)
Startup Corporate Transparency Act Treasury Department Small Businesses

Planet Puppet: A Ventriloquism Convention Chronicle

2024-12-24
Planet Puppet: A Ventriloquism Convention Chronicle

This article recounts the author's experience at an international ventriloquism convention. The convention brought together ventriloquists and their puppets from around the world, creating a vibrant and unusual atmosphere. The author vividly describes the diverse attendees, captivating performances, and the techniques behind the art of ventriloquism, revealing the unique charm and legacy of this ancient art form. The piece also explores the future of ventriloquism and its reflection of human nature and the profound implications of performance art, offering a captivating blend of entertainment and insightful reflection.

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(www.nplusonemag.com)
Misc ventriloquism culture

Running Steam on an Orange Pi 5 Plus: A Ludicrously Neat Experiment

2025-03-23
Running Steam on an Orange Pi 5 Plus: A Ludicrously Neat Experiment

The author details a six-step process for installing Steam on an Orange Pi 5 Plus, involving Armbian installation, adding Box86/64 repositories, installing dependencies, and further configuration. While successful, performance is inconsistent, with most tested games running at 720p and barely exceeding 30 FPS. The author concludes it's more a fun technical challenge than a practical gaming solution, although future improvements from Collabora and Valve's ARM initiatives might change that.

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(interfacinglinux.com)
Hardware

The Science Behind Star Wars' Special Effects: From Berkeley Lab to Industrial Light & Magic

2025-07-28
The Science Behind Star Wars' Special Effects: From Berkeley Lab to Industrial Light & Magic

This article recounts the story behind the iconic special effects of Star Wars and the contribution of UC Berkeley's Environmental Simulation Laboratory. To create more realistic environmental simulations, the Berkeley lab developed a computer-controlled camera system, later used by Industrial Light & Magic in the production of Star Wars, becoming a milestone in film special effects history. This technology not only advanced film special effects but also provided new simulation methods for urban planning, allowing for more intuitive understanding of planning proposals through precise models and camera techniques.

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(www.nsf.gov)
Tech film special effects Industrial Light & Magic

How Learning Tibetan Changed My Thinking

2024-12-13
How Learning Tibetan Changed My Thinking

Estefania Duque shares her journey learning Tibetan, revealing how the language reshaped her thinking, perspective, and spiritual understanding. She describes how studying Tibetan, particularly its grammar and unique ways of expressing possession and personal experience, has altered her self-perception and relationship with the world. The language's nuanced honorifics and humble speech fostered self-reflection and accountability. She likens the process of learning Tibetan to a form of meditation, culminating in a deeper appreciation of Buddhist philosophy and a commitment to translating Dharma texts, preserving both the Dharma and Tibetan culture.

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(www.lionsroar.com)
3
Misc Tibetan language mindfulness

Bluesky Improves Performance with 'Lossy Timelines'

2025-02-19

Bluesky tackled database hot spots caused by high-activity users by introducing 'Lossy Timelines'. This mechanism probabilistically drops write operations, limiting the load from heavily followed users and dramatically reducing P99 latency. Write operations that could take minutes now complete in under 10 seconds. This strategy cleverly sacrifices some data consistency for massive gains in system performance and scalability, demonstrating that imperfect system design can lead to a better user experience in specific contexts.

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(jazco.dev)
Development

Rethinking Zoning to Increase Affordable Housing

2024-12-26

An article by the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) argues that restrictive land use regulations and zoning laws contribute to higher housing prices, reduced construction, and lower housing supply elasticity. Historically used to increase property values and sometimes exclude certain populations, zoning now hinders communities' ability to adapt. The article details the historical link between zoning and racial/income segregation and its negative environmental and health impacts. Six recommendations are proposed: eliminating single-family zoning, bundling zoning reforms, increasing density near transit, eliminating off-site parking requirements, allowing ADUs and SROs, and incentivizing reform at federal and state levels. Houston is cited as an example of a city where removing zoning restrictions led to increased housing construction. The article concludes by emphasizing the need for context-specific zoning reform.

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(www.nahro.org)
Misc zoning reform affordable housing housing shortage

Broken OBS Studio Flatpak on Fedora: A Third-Party Package Masquerading as Official

2025-02-14
Broken OBS Studio Flatpak on Fedora: A Third-Party Package Masquerading as Official

The unofficial OBS Studio Flatpak package on Fedora is reportedly broken, leading to user complaints directed at the official developers. This isn't an isolated incident; many users express frustration with Fedora's aggressive Flatpak deployment and lack of clear opt-out options. The author requests either removal of the package or clear labeling as third-party, questioning the decision to replace a functional Flatpak with a broken one, thus undermining official efforts.

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(gitlab.com)
Development

Clever Workaround for Conflicting Blanket Implementations in Rust

2025-07-04
Clever Workaround for Conflicting Blanket Implementations in Rust

Rust's trait system is powerful but strict about avoiding ambiguity in blanket implementations. The author encountered this while building Joydb, needing to support two mutually exclusive implementations of the `Adapter` trait: `UnifiedAdapter` and `PartitionedAdapter`. A direct approach using blanket implementations failed. The solution, detailed in this post, uses marker structs (`Unified` and `Partitioned`), a helper trait (`BlanketAdapter`), and an associated type within the `Adapter` trait. This cleverly allows for both behaviors without violating Rust's coherence rules, maintaining good code ergonomics and maintainability.

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(www.greyblake.com)
Development Blanket Implementations

Biden Admin's AI Chip Export Rules Scrapped

2025-05-13
Biden Admin's AI Chip Export Rules Scrapped

The Biden administration's Artificial Intelligence Diffusion Rule, set to take effect May 15th, has been rescinded by the Department of Commerce. This rule imposed export limits on US-made AI chips to numerous countries. The DOC plans to issue a replacement, likely focusing on bilateral negotiations rather than blanket restrictions. This reversal sparks debate, with some viewing it as a correction and others seeing it as opening new avenues for international collaboration on AI technology.

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(techcrunch.com)
Tech

Sandboxing in 2025: A Developer's Guide to Easy Security

2025-06-15

This article investigates the ease of sandboxing programs in 2025 across operating systems like Linux, OpenBSD, and FreeBSD. By analyzing documentation length and example code length of various sandbox tools, the author assesses their usability and maintenance overhead. OpenBSD's pledge emerges as a favorite due to its concise documentation and ease of use, while Linux's seccomp proves significantly more complex. The article uses OpenSSH as a case study, analyzing the practical application and maintenance difficulty of sandbox technology. It concludes with a call for developers to contribute data for a more comprehensive understanding of sandbox technology adoption.

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(kristaps.bsd.lv)
Development program sandboxing

7-Day Trial: Personalized AI Calendar with ChatGPT Integration

2025-01-02

A personalized AI calendar integrating ChatGPT is seeking 20 testers for a 7-day trial (minimum 3 days). This tool helps plan tasks ahead of time, providing AI-powered customized responses on the scheduled day to jumpstart creativity and overcome roadblocks. Users can refine AI responses via a 'Start Chat' feature. The trial has chat limits (10 messages/session, 100 words/message). Bookmark the link; the Discord invite is single-use. Feedback on features and UI is welcome. Fake emails are acceptable.

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(running4-m.github.io)
Development AI Calendar

3D Kakeya Conjecture Cracked: A Towering Achievement in Harmonic Analysis

2025-03-15
3D Kakeya Conjecture Cracked: A Towering Achievement in Harmonic Analysis

Mathematicians Wang and Zahl have solved the long-standing three-dimensional Kakeya conjecture, a problem deeply connected to the Fourier transform. Their proof is likened to building a 'tower of dreams,' resolving a series of interconnected problems in harmonic analysis. Their ingenious method, akin to perfecting a perpetual motion machine, iteratively improved bounds until reaching the three-dimensional solution. This breakthrough opens doors to tackling higher-dimensional problems and marks a significant advancement in the field.

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(www.quantamagazine.org)
Tech Harmonic Analysis

NZ Opens Doors to Digital Nomads with Relaxed Visa Rules

2025-01-27
NZ Opens Doors to Digital Nomads with Relaxed Visa Rules

New Zealand is loosening its visitor visa rules to attract digital nomads, particularly high-skilled IT professionals from the US and Asia. This move, announced by Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, aims to boost the country's economy by bringing in high-value tourists. While the changes apply to all visitor visas, allowing remote work for foreign companies, those working over 90 days may need to declare themselves as tax residents. The government acknowledges potential risks, such as increased infrastructure strain, but believes the benefits outweigh them.

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(www.abc.net.au)
Startup digital nomad visa policy

arXivLabs: Experimenting with Community-Driven Features

2025-04-09
arXivLabs: Experimenting with Community-Driven Features

arXivLabs is a framework enabling collaborators to build and share new arXiv features directly on the website. Participants, both individuals and organizations, embrace arXiv's values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only partners with those who share them. Have an idea to enhance the arXiv community? Learn more about arXivLabs.

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(arxiv.org)
Development

Basecamp Ditches AWS S3, Builds 18PB Private Storage

2025-03-30
Basecamp Ditches AWS S3, Builds 18PB Private Storage

Basecamp, the company behind HEY and Basecamp, is leaving AWS S3 after a four-year contract expires on June 30th. They've built a private storage solution using Pure Storage, boasting 18PB of NVMe storage. An S3-compatible API simplifies the transition, although migrating 6PB of data will take roughly three weeks. This move avoids hefty S3 renewal fees, saving nearly $5 million over five years.

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(world.hey.com)
Tech

Supersolidity Achieved in a Photonic Crystal: A Breakthrough

2025-03-11

An international team has for the first time observed a supersolid phase in a photonic crystal polariton condensate, published in Nature. This groundbreaking research introduces a new platform for exploring supersolidity beyond traditional ultracold atomic systems. Supersolids uniquely combine the rigidity of a crystal with the frictionless flow of a superfluid. The researchers achieved this by condensing polaritons within a photonic crystal waveguide, enabling precise measurement of density modulations and probing the local coherence of the supersolid wavefunction. This work not only demonstrates a supersolid phase in a photonic platform but also paves the way for exploring quantum phases of matter in non-equilibrium systems, with potential applications in neuromorphic computing and advanced photonics.

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(www.photonicsonline.com)
Tech Supersolid Photonic Crystal

The PHP Static Typing Debate: Flexibility and Efficiency of Dynamic Languages

2024-12-14

In this article, Tony Marston vehemently criticizes the enforced static type checking changes introduced in PHP 8.1. He argues that this change violates the core design principles of PHP's dynamic typing, clashing with PHP's long-standing flexible approach to data type handling and imposing a significant workload on developers. The article delves into the advantages of PHP's dynamic type system, such as automatic type conversion and flexible data handling, pointing out that the performance benefits of static typing are negligible in modern hardware, while hindering development efficiency. Marston contends that PHP's dynamic type system is better suited for handling HTML frontend and SQL backend data, and that enforcing static type checking is counterproductive, negatively impacting the PHP community.

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(www.tonymarston.net)
Development static typing dynamic typing

ChatGPT-Assisted Swift App Dev: From Amazing to Crashing

2025-09-01
ChatGPT-Assisted Swift App Dev: From Amazing to Crashing

The author attempted to build a Swift app using ChatGPT-5. Initially, it was impressive, with ChatGPT generating code and modifying the UI based on natural language prompts. However, testing revealed numerous issues: search functionality failed, adding shows to the library didn't work, and ChatGPT's modifications introduced increasing errors and unwanted UI changes. Eventually, the app became unbuildable, leading to a frustrating cycle of troubleshooting that the author couldn't resolve with ChatGPT. This experience highlights that while ChatGPT can assist in development, its reliability and accuracy need improvement, especially for complex projects, requiring significant manual intervention and code review.

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(beard.fm)
Development
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