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Pure Nix Trigonometric Library: Ditching Python for Performance

2025-04-17

Pure Nix Trigonometric Library: Ditching Python for Performance

To calculate network latency between his 17 VPS nodes without manual ping tests, the author attempted to approximate latency by calculating the physical distance between node coordinates using Nix. Lacking native trigonometric functions in Nix, he implemented sin, cos, tan, arctan, and sqrt functions in pure Nix and used the Haversine formula to calculate distances and latencies. This project avoids external dependencies like Python, improving efficiency and reproducibility.

(lantian.pub)

Development Trigonometry

CenterClick NTP200 Series: Offline GPS Time Servers for Precise Synchronization

2024-12-15

CenterClick introduces the NTP200 series of GPS-based NTP servers, offering precise time synchronization without internet connectivity. The series includes models like NTP200, NTP250, NTP220, and NTP270, each with varying RAM and features such as PoE and alarm outputs. These appliances feature built-in GPS antennas, supporting multiple GNSS constellations, and offer various interfaces and protocols including HTTP, HTTPS, SNMP, and SSH. Management and configuration are handled via a web interface, CLI, or USB, with NTP client tracking capabilities. Suitable for a wide range of applications, from ISPs to hobbyists, the series offers optional accessories such as different antenna lengths and power supplies.

(centerclick.com)

Hardware GPS time server NTP server time synchronization

Mozilla Add-on Policy Update: Streamlining Development

2025-06-24

Mozilla has updated its Add-on policies for addons.mozilla.org (AMO) to simplify the development process. Key changes include: lifting the ban on "closed group" extensions, allowing developers more flexibility; clarifying data transmission policies with updated terminology around data consent and control; no longer requiring privacy policies to be hosted on AMO, instead encouraging self-hosted links; adding a user scripts API policy specifying its use only within user script manager extensions; and updating source code submission guidelines to clarify dependency inclusion. These updates take effect August 4, 2025.

(blog.mozilla.org)

Development Add-ons Policy Update

Generative AI and Fair Use: A ChatGPT Case Study

2024-12-14

This article examines whether generative AI models, particularly ChatGPT, qualify for fair use of copyrighted material. The author analyzes the four factors outlined in Section 107 of the US Copyright Act: purpose and character of use, nature of the copyrighted work, amount and substantiality of the portion used, and effect on the market. Through a case study of ChatGPT, the author argues that ChatGPT's use of its training data likely constitutes copyright infringement. ChatGPT's commercial nature and its failure to transform the training data, coupled with market harm to original works, contradict the principles of fair use.

(suchir.net)

AI Copyright Fair Use

Developer Traps: Hidden Bugs Lurking in Your Code

2025-08-16

Developer Traps: Hidden Bugs Lurking in Your Code

This article summarizes common pitfalls developers encounter in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Go, Java, C/C++, Python, SQL databases, concurrency, Git, and networking. These traps, often subtle and hard to debug, include issues like CSS `min-width` priority, quirks of floating elements, Block Formatting Contexts (BFCs) and stacking contexts, Unicode character handling, floating-point precision problems, leap seconds and time zones in time handling, and various language and library specific behaviors. The article details the causes and solutions, aiming to help developers write more robust and reliable code.

(qouteall.fun)

Development developer traps coding best practices

Generative AI Hype: Reaching its Peak?

2025-03-10

Generative AI Hype: Reaching its Peak?

Since October 2023, many exaggerated claims surrounding Generative AI have been questioned, particularly the assertion that it will dramatically boost labor productivity across most occupations. The author believes investor hype around Generative AI is nearing its peak, evidenced by NVIDIA's falling stock price. While LLMs have enabled real process innovations, such as improved efficiency in software development and customer support, their impact may be overstated. In customer support, chatbots handle routine issues, but this could lead to a degraded user experience. In software development, LLMs are replacing less experienced developers, potentially limiting the future supply of experienced developers. Furthermore, the release of DeepSeek raises questions about GPU demand. The author suggests that political influence and scam bots may be the sustainable killer app for this technology.

(bjornwestergard.com)

Tech

Extracting MRR from Stripe Data: Pitfalls and SQL Implementation

2025-05-16

Extracting MRR from Stripe Data: Pitfalls and SQL Implementation

This article details how to extract data from the Stripe API and calculate Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR). The author highlights the unreliability of using Stripe's `subscriptions` object directly, as it only contains the latest subscription state. The correct approach uses `invoice line items`, handling discounts, varying billing cycles (monthly, quarterly, annually), and more. The article provides detailed SQL code, covering data cleaning, cycle normalization, and the final MRR metric calculations, including new MRR, churn MRR, expansion MRR, and reactivation MRR. The article emphasizes the method's adaptability and customizability, and recommends an application to simplify MRR calculations.

(www.definite.app)

Development MRR calculation

Factorio Learning Environment: A New Benchmark for LLMs

2025-03-11

Large Language Models (LLMs) are rapidly exceeding existing benchmarks, demanding new open-ended evaluations. The Factorio Learning Environment (FLE) is introduced, using the game Factorio to test agents on long-term planning, program synthesis, and resource optimization. FLE offers open-ended, exponentially scaling challenges—from basic automation to complex factories processing millions of resource units per second. Two settings are provided: lab-play with 24 structured tasks and fixed resources, and open-play, the unbounded task of building the largest factory from scratch on a procedurally generated map. Results show LLMs still lack strong spatial reasoning. In lab-play, LLMs show promise in short-term skills but fail in constrained environments, highlighting limitations in error analysis. In open-play, while LLMs discover automation strategies improving growth (e.g., electric drilling), they fail at complex automation (e.g., electronic circuit manufacturing).

(jackhopkins.github.io)

AI

Saying Goodbye to 'Stringly Typed' APIs: A New Perspective on Type Safety

2025-05-07

Saying Goodbye to 'Stringly Typed' APIs: A New Perspective on Type Safety

Inspired by Scott Hanselman, the author explores the concept of "stringly typed" applications, where strings are used for data transfer even when better types exist. This is common in single-page applications (SPAs) interacting with backend APIs, as most APIs use JSON, leading to type loss and reduced type safety. The author reflects on past tolerance for this approach and begins exploring solutions like TypeScript, tRPC, and GraphQL to achieve type safety over the network and eliminate "stringly typed" interfaces.

(www.stefanjudis.com)

Development

No Man's Sky Worlds Part II: Billions of New Planets Added!

2025-01-29

No Man's Sky Worlds Part II: Billions of New Planets Added!

No Man's Sky has received a massive update, Worlds Part II, adding billions of new star systems and trillions of new planets to explore! This update dramatically expands the game's universe, introducing new terrain, biomes, flora, fauna, and enormous gas giants. Improvements to water physics, lighting, and the submarine enhance the exploration experience. New quests, storylines, and an expedition with a unique new spaceship (a hybrid of a living ship and a jet fighter) round out the update.

(blog.playstation.com)

Game No Man's Sky game update

Classified Fighter Jet Specs Leaked on War Thunder Forums Again

2024-12-23

Classified Fighter Jet Specs Leaked on War Thunder Forums Again

The War Thunder online combat game forums are again embroiled in controversy after a leak of classified documents related to the Eurofighter Typhoon's CAPTOR radar system. A user shared restricted material to support a claim, prompting swift removal of the content and suspension of the user. This incident highlights recurring concerns about the platform's failure to prevent repeated leaks of sensitive information. Previous leaks have included details on the Challenger 2 tank, Leclerc main battle tank, and Chinese ammunition systems. Experts warn that such unauthorized disclosures carry significant legal risks and can compromise the operational security of military platforms.

(ukdefencejournal.org.uk)

Tech classified leak War Thunder

Spy Novels and Cryptanalysis: A Literary Look at Sigint

2025-03-10

This article explores the portrayal of cryptanalysis in spy fiction. The author argues that directly describing the cryptanalytic process is difficult to make engaging for readers; successful works focus on characters and plot, not technical details. Using John Buchan and Dorothy L. Sayers as examples, the author analyzes how they cleverly handle cryptanalytic subplots. The article also mentions a few other British novels that touch on intelligence agencies and cryptography, notably recommending Michael Frayn's *The Tin Men* as a satirical take on GCHQ and a pioneering work on AI.

(siginthistorian.blogspot.com)

Misc spy fiction

Nikola's Fall from Grace: From $30B Valuation to Bankruptcy

2025-02-19

Nikola's Fall from Grace: From $30B Valuation to Bankruptcy

Hydrogen electric trucking startup Nikola Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, marking the dramatic downfall of a once-promising Silicon Valley darling. After achieving a $30 billion valuation in 2020, a series of scandals involving founder Trevor Milton sent the company into a tailspin. Despite attempts to raise capital and sell assets, Nikola ultimately failed to secure its future, leading to bankruptcy. The case serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of ethical business practices and robust risk management in the tech industry.

(techcrunch.com)

Startup

Bypassing Specialization in Rust: A Clever Use of Function Pointers

2025-07-20

While developing a Rust FAT driver, the author encountered a roadblock: specialization, currently unavailable in stable Rust. After unsuccessful attempts using macros and generic enums, a clever solution emerged: leveraging function pointers to emulate specialization. While this approach introduces some performance and memory overhead, it offers a viable workaround for specific scenarios, avoiding reliance on unstable features. The author concludes by advocating for the stabilization of specialization, as it promises a more efficient and cleaner solution.

(oakchris1955.eu)

Development function pointers

AMD MI300X vs. Nvidia H100/H200 Benchmark: CUDA Moat Remains

2024-12-22

AMD MI300X vs. Nvidia H100/H200 Benchmark: CUDA Moat Remains

SemiAnalysis conducted a five-month independent benchmark of AMD's MI300X against Nvidia's H100 and H200. While the MI300X boasts theoretical advantages in performance and TCO, real-world results fell significantly short due to flaws in AMD's public software stack and insufficient testing. AMD's software proved problematic, hindering usability and resulting in performance trailing Nvidia's offerings across most benchmarks. Despite improvements from AMD engineers, the software stack remains underdeveloped, leaving the CUDA moat intact. This in-depth analysis offers concrete recommendations for AMD to enhance its software and competitiveness.

(semianalysis.com)

Hardware GPU Benchmark Nvidia H100/H200

Revyl: Proactive Observability for Faster, More Reliable Software Releases

2025-03-27

Revyl: Proactive Observability for Faster, More Reliable Software Releases

Revyl is a proactive observability platform that catches and triages bugs in iOS, Android, and web apps before they reach production. Their mission is to automate software reliability by providing end-to-end testing, enabling faster and more confident releases. Founded by the creators of DragonCrawl and backed by prominent investors like Felicis, General Catalyst, and Y Combinator, along with strategic angels from Meta, Nvidia, and Uber, Revyl boasts early enterprise traction and aims to become the default reliability platform.

(www.ycombinator.com)

Development

Ruby 3.4: Faster Connections, Cleaner Backtraces, and More Concise Code

2025-01-01

Ruby 3.4 is here! Chris Sinjakli highlights three key improvements: a default block parameter name `it` for cleaner code; implementation of RFC8305 (Happy Eyeballs Version 2) for significantly improved TCP socket connection handling, especially in dual-stack (IPv4 and IPv6) networks; and clearer exception backtraces for easier debugging. These enhancements boost developer productivity and underscore the Ruby team's commitment to developer experience.

(blog.sinjakli.co.uk)

Development

Lisp's Advantages in Bioinformatics: Faster Programs, Faster Development

2025-01-21

This article argues for expanding the use of Lisp-family languages (Common Lisp, Scheme, and Clojure) in bioinformatics and computational biology. Lisp's strengths—speed, flexibility, and ease of creating domain-specific languages (DSLs)—enable faster program development and execution. Case studies of Pathway Tools and BioBike showcase Lisp's power in building complex, flexible bioinformatics applications. The authors discuss opportunities and challenges for Lisp's future in the field.

(pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Development Bioinformatics Domain-Specific Languages

Open-Source Piano Trainer App Released

2025-07-07

Open-Source Piano Trainer App Released

Piano Trainer is a free and open-source piano practice application offering various practice modes: scales, chords, fifths, and interactive quizzes. It's MIDI compatible, cross-platform, and supports home-row keyboard input. Future updates include more scales, settings, togglable quiz questions, and customizable keyboard sounds. Download it for free on itch.io or build from source on GitHub.

(github.com)

Game practice app

EU's DMA Opens the Floodgates for Alternative iOS App Stores

2025-03-14

EU's DMA Opens the Floodgates for Alternative iOS App Stores

The European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA) has unleashed a wave of alternative app stores for iOS users in the EU. Developers are seizing the opportunity, launching options like AltStore PAL, Setapp Mobile, Epic Games Store, Aptoide, and Mobivention, offering users choices beyond Apple's App Store. These stores cater to diverse needs: AltStore PAL emphasizes open source and developer self-hosting; Setapp Mobile offers curated subscription apps; Epic Games Store and Aptoide focus on games; and Mobivention targets enterprise internal apps. While Apple charges fees, the DMA's impact has broken Apple's App Store monopoly, creating opportunities for users and developers alike.

(techcrunch.com)

Tech Alternative App Stores

JRuby Meets JBang: A Hacky but Powerful Combination

2024-12-22

During the Christmas holidays, the author experimented with combining JRuby and JBang to leverage the performance of the JVM and the productivity of Ruby. While JBang doesn't officially support JRuby, a clever workaround using JBang's dependency management and Java's ProcessBuilder was employed. The result? A functional JRuby application incorporating Javalin, JDBI, SLF4J, and ruby-jwt, achieving CRUD operations on a SQLite database with JWT authentication. This hack demonstrates the potential of combining JRuby with Java ecosystem libraries, with performance validated via Apache Benchmark.

(rockyj-blogs.web.app)

Development

Qubes OS Unveils Secure PDF Conversion Tool

2024-12-12

The Qubes OS team has developed a novel security mechanism for converting untrusted PDFs into trusted ones. Leveraging Qubes' Disposable VMs, the process isolates PDF parsing within a secure container. The PDF is converted to a simple RGB image representation, then back to a PDF. This approach effectively mitigates attacks from malicious PDFs; even if parsing fails, the resulting PDF will only be a corrupted image, posing no system threat. This innovation significantly enhances Qubes OS security, allowing users to handle PDFs from the web or email more safely.

(blog.invisiblethings.org)

Tech secure PDF conversion disposable VMs

Stop Being a JIRA Zombie: Prioritize Impact Over Tickets

2025-01-25

This insightful post shares a valuable lesson learned by an engineer: Don't get bogged down in completing JIRA tickets; focus on strategically important projects. True productivity isn't about closing more tickets, but prioritizing what management deems crucial. The author outlines methods for identifying high-impact tasks, such as focusing on high-visibility incidents, unanswered questions, and project deadlines. A personal anecdote illustrates the frustration of focusing on less important tasks, advocating for ruthless prioritization and concentrating on projects that contribute real value. The result? Greater impact in less time.

(www.seangoedecke.com)

Development

Graceful Error Handling in Puppeteer with Buglestack Reporting

2025-05-16

Graceful Error Handling in Puppeteer with Buglestack Reporting

This code snippet demonstrates how to use Puppeteer to scrape Google search results and gracefully handle potential errors. Upon encountering an error, the code captures error details including the URL, a screenshot, HTML content, metadata, and the error stack, and sends this information to Buglestack for error reporting. This allows developers to quickly identify and fix issues, improving code robustness.

(buglesstack.com)

Development

Apple Scraps Advanced AR Glasses Project

2025-02-04

Apple Scraps Advanced AR Glasses Project

Apple Inc. has canceled a project to develop advanced augmented reality glasses designed to pair with its devices. This marks another setback in Apple's efforts to create a consumer-friendly AR headset. The project, shut down this week, involved glasses resembling regular eyewear but incorporating built-in displays and requiring a connection to a Mac. An Apple spokesperson declined to comment, highlighting the ongoing challenges in bringing mass-market AR glasses to fruition.

(www.bloomberg.com)

Tech

IBM CEO: Global Trade Isn't Dead, AI Is a Tool, Not a Panacea

2025-03-12

IBM CEO: Global Trade Isn't Dead, AI Is a Tool, Not a Panacea

IBM CEO Arvind Krishna, speaking at SXSW, asserted that despite the Trump administration's attacks on globalism, global trade remains vital for US growth. He emphasized the importance of attracting global talent, arguing that the US should be a hub for international expertise. While acknowledging AI's potential, Krishna cautioned against overhype, predicting AI will write only 20-30% of code, boosting programmer productivity rather than replacing them. He compared AI to calculators and Photoshop, highlighting its role in improving quality and predicting significant energy efficiency improvements. However, Krishna expressed greater optimism for quantum computing's role in scientific discovery, believing AI is limited to learning from existing knowledge and incapable of generating truly novel insights. His views contrast with those of OpenAI's Sam Altman, who anticipates a more transformative impact from AI.

(techcrunch.com)

Tech Global Trade

Benchmark: Bitwise vs. Modulo for Even Number Check

2025-01-14

This post benchmarks two methods for checking if a number is even in Pascal and C: modulo operation and bitwise operation. The bitwise approach (using the bitwise AND operator) proves significantly faster. A Pascal test iterating from 0 to MaxInt showed bitwise operations were nearly 15 times quicker than modulo. In C, while compiler optimization might translate modulo 2 to bitwise AND, the bitwise method still slightly outperformed modulo. This highlights the efficiency advantage of bitwise operations for even number checks in performance-critical scenarios.

(ubuntuincident.wordpress.com)

Development bitwise operation modulo operation

Saint and Tyrant: A Shocking Discovery in Thomas More's Dialogue

2025-02-24

Saint and Tyrant: A Shocking Discovery in Thomas More's Dialogue

This post begins with an exploration of the word "wrong" in the Oxford English Dictionary, leading the author to a 1529 work by Thomas More, "A Dyaloge." The author delves into More's debate with a fictional correspondent about religious reformation and heresy, revealing More's unwavering Catholic faith and his brutal suppression of dissent. The article exposes More's shocking cruelty alongside his unwavering devotion, creating a stark contrast to his image as a saint and revolutionary hero. It prompts a deep reflection on authority, faith, and the complexities of human nature.

(nealstephenson.substack.com)

Misc Thomas More Religious Reformation

Nue: A Standards-First Web Framework Reimagining Frontend Development

2025-01-16

Nue: A Standards-First Web Framework Reimagining Frontend Development

Nue is a novel web framework prioritizing web standards to tackle two major frontend development challenges: engineering complexity and the design-engineering disconnect. It eschews heavy build processes and abstraction layers, advocating for semantic HTML, modern CSS, and clean JavaScript for faster development and elegant design. Nue supports multiple design systems, mimicking the styles of masters like Mies van der Rohe and Dieter Rams. A single command generates websites in various styles, dramatically increasing efficiency. Future plans include single-page application functionality, further enhancing the frontend experience.

(nuejs.org)

Development Design Systems

The Science of Routing Print Orders at Canva

2024-12-14

The Science of Routing Print Orders at Canva

Canva's engineering team built a configurable rules system for graph traversal to optimize print order routing. Decoupling graph building, traversal, and decision-making ensures high availability and scalability. It uses relational databases for data management and asynchronously generates a cached graph for fast querying. A rules engine and a modified minimum-cost flow algorithm find the optimal route in milliseconds, minimizing transport distance and carbon emissions, enhancing user experience and operational efficiency.

(www.canva.dev)

Development graph traversal rules engine order routing

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