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Fast Hash Tables and Dynamic Arrays in C

2025-01-22

This article demonstrates how to quickly implement C equivalents of C++'s `std::unordered_map` and `std::vector`. By crafting a custom allocator, counted strings, and an efficient hash function, the author presents flat and hierarchical hash table implementations, alongside a dynamic array. The article also covers string concatenation, environment variable manipulation, and enhanced hash table security, using Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) to improve collision resistance.

(nullprogram.com)

Development Data Structures Hash Tables

Escape the Giants: Embracing the Freedom and Challenges of Linux

2025-02-01

This article delves into the reasons for switching from proprietary operating systems to Linux. Linux, based on open-source principles, gives users complete control over their computing environment and offers a plethora of free applications. While Linux may present challenges such as a steep learning curve and compatibility issues, its strong community support, high customizability, and protection of user privacy make it a highly attractive option. The article also introduces beginner-friendly Linux distributions (such as Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and Fedora) and some commonly used open-source software alternatives.

(linux-howto.org)

Development

Imaginary Friends: A Child's Secret Weapon for Social Development?

2025-03-30

Imaginary Friends: A Child's Secret Weapon for Social Development?

During Covid lockdowns, many children developed imaginary friends, like my son and his book-based pal, 'Big Bat'. Psychology professor Tracy Gleason explains that these friends can be anything, animated and personified by the child. Studies show up to 65% of 7-year-olds have them. Contrary to common assumptions, this isn't a sign of loneliness. Instead, it's a safe space for kids to navigate complex social dynamics, experiment with friendship rules and boundaries, and even express emotions and self-regulate. Imaginary friends can be kind or mischievous, mirroring the child's understanding of relationships. In short, imaginary friends are a normal and common part of childhood, often driven by fun and exploration, not psychological issues.

(www.vox.com)

Misc child psychology imaginary friends socioemotional development

Google Utopia Gone Wrong: Locked Out of Paradise

2025-06-17

Google Utopia Gone Wrong: Locked Out of Paradise

A devoted Google fanboy moves into a Google-designed smart city. Initially, life is idyllic, but a seemingly arbitrary violation of terms of service results in him being locked out of his apartment and all his Google-connected devices. His attempts to regain access lead to a Kafkaesque legal battle and imprisonment. The story satirizes over-reliance on technology, loss of autonomy, and the potential dangers of unchecked corporate control over personal lives.

(theandrewbailey.com)

Misc Privacy Risks Tech Dependence

Akira Ransomware Cracked: GPU Brute-Force Method Discovered

2025-03-17

Akira Ransomware Cracked: GPU Brute-Force Method Discovered

Security researcher Tinyhack has discovered a GPU-based brute-force method to decrypt the Akira ransomware. Akira, known for its exorbitant ransom demands (reaching tens of millions of dollars), targets high-profile victims. Using an RTX 4090, Tinyhack cracked encrypted files in 7 days; 16 GPUs reduced this to just over 10 hours. The method exploits four nanosecond timestamps used as seeds in Akira's encryption, brute-forcing to find the precise timestamps and generate decryption keys. Success requires untouched files and local disk storage (NFS complicates decryption). While a significant cybersecurity win, Akira's developers will likely patch this vulnerability quickly.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech GPU brute-force

Programming with Music and Photos? Exploring the Weird World of Esoteric Languages

2025-09-08

Programming with Music and Photos? Exploring the Weird World of Esoteric Languages

A new book, "Forty-Four Esolangs: The Art of Esoteric Code," explores 44 bizarre programming languages, some using musical notation, others producing different results each run, and even one using photographs. Author Daniel Temkin uses these languages to explore the creativity of programming and the subtle power dynamics between programmer and machine. He highlights the contrast between esoteric languages and AI-generated code, the latter often lacking creativity. The history of esoteric languages dates back to early computing and is intertwined with the rise of shareware, demoscene culture, and the early internet.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Development esoteric languages

Nintendo Switch 2 Sales Explode: 5.82 Million Units in Under Four Weeks

2025-08-03

Nintendo Switch 2 Sales Explode: 5.82 Million Units in Under Four Weeks

Nintendo's latest earnings report reveals explosive sales for the Switch 2. In less than four weeks, the company sold 5.82 million units, putting it on track to surpass its target of 15 million units by April 2026—a significantly faster pace than the original Switch. Despite these impressive numbers, Nintendo acknowledges that demand exceeds supply and promises increased production. Switch 2 software sales also soared, reaching 8.67 million units, driven by bundled titles like Mario Kart and strong third-party support. Backwards compatibility boosted sales of original Switch games to 24.4 million. This success propelled Nintendo to a remarkable quarter, more than doubling revenue to $3.8 billion.

(www.engadget.com)

Game

Modest: A Lua Library for Musical Harmony

2025-02-02

Modest: A Lua Library for Musical Harmony

Modest is a robust Lua library for musical harmony, offering Chord, Note, and Interval objects that handle a wide range of chords, from simple major/minor to complex jazz chords. It features flexible string parsing for chord identification, transposition capabilities, and individual note retrieval. Easily installable via LuaRocks or manual compilation, Modest supports Lua 5.4 and LuaJIT and avoids polluting the global namespace. Its core functionality, including chord identification, transposition, note extraction, and interval calculations, provides efficient tools for music software development.

(github.com)

Development Music

Mistral CEO: Nations Must Build Their Own AI Infrastructure to Avoid Economic Dependence

2025-03-24

Mistral CEO: Nations Must Build Their Own AI Infrastructure to Avoid Economic Dependence

Mistral CEO Arthur Mensch argues that AI will have a double-digit impact on every country's GDP in the coming years. He urges nations to build independent AI systems to avoid economic dependence on others, likening it to the importance of building electricity factories a century ago. He sees AI not just as technology, but as a vehicle for cultural and societal values, requiring greater involvement. Mistral, a rapidly growing European AI company, is focused on developing open-source large language models, competing with companies like OpenAI, and boasts faster model speeds. Mensch is a strong advocate for open-source, believing it accelerates AI development, a principle that guided Mistral's creation.

(www.businessinsider.com)

Tech economic dependence

Ancient Brain Vitrified by Vesuvius Eruption

2025-03-04

Ancient Brain Vitrified by Vesuvius Eruption

A remarkable discovery from the 79 CE eruption of Mount Vesuvius: a human brain, vitrified into glass by the intense heat and rapid cooling of the volcanic event. This unprecedented preservation method, never before seen in human or animal tissue, offers a unique window into the past and challenges our understanding of tissue preservation under extreme conditions. Analysis revealed the brain underwent a rapid transformation into organic glass at temperatures exceeding 510°C, a process confirmed through various scientific techniques.

(www.nature.com)

Tech Volcano

Recursion Demystified: A Project-Based Approach

2025-01-04

The Recursive Book of Recursion challenges the intimidating reputation of recursive algorithms. Using Python and JavaScript examples, it progressively explains recursion's fundamentals, common algorithms (factorials, Fibonacci sequences, tree traversal, maze solving, etc.), and optimization techniques (tail call optimization, memoization). It covers advanced topics like divide-and-conquer, permutations, combinations, and dynamic programming, culminating in fractal art generation. Project-based and highly accessible, this book is perfect for beginners and experienced programmers alike.

(inventwithpython.com)

Development

HTMX v2.0.4 Release Notes: Bug Fixes and Improvements

2024-12-14

HTMX v2.0.4 Release Notes: Bug Fixes and Improvements

The HTMX v2.0.4 release notes detail numerous bug fixes and improvements. This release focuses on stability and compatibility enhancements, including fixes for nested shadow root issues, improved `hx-boost` behavior on forms, better support for Web Components and Shadow DOM, and updated extensions for improved performance and reliability. Adjustments to the `htmx.ajax` function and optimizations to `hx-trigger` event handling are also included.

(github.com)

Development Release Bug Fixes

Python's Official Docs Contain Textbook XSS Vulnerability

2025-02-23

Python's Official Docs Contain Textbook XSS Vulnerability

Security researcher Georgi Guninski discovered a critical cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in a code example within the Python 3.12 official documentation's CGI module. The vulnerability stems from directly outputting user-supplied form data without any sanitization. This poses a significant risk to Python web development and potentially impacts AI-generated code like that from ChatGPT and Deepseek. While the CGI module is removed in Python 3.13, a substantial amount of legacy code remains vulnerable.

(seclists.org)

Development

Versailles: Power and the Absence of Soul in Design

2025-02-19

The construction of Versailles stemmed from Louis XIV's lust for power and envy of his former finance minister's magnificent gardens. The author uses this as a springboard to discuss the lack of soul in modern product design. He argues that, much like Versailles is awe-inspiring yet lifeless, many modern products prioritize superficial aesthetics and functionality, neglecting emotional connection. True design, he contends, should stem from the designer's emotional experiences, drawing inspiration from their own depths, like a gardener cultivating the soil, to create products full of life. The article uses architecture as an example, contrasting the feelings evoked by the Sagrada Família and a telephone exchange building, highlighting the importance of emotion in design.

(www.doc.cc)

Design Product

Best Practices for Writing Robust GNU Makefiles

2025-06-20

This comprehensive guide outlines best practices for crafting efficient, maintainable, and portable GNU Makefiles. It covers Makefile structure, variable usage, rule and target definitions, and strategies for handling large projects and parallel builds. The guide emphasizes using automatic variables, avoiding common pitfalls, and provides techniques for handling various scenarios such as cleanup tasks, dependency management, and multi-file processing. The ultimate goal is to empower developers to write clean, understandable, and easily maintainable Makefiles, thereby boosting development efficiency.

(clarkgrubb.com)

Development

Open-Source Ergonomic Keyboard: Ergo S-1 - Build Your Own Comfort

2025-01-03

Open-Source Ergonomic Keyboard: Ergo S-1 - Build Your Own Comfort

The Ergo S-1 is an open-source, wireless, split ergonomic keyboard compatible with Cherry/Gateron switches and Cherry/OEM/DCS keycaps, powered by the ZMK firmware. Designed during a period of unemployment, this keyboard prioritizes ease of DIY assembly, making it accessible to a wider audience. The project provides comprehensive assembly instructions, a bill of materials, and Fusion 360 design files, along with support for custom keymaps. While complete kits aren't yet available, pre-built keyboards are sold on Etsy, and the creator is actively working towards easier-to-assemble kits.

(github.com)

Hardware ergonomic keyboard

Foqos: Reclaim Your Focus with NFC

2025-01-21

Foqos is a focus app leveraging NFC technology to help users stay on task. Create multiple profiles for different scenarios (work, study, bedtime, etc.). Write these profiles to NFC tags for instant activation with a single tap – no unlocking or app opening required. Foqos is free, private, and open-source forever. No subscriptions, tracking, or data collection. Just pure focus.

(www.foqos.app)

Development focus app

AttendList's Ruby on Rails Stack: A Deep Dive

2025-06-02

AttendList's Ruby on Rails Stack: A Deep Dive

AttendList, a Google Meet attendance tracker, leverages a Ruby on Rails backend interacting with a Chrome extension. This article details the infrastructure and gem choices behind AttendList, covering everything from background jobs, authentication, and blogging to deployment and extra features. The core stack includes PostgreSQL, Redis, Sidekiq, and RSpec. Authentication utilizes Devise with Google OAuth, employing an incremental authorization flow. The view layer uses Tailwind CSS and ViewComponents. Performance and profiling are handled by Bullet and Rack Mini Profiler. The author also describes their cost-effective hosting solution using Hetzner servers and the Hatchbox deployment platform.

(attendlist.com)

Development

Tesla Cybertruck Faces Massive Recall: Side Window Panel Detachment Risk

2025-03-20

Tesla Cybertruck Faces Massive Recall: Side Window Panel Detachment Risk

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has recalled over 46,000 Tesla Cybertrucks due to a potential detachment of the side window panel, posing a road hazard. The recall covers all 2024 and 2025 models. Tesla will replace the part free of charge, with notification letters expected to be mailed on May 19th. This is the eighth recall for the Cybertruck in just over a year, following previous recalls for issues like electric inverter faults and stuck accelerator pedals. Simultaneously, Tesla faces increased competition and attacks targeting its vehicles and facilities, leading to a 42% plummet in its stock price in 2025.

(apnews.com)

Tech

OpenAI's AGI Nightmare: A $500 Billion Gamble and the Looming AI Bubble

2025-03-25

OpenAI's AGI Nightmare: A $500 Billion Gamble and the Looming AI Bubble

OpenAI's ambitious "Project Stargate," a $500 billion initiative to build AGI, faces a major threat from DeepSeek R1, an open-source model from a Chinese hedge fund. DeepSeek R1 matches OpenAI's flagship model's performance at a fraction of the cost, raising concerns about an AI bubble. Massive investments are pouring into AI, yet OpenAI is hemorrhaging money, relying on a technological lead that DeepSeek R1 has effectively erased. Over-investment, dependence on expensive GPUs and energy, and questionable productivity gains from AI tools all increase the risk of a bubble burst, potentially causing a significant economic shock.

(prospect.org)

Tech AI bubble

SWE-bench: Can LLMs Solve Real-World GitHub Issues?

2025-01-08

SWE-bench is a benchmark dataset evaluating large language models' ability to automatically resolve real-world GitHub issues. Researchers compiled 2,294 Issue-Pull Request pairs from 12 popular Python repositories, validating solutions via unit tests. The latest leaderboard showcases various models achieving varying success rates, with some exceeding 50% resolution. The project provides resources including a lite version and pre-trained models for easier evaluation and reproducibility.

(www.swebench.com)

Development Code Repair

Fearless SIMD in Rust: Seven Years On

2025-03-30

Seven years ago, a blog post outlined a vision for Rust as a compelling language for writing fast SIMD programs. Today, while progress has been made, the experience remains rough. This post explores the challenges of SIMD programming in Rust, focusing on safety concerns, multi-versioning strategies, and future directions. It compares approaches like `std::simd`, `pulp`, and the author's `fearless_simd` prototype, advocating for a collaborative effort within the Rust community to build robust SIMD infrastructure comparable to Highway.

(linebender.org)

Development

isd: A TUI for Effortless systemd Unit Management

2025-01-18

isd: A TUI for Effortless systemd Unit Management

isd is a terminal-based user interface (TUI) designed to simplify systemd unit management. It offers fuzzy search, auto-refreshing previews, smart sudo handling, and a fully customizable interface for both power users and beginners. Frustrated with repetitive systemctl commands? isd streamlines the process, providing a unified interface showing only relevant information and commands. Installation is easy via AppImage, Nix, or uv, making it accessible across various Linux distributions. Even if you only use `systemctl status`, isd's auto-refreshing output enhances efficiency.

(isd-project.github.io)

Development

Mullvad VPN App's 2024 Security Audit Report Released

2024-12-12

Mullvad VPN App's 2024 Security Audit Report Released

Mullvad VPN has released the report for its 2024 third-party security audit of its VPN app. The audit uncovered six vulnerabilities, ranging in severity from low to high, all of which have been addressed. Three high-severity vulnerabilities involved signal handlers and a virtual IP address leak and have been fixed in the latest version. The audit also noted some non-security issues that Mullvad is actively working to resolve. Overall, the Mullvad VPN app is deemed highly secure, but users are still advised to upgrade to the latest version.

(mullvad.net)

Tech VPN security security audit vulnerability fixes

Decoding the Telephony Signals in Pink Floyd's 'The Wall'

2024-12-22

A telecom hardware engineer decoded the telephony signals in a scene from Pink Floyd's 'The Wall'. The audio clip, featuring dial tones, rapid tone combinations, and an answer tone, was analyzed using spectrograms. By comparing the frequencies to known standards (DTMF, CAS R2, SS5), the engineer identified the signaling as SS5 and decoded the number as 044 1831. This analysis not only showcases the engineer's expertise but also reveals insights into the film's sound design and suggests a possible connection to a real-life London number.

(corelatus.com)

Tech signal decoding telecommunications

Rest: From Oblomov to the Modern World

2025-03-26

Rest: From Oblomov to the Modern World

This essay explores the meaning of 'rest,' from the extreme portrayal in the Russian novel *Oblomov* to its varied interpretations across religion, philosophy, and modern society. Through personal anecdotes and observations of history and culture, the author argues that rest is not merely idleness but crucial for physical and mental restoration, creative thought, and maintaining life's balance. The piece is interspersed with numerous anecdotes of notable figures, ultimately concluding that while perfect balance may be unattainable, the continuous exploration of rest and work is the essence of life.

(www.commentary.org)

Misc rest

Cloudflare's AI-Generated OAuth Library: A Double-Edged Sword

2025-06-08

Cloudflare's AI-Generated OAuth Library: A Double-Edged Sword

Cloudflare built a new OAuth provider library almost entirely using Anthropic's Claude LLM. While the code is well-structured and tests pass, the author found security issues, such as overly permissive CORS settings, missing standard security headers, and incorrect OAuth spec implementation. Despite engineer review of Claude's output, critical vulnerabilities remain, highlighting the risks of AI-generated code even under scrutiny. This raises questions about the reliability and security of AI-assisted programming and the crucial role of human expertise in security-critical systems.

(neilmadden.blog)

Development

The Underground Hydrogen Rush: A New Energy Race

2025-01-23

The Underground Hydrogen Rush: A New Energy Race

MIT Technology Review reports on an emerging energy race: the search for and exploitation of vast underground hydrogen reserves. Unlike traditional fossil fuel exploration, this race targets iron-rich rocks like olivine, which, under high temperature and pressure, undergo chemical reactions to produce hydrogen. Studies suggest that underground hydrogen deposits could reach a trillion tons, enough to meet humanity's needs for centuries. While challenges remain, such as hydrogen leakage and high transportation costs, the potential environmental benefits and positive impact on climate change make it a highly attractive energy option. This technology borrows from the oil and gas industry's expertise, but also faces the challenge of more efficient exploration and extraction methods.

(www.technologyreview.com)

Tech hydrogen energy underground energy

Nostalgic Game 'Alley Cat' Remake Released

2024-12-17

Programmer Joflof has finally completed a remake of the classic 1983 game 'Alley Cat' after many years of work. This remake not only retains the original pixel graphics and sound effects but also adds five new levels and multiplayer modes for up to four kittens to play simultaneously. Additionally, Joflof has included special arcade mode configuration options for arcade enthusiasts. Currently, the game is only available for Windows, but the author hopes that enthusiasts will help port it to Linux and Mac systems.

(www.joflof.com)

Game retro game remake arcade game

TB Tilde: A Disruptive LLVM Alternative?

2025-01-24

Yasser's TB Tilde aims to replace LLVM, boasting superior compile speed and a smaller footprint. Early tests show its preprocessor is twice as fast as Clang's. TB Tilde uses a 'Sea of Nodes' IR, features a simple type system and thread-safe modules, supports JIT and AOT compilation, and even directly outputs linked executables. The project is actively under development, targeting March 2024 for Cuik compiler self-hosting on Windows, with optimizer improvements to follow.

(yasserarg.com)

Development

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