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Global Religious Switching: Christianity and Buddhism Hit Hardest

2025-03-29
Global Religious Switching: Christianity and Buddhism Hit Hardest

A Pew Research Center survey across 36 countries reveals significant variations in religious switching rates worldwide. Christianity and Buddhism have experienced particularly large losses, with a rise in religiously unaffiliated adults. In many countries, over one-fifth of adults have left the religion of their upbringing. South Korea shows the highest switching rates, while countries like India, Israel, Nigeria, and Thailand exhibit very low rates. Most switching is towards the religiously unaffiliated category. Age, education, and gender also influence switching rates, with younger and more highly educated individuals often showing higher rates.

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(www.pewresearch.org)
Misc religious switching religiously unaffiliated Pew Research Center

Passing of Gregg Kellogg, Prolific W3C Contributor

2025-09-11

The W3C sadly announces the passing of Gregg Kellogg, a prolific Invited Expert, last Saturday. For over 13 years, Kellogg made significant contributions, notably co-chairing the JSON-LD Working Group and leading several data-focused Community Groups. His work included co-editing numerous W3C recommendations and specifications, along with providing open-source implementations and test suites. His contributions were instrumental to the success of JSON-LD. The W3C is planning a tribute to honor his memory and celebrate his friendly and brilliant contributions.

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(lists.w3.org)
Development

The Demise of OCSP: Let's Encrypt Pulls the Plug

2025-01-30

Let's Encrypt's decision to discontinue OCSP support signals the end of an era for this 25-year-old certificate revocation checking technology. Plagued by poor browser implementation and high costs, OCSP failed to deliver significant security improvements. The future involves shorter-lived certificates (e.g., 6-day validity) and a revised CRL approach handled by browser vendors. While niche uses of OCSP might persist, its widespread adoption is over.

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(www.feistyduck.com)
Tech certificate revocation

Cap: A Lightweight, Privacy-Preserving Open-Source CAPTCHA Alternative

2025-05-30
Cap: A Lightweight, Privacy-Preserving Open-Source CAPTCHA Alternative

Cap is a lightweight, modern, open-source CAPTCHA alternative using SHA-256 proof-of-work. It's fast, private, and incredibly easy to integrate. Composed of a JavaScript widget (@cap.js/widget) and a server-side component (@cap.js/server), Cap offers various extensions and supports multiple runtimes and programming languages. It even runs standalone in Docker. Compared to hCaptcha, Cap is 250x smaller and, using proof-of-work, requires no user tracking. Fully open-source, Cap offers modes like invisible and floating to suit various needs.

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(capjs.js.org)
Development

Rust-Based Keyboard Firmware RMK: A Challenging Upgrade

2025-04-03
Rust-Based Keyboard Firmware RMK: A Challenging Upgrade

The author flashed their Ferris Sweep keyboard with RMK, a Rust-based keyboard firmware, contrasting it with the previous QMK firmware. While RMK is younger and lacks QMK's extensive pre-built configurations, its Cargo-based package management and Rust features make configuration both appealing and challenging. The article details the author's journey from installing rmkit, configuring keyboard.toml (including the painful pin mapping process), creating vial.json, to finally flashing the firmware and debugging issues. Challenges included half-duplex UART communication and vial.json compatibility. Despite these hurdles, the author successfully runs RMK and shares their experience and suggested improvements. While less mature than QMK, RMK's asynchronous runtime and compile-time code generation make it a compelling project.

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(gabevenberg.com)
Development keyboard firmware

In Memoriam: Noah Gibbs, a Ruby Titan

2025-01-03

The Ruby community mourns the loss of Noah Gibbs, a true giant in the field. This heartfelt tribute recounts the author's collaboration with Noah, from online interactions to working side-by-side on projects like Scarpe. Noah wasn't just a brilliant engineer; he was a passionate mentor, generously sharing his expertise and inspiring countless others. His contributions to Scarpe, including significant code and design, are a testament to his dedication. While his passing is a profound loss, his legacy of mentorship and innovative spirit will continue to inspire the community.

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(blog.schwad.org)
Development In Memoriam

Predictable Crowd Behavior: Insights from Pamplona's Running of the Bulls

2025-02-16
Predictable Crowd Behavior: Insights from Pamplona's Running of the Bulls

A study published in Nature reveals that the collective movement of large crowds becomes predictable above a certain density. Researchers tracked approximately 5,000 people at Spain's San Fermín festival for four years, using cameras and a mathematical model. They found that at a density of 9 people per square meter, the crowd spontaneously oscillated like a fluid with an 18-second period. This predictable behavior, also observed in data from the 2010 Duisburg Love Parade tragedy, offers valuable insights for anticipating and mitigating dangerous crowd dynamics in confined spaces.

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(phys.org)
Tech collective motion safety management

Medieval Games: How Video Games Shape Our Understanding of the Middle Ages

2025-02-28

Robert Houghton's new book, *The Middle Ages in Computer Games*, explores how video games shape our understanding of the medieval period. Reaching a massive audience, games both draw upon and reshape perceptions of the Middle Ages. The book analyzes how games incorporate medieval elements in combat, religion, technology, and race, revealing the impact of games on historical understanding and their influence on modern culture. It's a must-read for medievalists and gamers alike.

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(www.medievalists.net)
Game medieval games cultural studies

Burner Phone 101: A Workshop Summary

2025-08-25
Burner Phone 101: A Workshop Summary

This workshop, hosted at the Brooklyn Public Library, covered phone-related risk modeling, privacy-enhancing smartphone practices, various burner phone options, and when to ditch phones altogether. Participants learned to assess risks by considering what needs protection, from whom, and the consequences of failure. The workshop detailed smartphone vulnerabilities and offered privacy tips for all phones, including updates, strong PINs, and restricted app permissions. Different burner phone options were explored – prepaid phones, SIM rotation, and minimal phones – each with its limitations. Finally, the workshop emphasized that sometimes, the best burner phone is no phone at all, suggesting alternative methods for communication and location sharing when digital devices are a risk.

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(rebeccawilliams.info)
Tech burner phones

Mozilla.ai's Open Source Project: Accelerating OpenStreetMap Mapping with AI

2025-03-22
Mozilla.ai's Open Source Project: Accelerating OpenStreetMap Mapping with AI

Mozilla.ai has released an open-source project called the OpenStreetMap AI Helper Blueprint designed to accelerate the mapping process on OpenStreetMap. This project cleverly combines the YOLOv11 object detection model and the SAM2 segmentation model to automatically identify and outline map features (e.g., swimming pools), boosting efficiency. Users train models in provided Colab environments and then verify results manually, significantly improving mapping speed while maintaining quality control. This showcases how lightweight, locally friendly AI models can enhance community-driven projects without relying on large language models.

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(blog.mozilla.ai)
Development Mapmaking

macOS Permission Pop-Up Vulnerability: TCC, Who?

2025-05-12
macOS Permission Pop-Up Vulnerability: TCC, Who?

A recently patched macOS vulnerability, CVE-2025-31250, allowed applications to spoof system permission pop-ups, tricking users into granting unauthorized access. Attackers exploited a flaw in Apple Events and the Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC) system, separating the application displayed in the pop-up from the application actually receiving permissions. This vulnerability leveraged a logic error in the TCC daemon's handling of Apple Events permission requests, bypassing the need to create fake apps or override Dock shortcuts. The vulnerability has been patched, but highlights the complexity and potential risks in system permission management.

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(wts.dev)
Tech permission management

Fiwix: A Lightweight, POSIX-Compliant Open-Source OS Kernel

2025-02-05

Fiwix is a lightweight, open-source operating system kernel based on the UNIX architecture and fully POSIX-compliant. With under 50K lines of code, it's designed for educational purposes and hobbyists. Built as a monolithic kernel in ANSI C for the i386 architecture, it boasts compatibility with a large base of existing GNU applications. FiwixOS, a distribution based on the Fiwix kernel, includes a GNU toolchain, libraries, and other open-source software. It uses Newlib as its standard C library and Ext2 as its primary filesystem. The developers encourage users to test, provide feedback, and contribute to improve Fiwix and FiwixOS.

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(www.fiwix.org)
Development OS Kernel

Flattening ASTs: Performance Wins in Compiler Data Structures

2025-01-10
Flattening ASTs: Performance Wins in Compiler Data Structures

This article explores performance optimization of compiler data structures by flattening Abstract Syntax Trees (ASTs). The author builds a simple arithmetic expression interpreter, implementing it both with traditional pointers and a flattened array approach, comparing their performance. Results show a 2.4x speedup with the flattened version, attributed to improved memory locality, smaller reference sizes, and cheaper allocation/deallocation. Flattening also simplifies memory management and facilitates deduplication. The article further presents an iterative interpreter exploiting the flattened representation for additional performance gains.

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(www.cs.cornell.edu)
Development data structures performance improvement

US DOGE Service's Data Science Director Resigns After Mass Layoffs

2025-02-20
US DOGE Service's Data Science Director Resigns After Mass Layoffs

Anne Marshall, the director of data science and engineering at the US Digital Service (rebranded as US DOGE Service), has resigned. After a decade at Amazon, Marshall joined USDS in September 2023 and was promoted in December, but resigned Wednesday following the layoff of roughly one-third of the staff. Marshall criticized the firings as shortsighted and indiscriminate, stating they will negatively impact the government and American people. Remaining USDS employees met with DOGE representatives, who indicated increased DOGE control and the merging of the two teams. However, DOGE's leadership remains unclear, even to its own employees. The White House did not respond to requests for comment. Marshall concluded that DOGE cannot effectively continue USDS's work, leading to her resignation.

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(www.wired.com)
Tech US Digital Service

Revisiting the Bug Council: Fixing GitHub Issues' Shortcomings

2025-05-22

The author recounts their experience using BugSplat for project management in early Silicon Valley, adhering to four key principles: all tasks are recorded as bugs, bugs have a unified and detailed schema, each bug is assigned to only one person, and flexible query functionality. The author finds that today's systems like GitHub Issues fall far short of BugSplat's efficiency, lacking a comprehensive schema, having diffuse responsibility, and limited query capabilities. The article concludes by describing how the author's team is improving the open-source project Gitea to address these shortcomings, ultimately achieving the ability to sort bug lists by priority.

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(www.bozemanpass.com)
Development

Windows 2: The Almost-Forgotten OS That Could Have Been the Last

2025-01-01

This article dives deep into the untold story of Windows 2.0, an often-overlooked chapter in the history of graphical user interfaces (GUIs). It explores the technical limitations of the era, the intense competition from systems like VisiOn and Apple Lisa, and the internal struggles within Microsoft that shaped the development of Windows 2.0. While lacking in abundant software, Windows 2.0 displayed surprising features like mouse support and basic multitasking. Despite nearly becoming a dead end, its lessons proved crucial for the subsequent success of Windows 3.0. The narrative weaves together technical details, historical context, and anecdotes from the development process, painting a compelling picture of this pivotal moment in computing history.

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(www.ninakalinina.com)
Tech Windows history OS development

Bruin: Build Data Pipelines with SQL and Python

2024-12-17
Bruin: Build Data Pipelines with SQL and Python

Bruin is a powerful data pipeline tool that combines data ingestion, data transformation with SQL and Python, and data quality checks into a single framework. It works with major data platforms and runs on your local machine, an EC2 instance, or GitHub Actions. Key features include data ingestion, SQL & Python transformations, data quality checks, Jinja templating, end-to-end validation, and support for multiple environments. Pipelines are easily defined using a simple pipeline.yml file.

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(github.com)
Development data pipeline

FDA Warning: Critical Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities in Contec CMS8000 and Epsimed MN-120 Patient Monitors

2025-02-01
FDA Warning: Critical Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities in Contec CMS8000 and Epsimed MN-120 Patient Monitors

The FDA issued a warning about three critical cybersecurity vulnerabilities in Contec CMS8000 and Epsimed MN-120 patient monitors. These vulnerabilities could allow unauthorized access, data exfiltration, and remote control of the devices. The FDA recommends immediately disconnecting internet-connected devices and contacting healthcare providers for alternative monitors. No related incidents have been reported.

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(www.fda.gov)
Hardware medical device security cybersecurity vulnerabilities FDA warning

Indie Dev Builds Podcast Player with Racket and Swift

2025-01-27

An indie developer built an iOS podcast player called Podcatcher, now live on the App Store. Developed using Racket and Swift, Podcatcher boasts features like an equalizer, silence trimming, and variable speed playback. It's free, ad-free, and privacy-focused, prioritizing local data storage. The developer also detailed improvements made to Racket and several open-source libraries during development, including performance boosts to the XML library and enhanced redirect handling in the HTTP library. While cross-device syncing and UI enhancements are planned for future releases, the app already provides a solid listening experience.

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(defn.io)
Development iOS Development

Anthropic's Fair Use Defense: A Major Ruling in the AI Copyright Wars

2025-06-24

A California court ruled partially in favor of Anthropic in a copyright lawsuit over the use of copyrighted books to train its AI models. The court found that Anthropic's use of purchased books for training and converting print to digital formats constituted “fair use,” but using pirated copies did not. This ruling has significant implications for the AI industry, affirming the fair use of legally obtained copyrighted material for training AI models while emphasizing the importance of legal data acquisition. A trial will follow to determine damages for the use of pirated copies, potentially impacting AI companies' data acquisition strategies significantly.

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(aifray.com)
AI

Severance Season 2: Corporate Perks as a Tool for Control

2025-03-06
Severance Season 2: Corporate Perks as a Tool for Control

Apple TV+'s *Severance* season 2 highlights how seemingly beneficial corporate perks—finger traps, waffle parties, family visits—are used to manipulate employees. These perks, while appearing to boost morale, subtly blur the lines between freedom and control, ultimately reinforcing the company's power. The article draws parallels to real-world scenarios where 'wellness perks' are used to collect employee data, violating privacy and undermining worker rights. It contrasts these tactics with the proven benefits of unionization for improving worker conditions and pay.

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(theoffcut.substack.com)
Tech corporate perks worker control

A Stunning Display of Multilingual Support: A Mysterious Code Snippet

2025-02-14
A Stunning Display of Multilingual Support: A Mysterious Code Snippet

This code snippet showcases an impressive multilingual support, containing the names of almost all known languages. This has sparked speculation about the purpose behind the code; is it an art installation, or a fragment of code from a mysterious project? The simple code structure also raises curiosity about how its function is implemented, and where it will be applied in the future.

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(www.langturbo.com)
Misc multilingual

My Linkblogging Workflow: 7,607 Posts and Counting

2025-01-06
My Linkblogging Workflow: 7,607 Posts and Counting

Simon Willison shares his approach to running a successful link blog spanning over two decades. He details his methods for curating and presenting links, emphasizing the value of adding insightful commentary, giving proper credit to creators, and using technology (Django, Markdown, Claude) to enhance the experience. He argues link blogging is a low-effort, high-reward way to contribute meaningfully to online discourse and encourages others to adopt the practice.

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(simonwillison.net)
Development linkblogging blogging content creation

Google reCAPTCHA vs. GDPR: Privacy Risks and Solutions

2025-02-07

Google's reCAPTCHA technology, used to identify website visitors as human, clashes with the GDPR. reCAPTCHA analyzes user behavior (mouse movements, keystrokes, etc.) and collects personal data like IP addresses and browser information to assess user identity. Since explicit consent isn't obtained, website operators need to justify reCAPTCHA's use, which is difficult given Google's opaque data practices and the unquantifiable privacy risks. The article recommends using more privacy-friendly alternatives and emphasizes transparency, obtaining user consent, and data minimization.

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(dg-datenschutz.de)
Development

Ruby Conference Roundup: A Global Overview

2024-12-16

Ruby Video Talks is a website that aggregates information on Ruby developer conferences worldwide. From major events like RubyConf 2024 (70 talks) and Rails World 2024 (46 talks) to smaller regional meetups, the site provides a comprehensive calendar. It highlights key speakers like Matz and offers search functionality by date, location, and topic, making it easy to find relevant events. Upcoming conferences in 2025, such as Balkan Ruby and Friendly.rb, are also listed, promising even more opportunities for the Ruby community.

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(www.rubyvideo.dev)
Development Ruby Conferences Developer Events Programming Language

EU Urged to Break Up Big Tech Monopolies

2025-06-20
EU Urged to Break Up Big Tech Monopolies

Citizens and civil society organizations from Europe and worldwide are calling on the European Commission to act now to dismantle the powerful Big Tech monopolies controlling the digital world. These tech giants not only dominate markets but also influence European democracy. The article highlights Google's advertising monopoly as particularly harmful, damaging news media and exploiting consumers. It argues that the EU should force Google to divest parts of its business and break up other tech monopolies to create a fairer and freer internet.

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(peoplevsbig.tech)
Tech

EU Forces Apple to Open iOS: A Battle Over Interoperability and Innovation

2025-03-20
EU Forces Apple to Open iOS: A Battle Over Interoperability and Innovation

The EU, citing the Digital Markets Act (DMA), is forcing Apple to open nine iOS connectivity features to boost interoperability and break Apple's closed ecosystem. Apple counters that this is anti-innovative, harms user privacy and security, and restricts its innovation in Europe. Smaller companies support the EU's decision, arguing that Apple's actions stifle competition, leading to higher prices and reduced innovation. The core of this debate is how to balance the innovative drive of large tech companies with the need to foster market competition.

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(techcrunch.com)
Tech

From Coffee to Community: How a San Francisco Couple Transformed Their Neighborhood

2025-03-25
From Coffee to Community: How a San Francisco Couple Transformed Their Neighborhood

A San Francisco couple transformed their isolated neighborhood into a vibrant, mutually supportive community through a simple weekend tradition: "stoop coffees." Their initial efforts attracted more and more neighbors, eventually evolving into a bustling WhatsApp community organizing diverse events, from pancake parties and neighborhood cleanups to a unique "Dipsgiving" potluck. This story demonstrates how small, consistent actions can yield significant results and how to build community connections without sharing a kitchen or roof.

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(supernuclear.substack.com)
Misc neighborhood relations community events
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