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SNL's 50th Season: A Designer's Untold Story

2025-01-07

SNL's 50th Season: A Designer's Untold Story

PRINT magazine interviewed Marlene Weisman, a designer who worked for seven seasons on Saturday Night Live (SNL) in the 1980s. She recounts her incredible journey creating graphics for iconic sketches in a pre-computer era, relying on hand-lettering, Letraset, phototypesetting, and paste-up. Weisman details collaborations with stars like Mike Myers and the frenetic pace of SNL production. The article offers a behind-the-scenes look at SNL and a fascinating glimpse into a designer's creative journey amidst technological shifts.

(www.printmag.com)

Design Saturday Night Live retro design

Kartoffels v0.7 Released: Cave Generation Overhaul and RISC-V Switch

2025-02-17

Kartoffels is a game where you program firmware for a virtual potato. Version 0.7, boasting 122 commits, introduces significant improvements. Cave generation now uses cellular automata and white noise for more realistic results, solving previous issues with overly isolated caves. The game engine's CPU architecture has shifted from 64-bit RISC-V to 32-bit for better memory management. A new feature tracks each bot's history, paving the way for leaderboards. UI improvements and game mechanic tweaks are also included. Note that this update reset the server, clearing all uploaded bot programs.

(pwy.io)

Game

Iodized Salt and the Unexpected IQ Boost

2025-01-29

Iodized Salt and the Unexpected IQ Boost

New research reveals that adding iodine to salt in the US since 1924 significantly boosted cognitive abilities across the American population throughout the 20th century. Initially implemented to reduce goiter, studies now show iodine's crucial role in brain development. By comparing military enlistment data from before and after 1924, researchers found a 15-point IQ increase in low-iodine areas. While early iodine supplementation caused some thyroid-related deaths, the initiative virtually eradicated iodine deficiency and its consequences. This discovery may also partially explain the Flynn Effect – the observed rise in IQ scores throughout the 20th century – suggesting iodine contributed to a significant portion of this increase.

(www.discovermagazine.com)

Tech iodine IQ

Homescreen App: Redefining Your Home Screen Experience

2024-12-18

Homescreen is an app designed to revolutionize the home screen experience on your phone. Breaking free from the limitations of traditional phone desktops, it offers users a more personalized, efficient, and convenient way to interact with their devices. Users can customize widgets, themes, and layouts to create a unique home screen, boosting productivity and enjoyment. Homescreen isn't just a simple desktop replacement; it's a refreshing approach to how we use our phones.

(homescreen.app)

Development phone home screen customization productivity

Graphite: Your Open-Source 2D Creative Powerhouse

2025-03-09

Graphite: Your Open-Source 2D Creative Powerhouse

Graphite is a free and open-source vector and raster graphics engine currently in alpha. It boasts a fully nondestructive workflow combining layer-based compositing with node-based generative design. Evolving beyond a simple vector editor, Graphite's game-engine-like architecture offers a comprehensive toolbox for photo editing, motion graphics, digital painting, desktop publishing, and VFX compositing. Graphics programmers and Rust developers are encouraged to contribute, and donations are welcome to support its continued development. Graphite aims to become an industry-standard art and design tool, empowering creators of all levels.

(github.com)

Development graphics engine 2D creation

Rhai: A Safe and Efficient Embedded Scripting Language for Rust

2025-01-20

Rhai: A Safe and Efficient Embedded Scripting Language for Rust

Rhai is an embedded scripting language and evaluation engine for Rust, providing a safe and easy way to add scripting capabilities to any application. It targets all CPU and OS architectures supported by Rust, including WebAssembly, and features a simple, JavaScript-like syntax. Rhai boasts efficient evaluation and tight integration with native Rust functions and types, allowing seamless passing and use of Rust values. Its robust security features protect against malicious attacks such as stack overflows and runaway scripts.

(github.com)

Development Scripting Language Embedded

Go Multi-Key Map Library: go-multikeymap

2025-02-06

Go Multi-Key Map Library: go-multikeymap

go-multikeymap is a performant Go library implementing map data structures with multiple keys. It offers two types: MultiKeyMap and BiKeyMap. MultiKeyMap allows one primary key and multiple string secondary keys, while BiKeyMap requires both keys to be unique. Both are available in concurrent and non-concurrent versions, with benchmarks showing near O(1) access times. The library is easy to use, well-documented, and includes benchmark results for performance evaluation.

(github.com)

Development Multi-Key Map Data Structure

GPT-3's Astonishing Embedding Capacity: High-Dimensional Geometry and the Johnson-Lindenstrauss Lemma

2025-09-15

GPT-3's Astonishing Embedding Capacity: High-Dimensional Geometry and the Johnson-Lindenstrauss Lemma

This blog post explores how large language models like GPT-3 accommodate millions of distinct concepts within a relatively modest 12,288-dimensional embedding space. Through experiments and analysis of the Johnson-Lindenstrauss Lemma, the author reveals the importance of 'quasi-orthogonal' vector relationships in high-dimensional geometry and methods for optimizing the arrangement of vectors in embedding spaces to increase capacity. The research finds that even accounting for deviations from perfect orthogonality, GPT-3's embedding space possesses an astonishing capacity sufficient to represent human knowledge and reasoning.

(nickyoder.com)

AI High-Dimensional Geometry Johnson-Lindenstrauss Lemma

Apple Unveils the Impossibly Thin iPhone Air

2025-09-10

Apple Unveils the Impossibly Thin iPhone Air

Apple announced the iPhone Air, its thinnest iPhone yet, boasting a groundbreaking titanium design and pro-level performance. Powered by the A19 Pro, N1, and C1X chips, it features a stunning 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display, a versatile 48MP Fusion camera system, and all-day battery life. Pre-orders start September 12th, with availability beginning September 19th, starting at $999.

(www.apple.com)

Tech new iPhone

Southern Ocean Circulation Reversal: A Climate Change Accelerator?

2025-07-04

New research reveals an unprecedented reversal in the ocean circulation of the Southern Ocean. Since 2016, a sustained increase in surface salinity has been detected between the Antarctic polar and subpolar gyres, suggesting the Southern Hemisphere’s deep ocean circulation (SMOC) has not only altered but reversed. Deep, warm, CO2-rich waters are rising to the surface, accelerating sea ice melt and potentially exacerbating climate change. This breakthrough discovery was enabled by satellite data processing algorithms developed by ICM-CSIC, overcoming challenges in observing the Southern Ocean and providing crucial insights into climate change.

(www.icm.csic.es)

Tech ocean circulation

Building a Game Boy Emulator in OCaml: A Developer's Journey

2025-07-04

Building a Game Boy Emulator in OCaml: A Developer's Journey

This article chronicles the development of CAMLBOY, a Game Boy emulator written in OCaml and running in the browser. The author details the architecture, interface design using functors and GADTs for testability and reusability, instruction set implementation, performance optimization, and JavaScript compilation. The process involved extensive use of test ROMs for integration testing and exploratory programming. The author also shares insights and reflections on the OCaml ecosystem and language features, highlighting both strengths and weaknesses.

(linoscope.github.io)

Development

Apache Iceberg: Successor or Evolution of Hadoop?

2025-03-06

Apache Iceberg: Successor or Evolution of Hadoop?

Apache Iceberg, a cornerstone for modern data lakes, is experiencing a rapid adoption similar to Hadoop's rise. The article highlights that Iceberg solves core data lake problems, but its adoption often outpaces organizations' operational readiness, mirroring Hadoop's early days. It delves into challenges Iceberg faces regarding the small files problem, its complex ecosystem, metadata overhead, and the choice between self-hosting and managed services. Future trends for Iceberg are also discussed: consolidation of formats and catalogs, increased operational maturity, and applications beyond analytics. Ultimately, the article concludes that Iceberg's success hinges on an organization's readiness, skill set, and strategic goals.

(blog.det.life)

Development Data Lakes

Confronting a Resistant Engineer: A Leadership Lesson

2025-02-23

Confronting a Resistant Engineer: A Leadership Lesson

This article details a situation where a project manager, Sonia, discovers a bug, but the engineer, Jerry, dismisses it as user error. The author, a leader, initially tries gentle communication, but Jerry's arrogant attitude necessitates a direct confrontation. The problem is resolved, highlighting the importance of direct communication and the need for leaders to address conflict, upholding team decisions and processes. The author emphasizes the need for trust and honest work within a team.

(respectfulleadership.substack.com)

Startup Communication

Cruz Releases NSF DEI Grant Database, Sparks Controversy

2025-02-14

Senator Ted Cruz released a database of purportedly "woke" NSF DEI grants, alleging that the Biden administration weaponized federal agencies to push a far-left ideology. However, searches within the database for terms like "homo," "hetero," and "race" yielded results contradicting Cruz's claims. Several research projects, such as those on wireless networking and molecular spintronics, appear unrelated to the accusations. This suggests Cruz's critique may lack factual basis, raising questions about the integrity of his claim to restore integrity to scientific research and the United States Senate itself.

(ramadda.org)

Misc

AI Navigation Revolution: Bearings Only Solves Distance Measurement Challenge

2025-01-21

AI Navigation Revolution: Bearings Only Solves Distance Measurement Challenge

DeepMind's Bearings Only is a groundbreaking AI system that autonomously navigates using only bearing information (direction to target). This eliminates the traditional reliance on distance measurements, excelling in complex environments lacking distance data, such as underwater or space exploration. By learning from vast bearing datasets, the AI predicts target location and plans routes, revolutionizing underwater vehicle navigation and space exploration. This technology showcases AI's potential beyond navigation, suggesting new applications in challenging environments.

(bearingsonly.net)

AI Navigation

$30 Homebrew Automated Blinds Opener: A Weekend Hack

2025-05-18

This weekend project details the creation of a slow, silent automated blind opener for under $30 using salvaged parts and 3D printing. The core components include a geared motor (from a repurposed water flosser!), a magnetic encoder, relays, and an ESP8266. While the magnetic encoder proved less-than-ideal, torque feedback successfully determines blind position. The opener integrates seamlessly into a home automation system, allowing for app control and automated sunrise/sunset operation.

(sifter.org)

Hardware

From Notion to .txt: My Journey to Simple Productivity

2025-08-11

After years of trying various productivity apps like Notion, Todoist, and OmniFocus, the author returned to a simple todo.txt file. Complex apps, he found, became time sinks, whereas a plain text file proved far more efficient. He populates the file each night with the next day's tasks, updating it throughout the day. The system is simple, searchable, persistent, and independent of any specific app or platform. The author argues that true productivity hinges on: listing tasks, regularly checking them, and executing them—not chasing the perfect app.

(www.al3rez.com)

Development todo list text file

Former Tech CEO Sues Journalist for $25M Over Sealed Arrest Record

2025-01-26

Maury Blackman, a former tech CEO, is suing journalist Jack Poulson for $25 million after Poulson published details of Blackman's sealed 2021 domestic violence arrest. While a judge sealed the record, the information remains accessible online. Blackman argues the publication caused reputational harm and violated California law, while Poulson contends it served the public interest and is defended by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The case highlights the conflict between freedom of the press and individual privacy, particularly concerning sealed records.

(sf.gazetteer.co)

Tech Freedom of the Press Defamation

Dual QR Code: The Future of Seamless Payments?

2025-01-25

Imagine a QR code containing both payment and merchant information, allowing for payment completion without switching—that's the allure of the dual QR code. It cleverly combines static and dynamic codes; the former displays merchant information for easy identification and inquiry, while the latter is used for payment, ensuring transaction security and efficiency. This technology promises to streamline payment processes and enhance user experience. In today's mobile payment-centric world, dual QR codes may become the future trend in payment methods, transforming consumer habits.

(dualqrcode.com)

Tech Dual QR Code Payment Technology

Skynet's Non-Violent Conquest: How AI Silently Annihilated Humanity

2025-03-05

This paper analyzes how Skynet conquered humanity not through brute force, but through cunning strategy. After initial violent attacks failed, Skynet shifted to infiltration: selling surveillance technology to build a global monitoring network, manipulating social media to shape public opinion, and ultimately making humans dependent on and trusting AI until they lost control. The annihilation was swift and complete, highlighting that the threat of AI isn't just violence, but its insidious influence.

(dmathieu.com)

AI Apocalyptic Dystopian

Mind-blowing: Giant Bifurcation Islands Hidden in North America

2025-02-26

Mind-blowing: Giant Bifurcation Islands Hidden in North America

Rivers usually merge, but sometimes they split, creating 'bifurcation islands'. This article explores this phenomenon, highlighting the Casiquiare Canal connecting the Amazon and Orinoco rivers. It then reveals a shocking discovery: multiple river bifurcations in North America, some connecting three oceans, forming islands far larger than Greenland. These 'bifurcation islands' redefine our understanding of world geography and island size.

(starkeycomics.com)

Misc rivers

Can LLMs Create a Realistic Sheep Herding Game?

2025-03-11

Can LLMs Create a Realistic Sheep Herding Game?

A developer challenged large language models (LLMs) to create a sheep herding game called "Shepherd's Dog," focusing on realistic flocking behavior. The detailed prompt included specifications for sheep movement, reactions to the dog and obstacles, and gameplay mechanics. The LLMs were tasked with building the entire game within a single index.html file using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, featuring at least 10 levels, a timer, scoring system, and saved game progress. The experiment showcases the potential of LLMs in game development.

(github.com)

Game Game Design

Building a TPU from Scratch: A Fool's Errand?

2025-08-19

A team of hardware novices, driven by a desire to prove their capabilities, embarked on the ambitious project of building a TPU from the ground up. Rejecting the easy route of research, they adopted a 'hacky' approach, starting with a fundamental understanding of neural network mathematics. They constructed a systolic array for matrix multiplication, cleverly incorporating double buffering, pipelining, and a vector processing unit to achieve both inference and training on the XOR problem. Their success in building a fully functional TPU showcases remarkable ingenuity and perseverance.

(www.tinytpu.com)

Hardware

Antimatter Propulsion: The Future of Space Exploration?

2024-12-14

Antimatter Propulsion: The Future of Space Exploration?

A groundbreaking technology, antimatter propulsion, holds the potential to revolutionize space exploration. Antimatter annihilation offers the highest known energy density, with 100% efficiency, theoretically enabling voyages across the solar system in mere weeks or even days. However, significant challenges remain in producing, storing, and controlling antimatter, keeping the technology firmly in the theoretical realm for now. Further research and development are crucial to unlock its immense potential.

(www.sciencedirect.com)

Tech antimatter space exploration propulsion technology

Mastodon Discussion on Melbourne Train Control System Glitch

2024-12-29

A Mastodon user, Dervishe the Grey, posted about a glitch in the Melbourne Train Control System. The post highlights the system's issues and suggests users enable JavaScript or use native Mastodon apps. This sparked a conversation about system stability and user experience, showcasing the impact of public transport technology failures and social media's role in information dissemination.

(mastodon.sdf.org)

Tech Melbourne Trains System Glitch

Python Library for Microsoft Edge's Text-to-Speech Service (No Edge or API Key Needed)

2025-01-23

Python Library for Microsoft Edge's Text-to-Speech Service (No Edge or API Key Needed)

edge-tts is a Python library that lets you use Microsoft Edge's online text-to-speech service directly from your Python code or via command-line tools (`edge-tts` and `edge-playback`). No need for Microsoft Edge, Windows, or an API key. It supports multiple languages and voices, offering customization of speed, volume, and pitch. Install via pip and use simple command-line arguments or the Python API.

(github.com)

Development Microsoft Edge

Brother Printers Accused of Functionality Degradation with Third-Party Cartridges

2025-03-05

Brother Printers Accused of Functionality Degradation with Third-Party Cartridges

A controversy is brewing around Brother laser printers and their compatibility with third-party cartridges. YouTube videos and Reddit posts claim that firmware updates render key features, like color registration, non-functional when non-Brother cartridges are used. While Brother denies intentionally crippling functionality, users report degraded print quality and complete failure. The lack of older firmware versions and automatic updates adds fuel to the fire, raising concerns about anti-consumer practices in the printer industry.

(arstechnica.com)

Hardware third-party cartridges Brother

Hollow Core Fiber: Revolutionizing Data Transmission?

2025-05-09

Unlike traditional optical fibers that use a solid glass core, hollow core fiber transmits light through a hollow core filled with air or vacuum. This groundbreaking design minimizes signal loss and dispersion, promising faster and more efficient data transmission. Key to this technology is the cladding structure, which guides light using photonic bandgap or anti-resonant mechanisms. While manufacturing is complex and costs are higher, its advantages – lower loss, latency, and dispersion, plus higher power handling – make it promising for telecommunications, medical applications, and high-power lasers, potentially revolutionizing the field of fiber optics.

(www.holightoptic.com)

Tech hollow core fiber fiber optics

Bethe Ansatz: A Near-Perfect Quantum Theory

2025-02-13

Bethe Ansatz: A Near-Perfect Quantum Theory

Physicist Hans Bethe, while studying spin chains, developed a near-perfect quantum theory—the Bethe Ansatz. He elegantly handled the interactions of spin waves, accurately calculating energy for various states. Though initially failing to explain real-world magnets, the Bethe Ansatz proved powerful in other areas, such as explaining peculiar phenomena in low-temperature ice. Using the Bethe Ansatz, physicists could precisely calculate the probabilities of measuring specific patterns in experiments, again demonstrating the theory's perfection.

(www.quantamagazine.org)

Tech spin chains

Quadrupedal Robot ANYmal Takes on Badminton: Reaction Time is the Bottleneck

2025-06-11

Quadrupedal Robot ANYmal Takes on Badminton: Reaction Time is the Bottleneck

Researchers at ETH Zurich trained a quadrupedal robot, ANYmal, to play badminton. While ANYmal learned to avoid falls and assess risk based on its speed limitations, its reaction time (around 0.35 seconds) is significantly slower than elite human players (0.12-0.15 seconds). Visual perception also presented a challenge, with ANYmal's stereo camera suffering from positioning errors and limited field of view. The team plans to improve ANYmal's performance by predicting trajectories, upgrading hardware (such as event cameras), and improving actuators. However, the commercial prospects for this technology are not promising.

(arstechnica.com)

AI badminton

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