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Building a Mechanical Star Tracker for the ISS

2025-01-18

Building a Mechanical Star Tracker for the ISS

Engineer Ted Kinsman was tasked by NASA astronaut Don Pettit to design and build a mechanical star tracker for capturing high-quality astrophotography images from the International Space Station (ISS). Due to the lengthy testing period for electronic devices, the tracker was entirely mechanical, cleverly utilizing a clock drive from an industrial oven. Gear ratios were adjusted to match the ISS's orbital speed. The device successfully reached the ISS in 2024 and has captured stunning images of the cosmos.

(petapixel.com)

Tech space

Coder's Million-Dollar Mistake: A Bug with a Dramatic Twist

2024-12-16

Coder's Million-Dollar Mistake: A Bug with a Dramatic Twist

Trey, a programmer working for a 3G telecom startup, wrote an automated payment testing program intended for small test transactions. Three bugs in the code, however, caused the program to credit his test account with $100 every five minutes. A lack of liveness check meant that when one gateway failed, the program continued running for hours, accumulating a substantial sum. The next morning, Trey faced questioning from the security team until his department head explained the situation, but the test account balance was reset to zero.

(www.theregister.com)

Development programmer error automated payments

42: A Powerful Spacecraft Attitude Control System Simulator

2025-01-06

42: A Powerful Spacecraft Attitude Control System Simulator

42 is a comprehensive general-purpose simulation of spacecraft attitude and orbit dynamics, primarily used to support the design and validation of attitude control systems throughout their lifecycle, from concept studies to integration and test. It accurately models multi-body spacecraft attitude dynamics (rigid and/or flexible bodies), and both two-body and three-body orbital flight regimes, simulating environments from low Earth orbit to throughout the solar system. 42 simulates multiple spacecraft concurrently, facilitating studies of rendezvous, proximity operations, and precision formation flying. It also features spacecraft attitude visualization.

(github.com)

Development spacecraft attitude control simulation

BioNTech's Bispecific Antibody Shows Promise in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

2024-12-15

BioNTech's Bispecific Antibody Shows Promise in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

BioNTech presented early clinical trial data for its novel bispecific antibody, BNT-327, at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Targeting PD-1/PD-L1 and VEGF, the antibody showed positive results in patients with triple-negative breast cancer. Building on the discovery of checkpoint inhibitors, this research represents a potential breakthrough in next-generation immunotherapy, offering hope for new treatments in triple-negative breast cancer and potentially other cancers.

(www.statnews.com)

Tech bispecific antibody immunotherapy triple-negative breast cancer

Ledger Co-founder Kidnapped: Massive Investigation Underway in France

2025-01-23

Ledger Co-founder Kidnapped: Massive Investigation Underway in France

David Balland, a co-founder of the cryptocurrency wallet company Ledger, has been kidnapped, prompting a large-scale investigation by French authorities. The incident unfolded in the Cher department of France, involving a significant police deployment including helicopters and searches of multiple locations. The motive behind the kidnapping remains unclear, and whether a ransom is involved has not been publicly disclosed. This event highlights the security risks within the cryptocurrency industry.

(www.leberry.fr)

Tech kidnapping

Banish WFH Eye Strain: Optimizing Your Home Office Lighting

2025-01-22

Banish WFH Eye Strain: Optimizing Your Home Office Lighting

Working from home causing eye strain? Blogger Russell Baylis shares his journey to optimal lighting, emphasizing even, diffused light as key to reducing eye fatigue. He transformed his workspace with floor lamps and dimmable lights, eliminating harsh shadows and high contrast. Natural light is softened with diffusing curtains, and high-quality, flicker-free lighting is prioritized. The 20-20-20 rule and regular breaks are also stressed for eye health.

(rustle.ca)

Design eye strain office lighting

Hilbert Curve: A Beautiful Space-Filling Curve and its Visualization

2025-01-18

This article delves into the Hilbert curve, a space-filling curve with excellent clustering properties. The author creatively visualizes it by projecting a 3D RGB color space Hilbert curve onto a 2D plane. The visualization is aesthetically pleasing and intuitively demonstrates the clustering characteristics of the Hilbert curve. The article also explains the algorithm implementation of the Hilbert curve and provides a Python project for generating and visualizing various space-filling curves.

(corte.si)

Development Hilbert curve space-filling curve

Efficient Cloud-Native Raster Data Access: An Alternative to Rasterio/GDAL

2024-12-15

Efficient Cloud-Native Raster Data Access: An Alternative to Rasterio/GDAL

The exponential growth of Earth observation data in cloud storage necessitates efficient access and analysis of satellite imagery. This article introduces an alternative cloud-native raster data access approach to Rasterio/GDAL. Traditional GeoTIFFs are inefficient, while Cloud-Optimized GeoTIFFs (COGs) improve efficiency through tiling and multi-resolution access. However, even with COGs, tasks like time-series NDVI analysis suffer from latency. The authors leverage STAC GeoParquet, combined with pre-calculated byte ranges, to reduce HTTP requests, significantly speeding up data access. Initial tests show this approach drastically reduces time-to-first-tile for Sentinel-2 data and lowers costs. A future open-source library, "Rasteret," will implement these techniques.

(blog.terrafloww.com)

Tech Cloud-native Raster data

Object-Oriented Python Enigma Machine Implementation

2025-01-25

This blog post details an object-oriented Python implementation of the Enigma cipher machine. Based on the description in 'The Code Book', the author models each component (rotors, plugboard, reflector, etc.) as a class, simulating the encryption/decryption process. This simplified implementation includes three rotors, a plugboard, and a reflector, omitting the ring setting. The author highlights the ease of simulating the Enigma machine in code compared to physically building one, underscoring the power of modern computing.

(christopherchmielewski.xyz)

Development Enigma Machine

RAM Data Remanence Times: Significant Differences Between DDR4 and DDR5

2024-12-15

3mdeb conducted research testing data remanence times in different RAM types (DDR4 and DDR5). Results showed DDR5 data vanishes almost instantly after power loss, while DDR4 data persists for significantly longer, up to two minutes. This highlights critical differences in data security between RAM types. A custom UEFI application was used, writing and comparing memory patterns while accounting for temperature and humidity. This research is significant for understanding memory data security and designing more secure systems.

(blog.3mdeb.com)

Hardware RAM data remanence

Nordic Unveils VPR: Its First RISC-V Processor, Ushering in a New Era of Heterogeneous Computing

2024-12-26

Nordic Unveils VPR: Its First RISC-V Processor, Ushering in a New Era of Heterogeneous Computing

Nordic Semiconductor has launched VPR, its first RISC-V processor, integrated into the new nRF54H and nRF54L SoCs. VPR, an RV32EMC processor running at up to 320MHz, is designed for software-defined peripherals. The article details VPR's architecture, initialization process, and collaboration with the Arm Cortex-M33. Zephyr's sysbuild simplifies building and deploying VPR applications, enabling heterogeneous computing for enhanced performance and functionality.

(danielmangum.com)

Hardware Heterogeneous Computing

A New Paradigm for AI Interaction: Models as Computers

2024-12-15

This article explores the future of AI interaction, proposing a new paradigm: treating large language models (LLMs) as 'computer applications' instead of 'people'. The author argues that the current anthropomorphic approach is inefficient and limits the potential of LLMs. He suggests that LLMs should generate graphical interfaces, not just text conversations, to improve efficiency and discoverability, allowing users direct manipulation like with typical applications. This 'model-as-computer' paradigm will transform human-computer interaction and lead to novel experiences, such as dynamically generating interfaces tailored to user needs, potentially even replacing operating systems. The article cites existing technological prototypes and looks towards future developments.

(willwhitney.com)

AI AI interaction Human-Computer Interaction

Tektronix's 'Unicorn' Graphic Terminals: A Legacy of Low-Cost Color Displays

2024-12-15

In the 1980s, Tektronix launched the 4100/4200 series graphic terminals (nicknamed 'Unicorn') to enter the low-cost color terminal market. The project faced challenges, including the destruction of a crucial prototype, but successfully delivered models like the 4105, 4107, and 4109 ahead of schedule. The 4200 series further reduced costs and improved performance, eventually incorporating networking capabilities. These terminals gained wide adoption due to their cost-effectiveness and compatibility, becoming a significant part of Tektronix's legacy.

(vintagetek.org)

Hardware Graphic Terminals Color Displays

The Trap of 'I'm Not an Extrovert'

2024-12-26

The Trap of 'I'm Not an Extrovert'

This article recounts a story of Aditya, a college student who used introversion as an excuse to avoid social interaction, ultimately leaving his club. The author argues that introversion and extroversion are not absolute but rather choices. In the workplace, proactive communication and collaboration are essential skills, not inherent traits. Using the example of two engineers, Ram and Shyam, the author highlights the importance of communication skills for career advancement. While deep thinking requires energy, effective communication and collaboration lead to greater success. The author concludes that true friendships often stem from deep conversations, not superficial small talk.

(orkohunter.net)

Misc introversion extroversion communication skills

Bluesky's Trending Topics: A Curated Overview

2025-01-23

Bluesky social media platform showcases a vibrant array of trending feeds, categorized into diverse interests such as science, pets, books, music, gaming, art, Black culture, and sports. These curated feeds, organized by keywords and hashtags, offer users streamlined access to engaging content. The platform also provides tools for users to create and manage their own thematic feeds.

(www.bskyinfo.com)

Tech Curated Feeds

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

LLVM C Library Speeds Up GPUs: Running C Code on GPUs

2024-12-14

The LLVM project has released an exciting GPU C library enabling developers to run libc and libm functions directly on the GPU within C/C++ code. The library supports two main modes: as a supplementary library for offloading languages like OpenMP, CUDA, or HIP; and by directly compiling C/C++ code for the GPU. The article details how to use both modes, including compilation options, linking, and specific builds for AMD and NVIDIA GPUs. This library allows developers to leverage the parallel processing power of GPUs, significantly improving performance without needing deep knowledge of complex GPU programming models.

(libc.llvm.org)

Development GPU programming C library

UK's Illegal Cybertruck Faces Uphill Battle for Legalization

2024-12-15

UK's Illegal Cybertruck Faces Uphill Battle for Legalization

Yianni Charalambous, a UK car customizer, is attempting to register a Tesla Cybertruck for road use in the UK, following a similar success in the Czech Republic. However, the Cybertruck's sharp design clashes with UK and EU pedestrian safety regulations, posing significant challenges. Its unique steer-by-wire system, reliance on OTA updates unavailable in the UK, and incompatibility with EU recall systems further complicate matters. Experts deem its chances of passing the UK's IVA test extremely slim.

(www.wired.com)

Tech Tesla Cybertruck Car Modification Safety Regulations

Unveiling the Deep Connection Between Maximum Likelihood Estimation and Loss Functions

2024-12-15

Unveiling the Deep Connection Between Maximum Likelihood Estimation and Loss Functions

This article delves into the intrinsic relationship between Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) and commonly used loss functions. Starting with the fundamentals of MLE, the author meticulously explains its close connection to KL divergence. The article then uses Mean Squared Error (MSE) and Cross-Entropy as examples, demonstrating how these functions are naturally derived from MLE rather than being arbitrarily chosen. By assuming data distributions (e.g., Gaussian for linear regression, Bernoulli for logistic regression), maximizing the likelihood function via MLE directly leads to MSE and Cross-Entropy loss functions. This provides a clear path to understanding the theoretical underpinnings of loss functions, moving beyond mere intuition.

(rish-01.github.io)

AI Maximum Likelihood Estimation Loss Functions

Network Security Breakthrough: Trapping Intruders in a 'Network from Hell'

2024-12-17

Network Security Breakthrough: Trapping Intruders in a 'Network from Hell'

Researchers at the University of Oulu's SensorFu team have developed a novel network security defense system inspired by the LaBrea tarpit technique. The system intercepts ARP requests and delays SYN-ACK responses, creating a multitude of virtual devices on the network to confuse intruders. This forces attackers to waste significant time identifying real devices, providing administrators with crucial time to patch vulnerabilities. Tests showed the system extends scan times to hours, drastically reducing attack success rates. Lightweight, efficient, and easy to deploy, this system offers robust network protection for organizations of all sizes.

(medium.com)

Development intrusion detection proactive defense

Python Dependency Management: A Raging Inferno

2024-12-15

This article delves into the complexities of Python dependency management, likening it to building a bonfire in a dry forest. The author argues that Python dependencies aren't simply a matter of `pip install`; they encompass project packages, system packages, the operating system, hardware, and the environment itself. Good dependency management is crucial for reproducibility—ensuring consistent results across different environments. The article details version control, environment isolation, definition files, lock files, and other key concepts. It then provides a comprehensive comparison of numerous tools, including pip, venv, virtualenv, pip-tools, Pipenv, Poetry, PDM, pyenv, pipx, uv, Conda, Mamba, conda-lock, and Pixi, analyzing their strengths, weaknesses, and use cases. Finally, the author offers tool recommendations based on different scenarios (administrative privileges, dependency types, operating systems, etc.) and looks ahead to future trends in Python dependency management.

(nielscautaerts.xyz)

Development Python dependency management reproducibility Python tools

The Graphics Codex: Your Ultimate Guide to Computer Graphics

2025-01-26

The Graphics Codex is an interactive learning resource for computer graphics, featuring 400+ cross-referenced equations and diagrams, 14 chapters on physically-based shading and rendering, and multi-platform programming projects with links to external API documentation. It serves as a reference, textbook supplement, or standalone learning guide, updated monthly. Topics range from ray tracing and shadow map shaders to the rendering equation and Fresnel equations, making it ideal for students and professionals alike.

(graphicscodex.com)

Development 3D rendering programming tutorial

Entropy: A Rethink of Disorder in the Universe

2024-12-14

Entropy: A Rethink of Disorder in the Universe

Two hundred years ago, French engineer Sadi Carnot introduced the concept of entropy to quantify the universe's irreversible slide into decay. However, modern physics views entropy not simply as 'disorder,' but as a reflection of an observer's limited knowledge of a system. This new perspective illuminates the deep connection between information and energy, driving technological advancements at the nanoscale. From Carnot's steam engine to modern information engines, the concept of entropy continues to evolve, helping us understand the universe's workings and prompting us to rethink the purpose of science and our place within it.

(www.quantamagazine.org)

AI entropy information thermodynamics

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

Building a Silicon Brain: The Future of Neuroscience

2025-01-25

Building a Silicon Brain: The Future of Neuroscience

Researchers at UCSF are using AI and cutting-edge neuroimaging technologies to build a 'silicon brain' that mimics human brain activity. By integrating data from various brain scanning techniques (like fMRI and neuropixel probes), along with text, speech, and behavioral data, they're creating an artificial neural network that replicates human brain activity patterns. This research promises to revolutionize brain-computer interfaces, enabling devices that restore speech or movement without extensive calibration and opening new avenues for diagnosing and treating neuropsychiatric disorders. Ethical considerations, such as data privacy and potential misuse, are also being addressed.

(magazine.ucsf.edu)

AI Brain-Computer Interfaces

Home Assistant's Internet Accessibility Security Flaw

2024-12-15

Frederik Braun attempted to use Home Assistant for remote smart home control but discovered a significant security vulnerability. While Home Assistant offers username/password and two-factor authentication, its inability to handle URLs with embedded credentials and its requirement for root path deployment prevent additional security layers like web server authentication or obfuscated paths. This leaves Home Assistant's security solely reliant on its internal mechanisms, creating a security risk. The author calls on the Home Assistant community to improve its security configuration flexibility.

(frederikbraun.de)

Development Remote Access

Eyes Wide Shut: A Deep Dive into Kubrick's Misunderstood Masterpiece

2024-12-15

Eyes Wide Shut: A Deep Dive into Kubrick's Misunderstood Masterpiece

Stanley Kubrick's final film, Eyes Wide Shut, is a complex and layered work that continues to fascinate and frustrate viewers. Released in 1999, the film explores themes of sex, class, capitalism, and powerful secret societies, weaving together numerous allusions to literature, music, opera, ballet, and mythology. The film's unconventional narrative structure and visual style leave much open to interpretation, making it a rich and rewarding experience for those willing to engage with its complexities.

(boydrinksink.com)

Game Eyes Wide Shut Stanley Kubrick Film Analysis

Isomorphic Web Components: Server-Side Rendering Made Easy

2024-12-15

Isomorphic Web Components: Server-Side Rendering Made Easy

The long-held belief that server-side rendering of web components is difficult has been challenged. This article demonstrates how to achieve server-side rendering of existing web components by cleverly using Happy DOM to emulate a browser environment. Two methods are detailed: using the `` tag for direct rendering and emulating the DOM to run component code and generate HTML. The author emphasizes the advantages of this approach: compatibility with all web components, robustness in the face of JavaScript failure, and avoidance of framework lock-in. This solves the server-side rendering problem for web components, offering a flexible and resilient solution.

(jakelazaroff.com)

Development Server-Side Rendering Isomorphic

Node.js EPUB Library @smoores/epub Released

2024-12-13

Node.js EPUB Library @smoores/epub Released

A new Node.js library, @smoores/epub, has been released. It allows developers to inspect, modify, and create EPUB 3 publications. The library offers high-level APIs that simplify interaction with the EPUB specification, such as setting the title and retrieving author information. Lower-level APIs provide granular control over the EPUB structure, enabling tasks like adding chapters and metadata. Built upon fast-xml-parser, @smoores/epub provides robust XML parsing and manipulation capabilities, facilitating efficient handling of EPUB file XML content.

(www.npmjs.com)

Development Library

Italian Town Solves Winter Darkness with Giant Mirror

2024-12-13

Italian Town Solves Winter Darkness with Giant Mirror

Nestled in a valley between Italy and Switzerland, the town of Viganella suffers from three months of winter darkness each year. To combat this, in 2006, residents ingeniously installed a massive mirror on a nearby mountain peak. This mirror reflects sunlight into the town square, providing much-needed light and warmth during the long winter. The project, a testament to human ingenuity and community spirit, has since inspired similar initiatives worldwide.

(www.vice.com)

Tech innovation community

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