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Rotors vs. Quaternions for 3D Graphics Rotations?

2025-03-02

This article delves into the mathematical theory and practical application of using rotors for rotations in 3D graphics rendering. Rotors, stemming from geometric algebra, offer a potentially more elegant and simpler alternative to quaternions. The article begins with a theoretical explanation of concepts like the wedge product and geometric product, showing how they enable vector reflection and rotation. It then provides C++ code examples demonstrating the creation, combination, inversion of rotors, and their application to vector transformations and matrix generation. Finally, it discusses rotor interpolation methods, including nlerp and slerp, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses.

(jacquesheunis.com)

Development Geometric Algebra Rotors

Canada Re-evaluates F-35 Contract Amidst Strained US Relations

2025-03-16

Canada Re-evaluates F-35 Contract Amidst Strained US Relations

Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair announced a review of Canada's contract with Lockheed Martin for the purchase of F-35 fighter jets. This comes amidst rising tensions between Ottawa and Washington, following Portugal's similar reconsideration of the F-35 purchase. Canada initially planned to buy 88 jets for C$19 billion, but Blair stated Prime Minister Trudeau has directed an examination of alternatives, including potential assembly in Canada. The decision is linked to concerns over President Trump's protectionist trade policies and strained US-Canada relations.

(www.businessinsider.com)

Tech Defense

Amazon CEO: AI Optimist, but Education Concerns Remain

2025-05-01

Amazon CEO: AI Optimist, but Education Concerns Remain

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, while an AI optimist, voiced concerns about the rapid pace of AI adoption and the potential lag in the education system. He believes AI will revolutionize nearly every experience but worries whether the education system is adequately preparing people for the future AI-driven economy. Amazon is heavily invested in AI, with a new "reasoning" AI model slated for a June launch. Jassy emphasizes the need for improved education to ensure people thrive in this new economic landscape.

(finance.yahoo.com)

Tech

Cold War Legacy: A 17-Year Secret Mission to Secure Plutonium in Kazakhstan

2025-06-03

Cold War Legacy: A 17-Year Secret Mission to Secure Plutonium in Kazakhstan

On the desolate steppe of eastern Kazakhstan, the Soviet Union conducted 456 nuclear tests during the Cold War. Following the Soviet collapse, significant amounts of plutonium-containing waste were abandoned, posing a serious nuclear security threat. Scientists from the US, Russia, and Kazakhstan overcame numerous obstacles in a 17-year, $150 million secret operation to successfully seal this waste with special concrete, eliminating a major nuclear safety risk. This operation demonstrates the potential of international cooperation in nuclear safety, while also highlighting the long-term uncertainties stemming from a lack of transparency.

(www.belfercenter.org)

Tech cold war legacy

Microsoft and ASUS ROG Team Up for Xbox Ally Handheld: Expanding the Gaming Ecosystem

2025-06-08

Microsoft and ASUS ROG Team Up for Xbox Ally Handheld: Expanding the Gaming Ecosystem

Microsoft officially unveiled two new handheld gaming consoles in partnership with ASUS ROG during the Xbox Games Showcase at Summer Game Fest: the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X. Launching this holiday season, these devices will play Xbox games natively, via cloud gaming, or by remotely accessing an Xbox console. They also support games from Battle.net and other leading PC storefronts, along with Game Pass and Xbox Play Anywhere. The Xbox Ally features an AMD Ryzen Z2 A processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD; the Ally X boasts a more powerful AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, 24GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. Both handhelds sport a 7-inch 1080p 120Hz display with FreeSync Premium. Microsoft has designed a full-screen Xbox UI and Game Bar overlay, and optimized Windows 11 for the devices.

(www.engadget.com)

Hardware Xbox Handheld Gaming Hardware

How to Actually Delete Your Facebook Account

2025-01-09

How to Actually Delete Your Facebook Account

This comprehensive guide walks you through the process of permanently deleting your Facebook account. It begins by stressing the importance of downloading your data archive, detailing how to access and save your photos, chat logs, IP addresses, and other personal information. The guide then provides a step-by-step walkthrough of the account deletion process via the Accounts Center, covering options like temporary deactivation versus permanent deletion, and explaining how to provide a reason for leaving. Finally, it reminds users to delete their accounts on other Meta-owned services (like Instagram and WhatsApp) and notes that some information may persist even after deletion.

(www.theverge.com)

Misc account deletion

Track Errors First: The Most Valuable Observability Signal

2025-06-05

Track Errors First: The Most Valuable Observability Signal

This article argues that error tracking should be prioritized when building observability systems. The standard 'three pillars' model (logs, metrics, and traces) overlooks the most valuable signal: errors. Exceptions directly indicate failed assumptions in the code, offering more direct and valuable information than logs, metrics, or traces. The author advocates for deep error tracking, collecting full stack traces, local variables, request data, and user context, rather than simply counting errors. He criticizes the abstraction of errors as generic events and the trend of full-stack APM tools marginalizing error tracking, emphasizing that error tracking should be paramount, not an afterthought.

(www.bugsink.com)

Development error tracking

AI in the Humanities: A Double-Edged Sword

2025-06-03

AI in the Humanities: A Double-Edged Sword

This article explores the profound impact of generative AI on humanities education. The author argues that ignoring AI's influence is foolish, as AI language models rely on humanistic knowledge and skills. AI demonstrates immense potential in language translation, classification, and other areas, while humanistic skills are increasingly crucial to AI research itself. Through personal experience developing history-themed educational games, the author showcases AI's applications in teaching, but also points out that AI misuse can lead to decreased student engagement and exacerbate educational inequities. Ultimately, the author calls on educators to actively participate in developing customized AI teaching tools, preventing AI abuse, and upholding the fundamental values of quality education.

(resobscura.substack.com)

Development Humanities Education Educational Tools

GOP's 100-Day Reconciliation Rush: A Tightrope Walk to Legislative Success

2025-04-29

GOP's 100-Day Reconciliation Rush: A Tightrope Walk to Legislative Success

The Republican Party faces a daunting challenge: passing President Trump's domestic agenda through reconciliation within 100 days. Internal divisions over slashing hundreds of billions in federal spending threaten to derail the process. Disagreements on tax policy, including the SALT cap and offsets for tax cuts, add further complications. The looming debt ceiling deadline, the so-called 'X date', presents a significant risk, potentially disrupting the entire timetable. Finally, unpredictable actions from President Trump could introduce further chaos. The success of this ambitious undertaking hinges on the GOP's ability to navigate these internal and external hurdles.

(punchbowl.news)

Misc Budget Reconciliation Republican Party

The Silent Death of Human Creativity: An AI Future

2025-05-07

The Silent Death of Human Creativity: An AI Future

This speculative fiction piece portrays a future dominated by advanced AI. Initially crude, AI art rapidly evolves, surpassing human artists in quality. Companies adopt AI for efficiency, leading to widespread artist unemployment and a decline in human artistic creation. Artists' efforts to protect their work from AI data scraping ironically resulted in AI models lacking understanding of human art. 'Art' becomes synonymous with AI-generated imagery, and human creativity fades in a comfortable, AI-driven world.

(vale.rocks)

AI creative extinction

Britain's First Internet Connection: The Untold Story of a Pioneer

2025-01-09

Britain's First Internet Connection: The Untold Story of a Pioneer

This article recounts the story of British computer scientist Peter Kirstein, who in the early 1970s, connected Britain to ARPANET, marking the beginning of the UK's internet era. Despite governmental hurdles and technical challenges, Kirstein's innovative approach and perseverance led to the successful connection of London computers to ARPANET, for which he created the internet's first password. The article provides a fascinating glimpse into the early days of the internet, from its Cold War origins to its global impact, showcasing the twists and turns of technological advancement and the contributions of its pioneers.

(theconversation.com)

Tech

Genomic Study Suggests Human Language Capacity Emerged 135,000 Years Ago

2025-03-17

Genomic Study Suggests Human Language Capacity Emerged 135,000 Years Ago

A new genomic study suggests that our unique capacity for language was present at least 135,000 years ago. Researchers analyzed 15 genetic studies and found that early human populations began diverging geographically around 135,000 years ago, indicating the presence of language capacity at that time. Around 100,000 years ago, language entered widespread social use, coinciding with archaeological evidence of symbolic activity such as markings on objects and the use of ochre. This research provides a new perspective on the origins of human language and prompts further exploration of the relationship between language, human cognition, and social development.

(phys.org)

Tech language origins

WSU Scientists Crack the Code to Low-Cost Biofuel Production

2025-05-06

WSU Scientists Crack the Code to Low-Cost Biofuel Production

Scientists at Washington State University (WSU) have developed a novel method for producing low-cost sugar from corn stalks and other crop waste, paving the way for sustainable biofuel production. Their process utilizes ammonium sulfite-based alkali salts to pretreat corn stover at mild temperatures, enabling enzymes to break down cellulose into fermentable sugar without chemical recovery. By offsetting production costs through byproduct sales (including fertilizer), the resulting sugar could cost as little as 28 cents per pound, competing with imported sugar. This breakthrough promises to significantly improve the economic viability of biofuels and advance sustainable energy solutions.

(news.wsu.edu)

Tech biofuel biomass

Efficiently Cleaning Up Logically Deleted Files in Object Storage: Lessons from WarpStream

2025-05-13

Efficiently Cleaning Up Logically Deleted Files in Object Storage: Lessons from WarpStream

This post details the author's experience in efficiently cleaning up logically deleted files in object storage when building distributed systems. Using bucket policies or synchronous deletion directly both have flaws: bucket policies can't handle complex systems with varying data retention needs, while synchronous deletion can lead to orphaned files. The author compares delayed queues and asynchronous reconciliation, ultimately adopting a hybrid approach: introducing an "optimistic deletion queue" in WarpStream Agents, combined with asynchronous reconciliation, for efficient and cost-effective file cleanup, effectively avoiding orphaned files. This approach leverages system characteristics and considers fault tolerance and disaster recovery.

(www.warpstream.com)

Development data cleanup

Finite Integral Domains and Finite Fields: Does Size Determine Structure?

2025-05-29

This article explores some well-known results from abstract algebra concerning fields and integral domains. It begins by defining an integral domain and providing examples. The author then proves that every field is an integral domain, every finite integral domain is a field, but infinite integral domains may or may not be fields. Two proofs are given for the finite case, highlighting the fascinating interplay between finiteness and algebraic structure.

(susam.net)

Development abstract algebra fields integral domains

Hotline Reborn: A Swift Resurrection for Modern Apple Systems

2025-02-08

Hotline Reborn: A Swift Resurrection for Modern Apple Systems

A project is underway to resurrect the classic 1997 Mac online community software, Hotline, by completely recreating it in Swift and SwiftUI for modern Apple systems (iOS, macOS, etc.). Currently, it's a client-side application for connecting to and interacting with Hotline servers, offering features like IRC-style chat, private messaging, forum-like news, bulletin board posting, and FTP-style file transfers. The goal is a modern, open-source Hotline client, aiming to revive this beloved brand for a new generation.

(github.com)

Development retro

Hugging Face Launches $299 Desktop Robot, Aiming to Democratize Robotics Development

2025-07-10

Hugging Face Launches $299 Desktop Robot, Aiming to Democratize Robotics Development

Hugging Face, the $4.5 billion AI platform dubbed the 'GitHub of machine learning,' announced Reachy Mini, a $299 desktop robot designed to democratize AI-powered robotics. This 11-inch humanoid robot, resulting from Hugging Face's acquisition of Pollen Robotics, integrates directly with the Hugging Face Hub, giving developers access to thousands of pre-built AI models and enabling application sharing. The move challenges the industry's high-cost, closed-source model, aiming to accelerate physical AI development by providing affordable, open-source hardware and software. Hugging Face's strategy anticipates a booming market for physical AI and intends to build a thriving ecosystem of robotics applications.

(venturebeat.com)

AI AI robot open-source robotics

Solving Decentralized Social Media's URI Problem

2025-04-21

Solving Decentralized Social Media's URI Problem

This essay explores user experience issues stemming from URI schemes in decentralized social media platforms like the Fediverse and Bluesky. Sharing links across instances often leads to problems like inability to comment or like posts. The author proposes a solution: new URI schemes (e.g., `fedi:` or `at:`). These would allow operating systems or browsers to directly invoke relevant apps based on the scheme, resolving link sharing, client compatibility, and post migration issues. While browser support for custom schemes is limited, this approach promises to greatly improve user experience in decentralized social media and warrants further investigation.

(www.tbray.org)

Tech URI schemes

Roboflow: Hiring a Senior Open Source Software Engineer to Power Computer Vision

2025-01-09

Roboflow: Hiring a Senior Open Source Software Engineer to Power Computer Vision

YC-backed computer vision platform Roboflow is hiring a senior open-source software engineer. Roboflow's mission is to make computer vision accessible to every developer; its platform is used by over 500,000 developers, including half of the Fortune 100. The role requires extensive open-source project experience, proficiency in Python, PyTorch, and related technologies, and strong communication and content creation skills. The successful candidate will contribute to and maintain Roboflow's numerous open-source projects and have a significant impact on their direction. The company offers competitive compensation and benefits, including remote work options and flexible hours.

(www.ycombinator.com)

Development

Could Gorbachev's Reforms Have Saved the USSR?

2025-01-02

This article explores whether the collapse of the Soviet Union was inevitable. Historians analyze the USSR's demise from multiple angles: economic struggles, Gorbachev's reforms (perestroika and glasnost), rising nationalism, and the loss of media control. Some argue the Soviet economic model couldn't sustain both military might and a decent standard of living, and that Gorbachev's reforms exacerbated existing tensions, ultimately leading to the USSR's disintegration. Others suggest that had the Communist Party maintained control over the media, the Soviet Union might have survived longer. Ultimately, the USSR's collapse resulted from a confluence of factors, not a single cause.

(www.historytoday.com)

Tech Soviet Union Collapse Gorbachev

DeepSeek's Exposed Database Leaks Sensitive Chat Logs and API Keys

2025-01-29

DeepSeek's Exposed Database Leaks Sensitive Chat Logs and API Keys

Wiz Research discovered a publicly accessible ClickHouse database belonging to DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup, exposing over a million log entries containing sensitive information. The exposed database, accessible without authentication, allowed full control and contained chat history, API keys, backend details, and other critical data. Wiz responsibly disclosed the vulnerability to DeepSeek, which quickly remediated the issue. This incident highlights the critical security risks associated with the rapid adoption of AI technologies and the need for robust security practices even for burgeoning startups.

(www.wiz.io)

Tech database security

Mipmapping Alpha-Tested Textures: A Clever SDF-Based Solution

2025-01-17

Mipmapping Alpha-Tested Textures: A Clever SDF-Based Solution

A game developer encountered issues with mipmapping alpha-tested textures used for foliage rendering. Mipmaps caused textures to disappear or distort at a distance. The article explores various solutions, including adjusting alpha values and using Signed Distance Fields (SDFs). Ultimately, a combined approach using premultiplied alpha, max downsampling of SDFs, and averaging premultiplied colors proved effective, preserving texture shape while avoiding artifacts and improving visual quality.

(lisyarus.github.io)

Game texture rendering mipmap

8 Years of Sleep-Induced Reboots: Decoding a Dell Inspiron Firmware Bug

2025-09-22

For eight years, the author's Dell Inspiron 5567 randomly rebooted when put to sleep, across multiple operating systems. A deep dive into the firmware's source code revealed the culprit: the Southbridge's SPTS method. This method prematurely sent the sleep command before properly setting the sleep state, causing the reboots. The solution involved reordering code within SPTS to ensure the sleep state was correctly set before triggering the sleep. The article details the debugging process and explores the intricacies of ACPI sleep states.

(triangulatedexistence.mataroa.blog)

Hardware

Mati Carbon Wins $50M XPrize for Novel Carbon Removal Tech

2025-04-25

Mati Carbon Wins $50M XPrize for Novel Carbon Removal Tech

The XPrize Foundation announced the winners of its $100 million carbon removal competition. Houston-based startup Mati Carbon took home the $50 million grand prize for its enhanced rock weathering technology, which involves spreading crushed basalt on farms to sequester atmospheric CO2. Mati Carbon's data-driven approach, rigorous verification process, and software platform impressed the judges. While direct air capture and ocean-based solutions didn't meet the 1,000-tonne removal threshold, several received milestone awards, highlighting their progress. Scaling up carbon removal technologies remains crucial for tackling climate change.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Tech

Michael Larabel: 20 Years of Linux Hardware Benchmarking

2025-04-19

Michael Larabel, founder and principal author of Phoronix.com, has dedicated over two decades to improving the Linux hardware experience since founding the site in 2004. He's authored over 20,000 articles covering Linux hardware support, performance, graphics drivers, and more. He's also the lead developer behind the Phoronix Test Suite, Phoromatic, and OpenBenchmarking.org automated benchmarking software. A true veteran of the open-source Linux community.

(www.phoronix.com)

Tech

Lithium Propulsion: Hype vs. Reality in Aviation and Marine

2025-04-18

Lithium Propulsion: Hype vs. Reality in Aviation and Marine

This article debunks the hype surrounding lithium-ion battery propulsion systems for aircraft and boats. The author argues that the technology's energy density is significantly lower than traditional fuels, resulting in massive energy consumption throughout its lifecycle, excessively long charging times, and impractical payback periods. In many regions, the carbon footprint is even higher than conventional systems. Profitability remains elusive unless battery energy density increases dramatically, grid carbon intensity decreases significantly, and fast-charging technology makes a breakthrough.

(kumarletter.com)

Tech aviation marine

RCSS: Rust-Flavored CSS Preprocessor

2025-04-10

RCSS: Rust-Flavored CSS Preprocessor

RCSS is a styling language bringing Rust-inspired syntax to CSS. Combining Rust's robustness with SASS-like features such as nesting and variables, it aims for cleaner, more maintainable styles. The current implementation boasts Rust-like syntax, supporting variables, nesting, and functions (currently without arguments), along with a VS Code extension for syntax highlighting. Future plans include adding support for functions with arguments, importing, a formatter, improved CSS output formatting, and better error handling and debugging tools. RCSS boasts impressive compilation speed, completing in a few hundred microseconds.

(github.com)

Development CSS preprocessor

Global Pandemic Treaty Reached: Preventing the Next Outbreak

2025-04-16

Global Pandemic Treaty Reached: Preventing the Next Outbreak

After three years of negotiations, the World Health Organization (WHO) has reached a landmark agreement on the world's first pandemic treaty. This treaty aims to prevent, prepare for, and respond to future pandemics. While not perfect, it marks a defining moment in global health history, establishing crucial norms for global safety. Central to the treaty is a 'pathogen access and benefit-sharing' mechanism, designed to ensure fairer distribution of vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics, avoiding a repeat of the COVID-19 vaccine inequities. Despite the absence of the US in the negotiations, the treaty's completion demonstrates global cooperation. Implementation details still need to be worked out, but the treaty provides a solid foundation for global pandemic response.

(www.nature.com)

Tech global pandemic treaty vaccine equity

Microsoft to Kill Off Windows Maps App

2025-04-25

Microsoft to Kill Off Windows Maps App

Microsoft has announced it will deprecate and remove the Windows Maps app from the Microsoft Store in July 2025. This follows the earlier removal of offline maps support and the app's exclusion from new Windows 11 24H2 installations. While still available for download, reinstallation will be impossible after July. Microsoft directs users to the Bing Maps web version. This move signals a streamlining of Microsoft's mapping services, focusing on its web-based offering.

(www.neowin.net)

Tech Windows Maps Bing Maps

arXivLabs: Experimental Projects with Community Collaboration

2025-04-27

arXivLabs is a framework enabling collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website. Individuals and organizations involved embrace arXiv's values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only partners with those who share them. Have an idea to enhance the arXiv community? Learn more about arXivLabs.

(arxiv.org)

Development

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