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Hertz Desperate to Offload Tesla Inventory, Offers Deep Discounts

2024-12-25
Hertz Desperate to Offload Tesla Inventory, Offers Deep Discounts

Rental car giant Hertz is aggressively selling off its Tesla Model 3 inventory at drastically reduced prices. A Hertz customer posted on Reddit a screenshot showing a 2023 Model 3 with 30,000 miles for just $17,913 – significantly below market value. While buying used rental cars carries risks, the low price and remaining battery warranty are tempting many. Hertz's move is likely a response to high depreciation on its large Tesla fleet and a push to clear inventory before year-end.

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(jalopnik.com)
Tech Tesla Hertz Used Cars

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.

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(www.engadget.com)
Game

Fighting Fantasy: The Classic Gamebook Series Returns to the US!

2025-02-19

The iconic Fighting Fantasy gamebook series, a revolutionary blend of nonlinear narratives and dice-rolling RPG mechanics, is returning to the US in early 2025! Created in 1982 by Sir Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson, this multi-million-selling series boasts over 20 million copies sold worldwide. Steve Jackson Games has partnered for a historic 50-book publishing deal, bringing this beloved classic to a new generation of adventurers.

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(www.sjgames.com)
Game Fantasy

From Vinyl to Streaming: A Music Lover's Nostalgic Journey Through Audio Formats

2025-02-18

A seasoned music enthusiast shares their nostalgic perspective on various physical music formats, ranking them based on sound quality, convenience, and durability. CDs top the list for their pristine audio, though somewhat sterile; Minidiscs follow closely, offering portability and recordability despite limited capacity. Vinyl enjoys a nostalgic appeal and artistic value, but suffers from inherent sound quality limitations. The journey then descends through MP3 players, shellac records, pianola rolls, wax cylinders, and ultimately to the notoriously poor quality of cassette tapes, highlighting the evolution of music formats and their respective strengths and weaknesses.

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(www.sicpers.info)
Misc audio formats

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

OkCupid's Email Validation Fiasco: A Security Nightmare

2025-03-22
OkCupid's Email Validation Fiasco: A Security Nightmare

Fastmail experienced a significant email validation vulnerability exploited by OkCupid, resulting in a deluge of spam emails to their official addresses, including a never-used junk address. Attackers used the vulnerability to register multiple accounts, sending fake 'someone likes you' messages and even impersonating users to modify profiles. OkCupid's customer support response was merely to block the email addresses, failing to address the root issue, exposing their disregard for user data security. This incident highlights the importance of robust email verification mechanisms and the lack of responsibility from companies regarding user data security. Fastmail recommends users employ different email addresses for different services to mitigate risks.

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(www.fastmail.com)
Tech email validation

AI-Powered Generative Models Reshape Anamorphic Images

2025-07-08

Traditional anamorphic images only reveal their true form from a specific viewpoint. This paper uses latent rectified flow models and a novel image warping technique called Laplacian Pyramid Warping to create anamorphic images that retain a valid interpretation even when viewed directly. This work extends Visual Anagrams to latent space models and a wider range of spatial transforms, enabling the creation of novel generative perceptual illusions, opening new possibilities in image generation.

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(studios.disneyresearch.com)
AI Anamorphic Images

Chinese Scientists Achieve Breakthrough in High-Temperature Superconductivity

2025-02-18
Chinese Scientists Achieve Breakthrough in High-Temperature Superconductivity

Scientists at Southern University of Science and Technology (Sustech) in China have observed high-temperature superconductivity in a thin film of nickel oxide crystals, achieving resistance-free electricity conduction at a relatively high temperature of 45 Kelvin (-228°C) without high pressure. Published in Nature, this research offers new hope for understanding the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity and designing room-temperature superconductors. The discovery promises to make technologies like magnetic resonance imaging significantly cheaper and more efficient. While the critical temperature of nickel-based superconductors still needs improvement compared to copper-based ones, the team is actively exploring ways to optimize the material's growth and composition to further raise its critical temperature.

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(www.nature.com)
Tech high-temperature superconductivity nickel oxide

St. Peter's Basilica: Immersive Digital Experience

2025-01-18
St. Peter's Basilica: Immersive Digital Experience

St. Peter's Basilica has launched a new digital experience, allowing people worldwide to explore the magnificence of this architectural marvel from the comfort of their homes. The experience includes a virtual 3D tour and a story detailing the Basilica's history, all available in multiple languages. Users can immerse themselves in the grandeur of St. Peter's, experiencing its art and architecture regardless of their location.

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(virtual.basilicasanpietro.va)
Misc digital experience St. Peter's Basilica

Trump Admin's Lease Cancellations Threaten to End Weather Forecasting as We Know It

2025-03-04
Trump Admin's Lease Cancellations Threaten to End Weather Forecasting as We Know It

The Trump administration is reportedly planning to cancel leases for two crucial NOAA weather forecasting centers, one of which is the nerve center for national weather forecasts. This move could cripple the US weather forecasting system, leading to potentially severe consequences. A NOAA employee, speaking anonymously, suggests this, along with recent layoffs and hiring freezes, points to a deliberate attempt to dismantle the agency. While the cancellation notice isn't final, rebuilding the functionality elsewhere could take over a year, leaving critical forecasting gaps during that time.

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(thinc.blog)
Tech

OpenZFS 2.3.0 Released: RAIDZ Expansion, Blazing Fast Deduplication, and More

2025-01-14
OpenZFS 2.3.0 Released: RAIDZ Expansion, Blazing Fast Deduplication, and More

OpenZFS 2.3.0 is here! This release boasts exciting new features including RAIDZ expansion for adding devices to existing RAIDZ pools without downtime, blazing fast deduplication for significantly improved performance, direct I/O for bypassing ARC caching to boost efficiency on devices like NVMe, optional JSON output for most commands, and support for file/directory names up to 1023 characters. Numerous critical bug fixes and performance improvements round out this release. Supported platforms include Linux kernels 4.18-6.12 and FreeBSD releases 13.3, 14.0-14.2.

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(github.com)
Development storage

Trump's Tariffs Crash US Postal Traffic: An 80% Plunge

2025-09-07
Trump's Tariffs Crash US Postal Traffic: An 80% Plunge

The Trump administration's abolishment of the de minimis exemption on small packages entering the US, effective August 29th, has caused a dramatic 80%+ drop in postal traffic. This policy change, eliminating duty-free entry for items under $800, left 88 global postal operators partially or fully suspending parcel shipments to the US. The Universal Postal Union (UPU) cites insufficient preparation time for operators to adapt to the new rules and collect duties, leading to major operational disruptions. The UPU is working on a technical solution to restore mail flow to the US.

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(www.dw.com)
Tech US Postal Service

Sentry: Earth Impact Monitoring System

2025-01-29

Sentry is a system designed to monitor asteroids that pose a potential impact risk to Earth. By analyzing asteroid orbital data, it calculates the probability and potential consequences of an impact. The system provides information such as impact probability, energy, and date, and uses the Torino and Palermo scales to assess risk. While no currently known asteroids pose a high threat, Sentry continuously monitors and provides crucial data for planetary defense.

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(cneos.jpl.nasa.gov)
Tech

Notion: Your All-in-One Workspace Just Got Better

2025-01-29
Notion: Your All-in-One Workspace Just Got Better

Notion is an all-in-one workspace that seamlessly integrates notes, task management, wikis, and databases. Imagine a single platform to jot down ideas, track projects, build collaborative wikis, and even create custom databases—that's Notion. Its flexibility caters to diverse workflows, from personal note-taking to intricate team collaborations. The intuitive interface and powerful features make it a productivity powerhouse for many.

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(infracost.notion.site)
Development

Postgres Language Server: A Powerful Toolchain for SQL Development

2025-02-19
Postgres Language Server: A Powerful Toolchain for SQL Development

A collection of language tools and a Language Server Protocol (LSP) implementation for Postgres, prioritizing developer experience and reliable SQL tooling. Built on Postgres' own parser (libpg_query) for 100% syntax compatibility, it uses a server-client architecture with transport-agnostic design, offering access via LSP, CLI, HTTP APIs, or WebAssembly. Currently featuring autocompletion, syntax highlighting, type-checking (via EXPLAIN), and a Squawk-inspired linter, the project focuses on refining these core features and building a robust infrastructure. Contributions are welcome!

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(github.com)
Development SQL tooling

French Modernists and the Mass Media: A Love-Hate Relationship

2025-01-17
French Modernists and the Mass Media: A Love-Hate Relationship

This essay explores the complex relationship between 19th-century French modernist writers and the mass media, particularly newspapers. From Baudelaire to Proust, they both loathed the negative impacts of newspapers (e.g., inciting crime, suppressing literature) and were deeply influenced by them, utilizing their platforms for creation and promotion. Newspapers served as both a crucible of modernity and a laboratory for literary innovation. Writers struggled against them while actively integrating them into their work; Mallarmé's groundbreaking poem *A Throw of the Dice* was published in the commercial magazine *Cosmopolis*. Ultimately, the author argues that in the face of the internet's information deluge, we can learn from the French modernists' experience, maintaining artistic independence while skillfully leveraging new media.

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(aeon.co)
Literature Modernism Mass Media Literature

Israel's Nuclear Arsenal: The Hidden Doomsday Clock?

2025-06-22
Israel's Nuclear Arsenal: The Hidden Doomsday Clock?

While US politicians repeatedly warn against Iran developing nuclear weapons, they remain silent about Israel's existing and far larger nuclear arsenal. The article reveals Israel possesses at least 90 warheads, possibly hundreds more, operating under a veil of secrecy and violating international law. Israel's aggressive actions and bellicose rhetoric, including the Gaza assault and nuclear threats against Iran, escalate regional tensions. The author calls for the US to abandon its double standard, advocating for a nuclear-free Middle East to prevent catastrophic war.

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(www.currentaffairs.org)
Tech Nuclear Weapons Middle East Conflict

Sparks: A Typeface for Creating Sparklines in Text

2025-04-05
Sparks: A Typeface for Creating Sparklines in Text

After the Flood, a design consultancy, has released Sparks, a new typeface that leverages OpenType's contextual alternates feature to generate sparklines directly within text. By inserting data points in a specific format between numbers (e.g., `123{30,60,90}456`), users can create sparklines. Sparks is compatible with various browsers and software, offering bar, dot, and dot-line styles with five weight variations. While the underlying mechanism is complex, it offers a novel and convenient method for data visualization.

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(github.com)
Design

The UK's 'Economic Inactivity' Crisis: Myth vs. Reality

2025-03-14
The UK's 'Economic Inactivity' Crisis: Myth vs. Reality

The much-discussed 'economic inactivity' crisis in the UK isn't a true unemployment problem, argues this piece. Decades-long stability in the number of economically inactive people points to a shift in narrative, not a sudden crisis. The government frames non-work as a moral failing, attempting to coerce people into employment, echoing historical forced labor. The article critiques this view of work as the sole source of value, highlighting the neglect of unpaid labor (care, childcare). Technological advancements haven't reduced working hours, but instead intensified work's intrusion. The real crisis, the author suggests, is capitalism's declining ability to extract surplus value, not individual 'non-work'. The solution lies in redistributing the fruits of technological progress and shifting values to appreciate care, art, and rest.

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(anticapitalistmusings.com)
Misc Capitalism

Polars vs Pandas: A Head-to-Head Comparison

2025-01-23
Polars vs Pandas: A Head-to-Head Comparison

This book provides a detailed comparison of the Polars and Pandas data manipulation libraries, arguing that Polars offers a more intuitive and efficient approach. Through numerous examples, it showcases Polars' advantages across indexing, method chaining, performance, data reshaping, time series, and scalability. Polars consistently outperforms Pandas in speed and readability. The book is aimed at readers with some experience in data manipulation, particularly those familiar with Pandas.

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(kevinheavey.github.io)
Development data manipulation

WebAssembly's Memory64: A Trade-off Between Speed and Memory

2025-01-16
WebAssembly's Memory64: A Trade-off Between Speed and Memory

WebAssembly recently introduced Memory64, adding support for 64-bit pointers. Surprisingly, however, Memory64 doesn't result in performance gains; instead, due to limitations in hardware, operating systems, and WebAssembly's design, it can run 10% to over 100% slower than 32-bit mode. This is because 32-bit mode allows browsers to reserve 4GB of memory, eliminating the need for bounds checks. Memory64, however, requires bounds checks, adding computational overhead. Therefore, unless you need more than 4GB of memory, Memory64 isn't the optimal choice. Future improvements in hardware and WebAssembly might improve Memory64's performance.

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(spidermonkey.dev)
Development

Big Tech Signs EU Pledge to Combat Online Hate Speech

2025-01-21
Big Tech Signs EU Pledge to Combat Online Hate Speech

Meta, Google, TikTok, and X have signed a voluntary EU commitment to combat illegal hate speech on their platforms. The "Code of Conduct on Countering Illegal Hate Speech Online Plus" requires signatories to increase transparency, allow third-party monitoring, and review at least two-thirds of hate speech reports within 24 hours. While not legally binding, the agreement represents a step forward in tech companies' efforts to address online hate speech.

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(www.theverge.com)
Tech online hate speech tech company responsibility

Cocommit: Your Git Commit Copilot

2025-03-26
Cocommit: Your Git Commit Copilot

Cocommit is a command-line tool that uses your chosen LLM to improve your Git commit quality. It analyzes your last commit message and suggests improvements, highlighting strengths and weaknesses. Cocommit supports various LLMs, including OpenAI and Amazon Bedrock's Claude 3.7, abstracting away the underlying models via LangChain. Easy to install and use, it allows customization of the LLM experience, making it a great tool for developers to improve their code style.

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(github.com)
Development

Sam Altman on OpenAI: An Accidental Consumer Tech Giant

2025-03-25
Sam Altman on OpenAI: An Accidental Consumer Tech Giant

This Stratechery interview features OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, detailing OpenAI's journey from a research lab to a consumer tech giant, and the unexpected success of ChatGPT. Altman candidly discusses OpenAI's business model shift, its relationship with Microsoft, views on AI safety and regulation, and the future of AGI. The interview also touches on OpenAI's open-source strategy, GPT-5 development, and the implications of AI across various industries. Altman believes a billion-user AI platform will be more valuable than cutting-edge models, hinting at potential alternative monetization strategies beyond advertising.

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(stratechery.com)
AI

Triptych: Three Proposals to Make Hypertext Hyper Again

2025-01-06

Alexander Petros and Carson Gross propose Triptych, three small proposals designed to make HTML far more expressive in how it handles network requests. The proposals add PUT, PATCH, and DELETE support to HTML forms, enable buttons to make requests without forms, and allow for partial page replacement with the response. Triptych aims to bring the best of libraries like htmx to native HTML, enhancing its REST capabilities and simplifying the declaration of page behavior for HTTP requests. This results in cleaner code and easier implementation of both full-page navigation and partial page updates.

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(alexanderpetros.com)
Development Web Requests

Open Source Projects Could Monetize SBOM Fragments

2025-02-17
Open Source Projects Could Monetize SBOM Fragments

Scanning source code for licensing information is a laborious and often duplicated effort due to a lack of resource pooling among companies. This article proposes a solution: Open Source projects could sell SBOM fragments (components in CycloneDX or packages in SPDX with accurate licensing details). By sponsoring the project on GitHub, companies would gain access to continuously updated SBOM information, avoiding redundant work and ensuring licensing accuracy.

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(www.thomas-huehn.com)
Development Open Source Licensing Software Supply Chain

Complete Decompilation of LEGO Island (1997)

2024-12-23
Complete Decompilation of LEGO Island (1997)

The isle project has achieved a functionally complete decompilation of the classic game LEGO Island (Version 1.1, English) released in 1997. The goal is to create an accurate representation of the original game's code, matching recompiled instructions to the original machine code. Both ISLE.EXE and LEGO1.DLL are fully decompiled and functionally identical to the originals. Further work focuses on improving code accuracy, naming, documentation, and structure. While some bugs may remain, the game is playable. The project uses CMake and recommends Microsoft Visual C++ 4.2 for compiling for optimal accuracy.

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(github.com)
Game game decompilation LEGO Island reverse engineering

Microsoft's Breakthrough: The World's First Topological Qubit

2025-02-19
Microsoft's Breakthrough: The World's First Topological Qubit

Microsoft announced a major breakthrough in quantum computing, unveiling Majorana 1, the world's first Quantum Processing Unit (QPU) powered by a topological core. Built using a novel topoconductor material, it's designed to scale to a million qubits on a single chip. This breakthrough leverages Majorana Zero Modes (MZMs) as qubit building blocks, employing measurement-based computation instead of traditional rotation, significantly simplifying quantum error correction. Partnering with DARPA, Microsoft aims to build a fault-tolerant prototype based on topological qubits within years, not decades, paving the way for a practical quantum computer capable of tackling real-world problems.

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(azure.microsoft.com)
Tech topological qubit Majorana zero modes
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