Insane! Wingsuit Pilot Hooks Onto a Plane Mid-Air

2025-02-09
Insane! Wingsuit Pilot Hooks Onto a Plane Mid-Air

German wingsuit pilot Max Manow has achieved a world first: a mid-air plane hook maneuver. He jumped from a helicopter, flew through Hell Hole Bend in Arizona's Grand Canyon, and grabbed onto a specially modified Cessna piloted by aerobatic pilot Luke Aikins, being towed upwards before safely deploying his parachute. This incredible feat required precise calculations and immense skill, showcasing the limitless possibilities of extreme sports. Manow calls it the beginning of 'endless skydiving', opening new avenues for wingsuit flying.

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High School Grad Skips College for Lucrative Auto Repair Job

2025-04-25
High School Grad Skips College for Lucrative Auto Repair Job

Caden Yucha, an 18-year-old from Madison, Ohio, opted out of college after high school, securing a full-time job at an auto collision and restyling shop for $15/hour. He deemed college too expensive, preferring the free vocational training and immediate income. His plan is to save for a 2013 Scion FR-S, with his bi-weekly earnings projected at over $1000. He notes that neither his father nor uncle attended college, yet both are employed. Similarly, none of his friends plan on enrolling in a four-year program.

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The Fisherman and His Wife: A Cautionary Tale of Greed

2025-09-19

A fisherman catches a talking flounder, which grants his wife's wishes. Starting with a humble cottage, her desires escalate to a palace, then kingship, papacy, and finally, godhood! Each granted wish only fuels her insatiable greed. Ultimately, they lose everything and return to their squalid shack. This classic fairy tale serves as a potent warning against unchecked ambition and the importance of contentment.

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arXivLabs: Experimenting with Community Collaboration

2025-09-01
arXivLabs: Experimenting with Community Collaboration

arXivLabs is a framework for collaborators to build and share new arXiv features directly on the site. Individuals and organizations involved uphold 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. Got an idea to improve the arXiv community? Learn more about arXivLabs.

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Tech

US to Stop Making Pennies: A Costly Tradition Bites the Dust

2025-05-22
US to Stop Making Pennies: A Costly Tradition Bites the Dust

The US Treasury is phasing out the penny. Production of new one-cent coins will cease once existing blanks are used up. This move, driven by the fact that producing a penny costs over three cents, follows President Trump's earlier order to halt production. While consumers can still use existing pennies, businesses will round cash transactions to the nearest nickel. The Treasury estimates $56 million in annual savings, but increased nickel demand might offset this. This echoes Canada's previous elimination of the penny, highlighting a trend towards efficiency and waste reduction.

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Daily Driving a Linux Phone: A Journey of Privacy and Minimalism

2025-04-24

The author documents their experiment in daily driving a Linux phone instead of Android or iOS. This isn't about convenience, but a quest for enhanced security, privacy, and a different lifestyle. While acknowledging the slower hardware of the PinePhone Pro, the author prioritizes the open-source nature and privacy benefits of Linux. The ultimate goal is to install PostmarketOS on a more powerful LGv40 Thinq for a superior experience.

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Tech

Near-Disaster Averted: Starliner's Close Call with ISS

2025-04-09
Near-Disaster Averted: Starliner's Close Call with ISS

Last summer, the Starliner spacecraft experienced a critical failure while approaching the International Space Station, losing four thrusters. Astronaut Butch Wilmore took manual control, but the inability to maneuver the craft as needed triggered a near-catastrophic situation. The loss of thrusters violated mission rules, mandating a return to Earth; however, Wilmore believed returning was equally perilous. After a tense half-hour, ground control attempted a risky thruster reset, requiring Wilmore to relinquish manual control. Two thrusters miraculously restarted, and eventually, all but one were recovered, enabling autonomous flight and successful docking. While NASA and Boeing publicly expressed confidence in Starliner's safe return, Wilmore and his crewmate expressed serious concerns about the extreme risks involved in the return journey following this harrowing experience.

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Berb: Serverless P2P File Sharing

2025-06-01
Berb: Serverless P2P File Sharing

Berb is a lightweight, privacy-focused web app that uses WebRTC to send files directly between devices. No servers are involved; files transfer directly between sender and receiver. It's secure and fast because files never touch a server. Currently under development, future plans include auto-reconnect, multi-file support, and stream saving.

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Development

Website Privacy Policy Explained

2025-04-06
Website Privacy Policy Explained

To provide the best user experience, this website uses technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies allows us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent may adversely affect certain features and functions. The website also details the legitimate purposes for its technical storage or access of data, including service provision, preference storage, statistical analysis, and targeted advertising.

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Misc

US Ebola Research Facility Shut Down Amidst Safety Concerns

2025-05-01
US Ebola Research Facility Shut Down Amidst Safety Concerns

The Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Maryland, a US National Institutes of Health facility studying Ebola and other deadly infectious diseases, has been ordered to halt all research activities. The order, from the Department of Health and Human Services, follows identified personnel issues compromising the facility's safety culture. Research on Lassa fever, SARS-CoV-2, and Eastern equine encephalitis has been suspended. The facility's director has been placed on administrative leave, and staff face an uncertain future. This disruption raises concerns about the impact on infectious disease research and the management of federal science agencies.

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North American Ski Resorts Face Existential Threat: Climate Change and Environmental Regulations

2025-01-31
North American Ski Resorts Face Existential Threat: Climate Change and Environmental Regulations

The North American ski industry is facing a crisis. Since the boom of the 1960s and 70s, over half of all ski resorts have closed, driven by climate change, environmental regulations, and shifting consumer demands. The study highlights the unsustainable water and energy consumption of artificial snowmaking, along with negative impacts on vegetation and wildlife. To survive, resorts must adopt sustainable practices, including investing in eco-friendly technologies, diversifying their offerings, implementing multi-resort passes, and exploring innovative ownership models to adapt to the changing climate and environmental pressures while maintaining profitability.

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Microsoft Copilot Flops: Only 20 Million Weekly Users Compared to ChatGPT's 400 Million

2025-04-27
Microsoft Copilot Flops: Only 20 Million Weekly Users Compared to ChatGPT's 400 Million

Microsoft's ambitious AI assistant, Copilot, is struggling to gain traction, boasting a mere 20 million weekly users compared to ChatGPT's staggering 400 million. Despite significant investment and integration into various applications like Office and Edge, along with premium subscriptions and dedicated hardware, Copilot's user engagement remains disappointingly low. This raises concerns about Microsoft's AI strategy, especially considering the company's high hopes for Copilot and substantial resource allocation. The underwhelming performance mirrors Intel's struggles in the AI hardware market, highlighting the intense competition and uncertain user demand in the AI landscape.

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Tech

NLRB Rescinds Memos on Restrictive Covenants, Offering Relief to Employers

2025-02-17
NLRB Rescinds Memos on Restrictive Covenants, Offering Relief to Employers

On February 14, 2025, NLRB Acting General Counsel William B. Cowen rescinded memoranda that had deemed certain non-compete and stay-or-pay agreements as violating the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). This reverses the stance of former GC Jennifer Abruzzo. While this is positive for employers, the rescission doesn't eliminate all legal risk. Existing NLRB case law and conflicting ALJ decisions remain, requiring employers to carefully consider state law and tailor restrictive covenants to protect legitimate business interests.

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The Tylenol Murders: A Nationwide Manhunt and a Library Bust

2025-06-03
The Tylenol Murders: A Nationwide Manhunt and a Library Bust

Following the 1982 Tylenol murders, James and Leann Lewis, the prime suspects, went on the run, using aliases and even brazenly reading Chicago newspapers in a New York City library to track the investigation. Their eventual arrest stemmed from their audacious behavior. The investigation revealed Lewis's troubled past and prior crimes, suggesting a possible link to another case, although their direct involvement in the Tylenol murders remained ambiguous. Leann's lie detector test indicated deception, adding a further layer of complexity to the case.

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Frederick Monsen: Rediscovering a Lost Photographic Legacy of the American Southwest

2025-02-26
Frederick Monsen: Rediscovering a Lost Photographic Legacy of the American Southwest

This article introduces the little-known photographer Frederick Monsen, born in Norway in 1865 and later immigrating to Utah. Monsen dedicated his life to photographing the landscapes and Native American inhabitants of the American Southwest. His work offers a poignant glimpse into the lives of people during that era. From 1886 to 1911, he captured images of the Navajo, Hopi, Apache, and other tribes, as well as pioneers, missionaries, and other figures, leaving behind a valuable photographic record. His photos not only showcase stunning natural landscapes but also invite contemplation on the lives and stories of those whose memories are now largely preserved in these images.

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Let's Communally Deprecate `git checkout`

2025-01-09
Let's Communally Deprecate `git checkout`

This article argues for the communal deprecation of the `git checkout` command. The author contends that `git checkout` is overly complex and confusing, especially for beginners. They propose using the clearer `git switch` and `git restore` commands instead. While Git won't remove `git checkout`, the author encourages a community-led shift towards better alternatives to improve the overall Git experience and avoid confusing newcomers.

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Development Development Tools

Offline GitHub Flavored Markdown Previewer: gh-gfm-preview

2025-04-20
Offline GitHub Flavored Markdown Previewer: gh-gfm-preview

gh-gfm-preview is a command-line tool written in Go that lets you preview GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) files locally. It works offline, is fast, dependency-free, zero-configuration, and features live reloading, automatic browser opening, and more. You can run it via `go run github.com/thiagokokada/gh-gfm-preview` or install it as a GitHub CLI extension. The tool offers various command-line options, such as forcing dark mode, disabling auto-browser opening, etc. It can even be integrated into Neovim for one-click Markdown preview.

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Development Markdown Preview

Recreating Delicious Library in 2025?

2025-01-29

The author, a long-time admirer of Delicious Library's design since the early 2000s, recounts multiple attempts to recreate its functionality as a web app. From internal tools like Code Helper to independent projects like catalog.im and various design concepts, the author's journey reflects a persistent pursuit. The article concludes with a proposal for a new web-based Delicious Library, soliciting reader feedback and sparking discussion about merging nostalgic software design with modern web applications.

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Design

Apache DataFusion: A Powerful and Extensible Query Engine in Rust

2025-01-16

Apache DataFusion is an extensible query engine written in Rust that uses Apache Arrow as its in-memory format. It offers SQL and DataFrame APIs, boasts excellent performance, and provides built-in support for CSV, Parquet, JSON, and Avro. DataFusion features a full query planner, a columnar, streaming, multi-threaded, vectorized execution engine, and partitioned data sources. It's highly customizable, allowing additions of data sources, query languages, functions, custom operators, and more. Related subprojects include DataFusion Python (Python bindings), DataFusion Ray (distributed version), and DataFusion Comet (Apache Spark accelerator).

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Development Query Engine

Airbnb Shows Total Price Upfront: No More Hidden Fees

2025-04-22
Airbnb Shows Total Price Upfront: No More Hidden Fees

Airbnb is globally rolling out an update to its search function, displaying the total price including cleaning fees upfront. This move aims to increase transparency and avoid surprises at checkout. The change follows scrutiny from the European Union regarding its fee display practices, initially implemented in some locations in 2019. Later, a toggle was introduced in the US and hundreds of other countries to show the total stay cost. Nearly 17 million people have used this toggle since its 2022 launch. Now, users won't need to enable it; a banner reading "Prices include all fees" will appear at the top of search results.

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Elastic Cloud Serverless: Unstable Throughput and Packet Loss on Azure AKS

2025-06-10
Elastic Cloud Serverless: Unstable Throughput and Packet Loss on Azure AKS

Elastic's SRE team observed unstable throughput and packet loss in Elastic Cloud Serverless running on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). Investigation revealed RX ring buffer overflows and kernel input queue saturation on SR-IOV interfaces as the root cause. Increasing RX buffer sizes and adjusting the netdev backlog significantly improved network stability. The experience highlights that even with high-performance hardware, OS-level network parameter tuning is crucial for optimal performance.

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Development

Microgravity: A Unique Environment for Space Research

2025-04-13
Microgravity: A Unique Environment for Space Research

Microgravity isn't the absence of gravity, but rather an extremely weak gravitational field (1/1000th to 1/1,000,000th of Earth's gravity). The International Space Station, contrary to popular belief, isn't in zero-G, but experiences continuous freefall, creating the sensation of weightlessness. In microgravity, fluids, cell growth, combustion, and crystal formation behave differently, offering unique experimental possibilities. Spark Gravity is focused on programmable gravity, bridging the gap in current research limited to either full gravity or zero-G environments on Earth and the ISS. Their goal is to allow scientists to control gravity as a variable, simulate lunar, Martian, or deep space environments, and conduct long-duration studies without the need for a full space station.

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SerenityOS: A Nostalgic Yet Powerful Unix-like OS

2025-04-22

SerenityOS is a desktop operating system that's a love letter to the user interfaces of the 1990s, featuring a custom Unix-like core. It blends the aesthetic of late-1990s productivity software with the power-user accessibility of late-2000s *nix systems. Built by developers for developers, it's an open-source project found on GitHub, complete with a Discord server, man pages, and even a bug bounty program.

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Development Unix-like

Apple's Smart Glasses: 2026 Launch, Smartwatch Plans Shelved

2025-05-22
Apple's Smart Glasses: 2026 Launch, Smartwatch Plans Shelved

Apple is aiming for a late 2026 release of its smart glasses, a key part of its push into AI-enhanced gadgets. The glasses, set to rival Meta's Ray-Bans, are in active development, with mass prototype production beginning late this year with overseas suppliers. However, the company has reportedly abandoned plans for a smartwatch featuring a built-in camera for environmental analysis.

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Tech

Emulating a Ukrainian Retro Computer: Bringing Childhood Games Back to Life

2025-09-22

The author revisited their childhood memories of the Fahivets-85 computer from Ukraine and decided to emulate it. They built a WebAssembly-based emulator that currently runs a simple game called "Rain". The development involved implementing the CPU instruction set, simulating the IO controller, keyboard, and display. AI assistance was used to generate code, and the emulator's functionality was gradually refined until the game successfully ran. While some issues remain, this is an impressive accomplishment.

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Development

Jargonic: A Revolutionary ASR Model for Industry-Specific Speech

2025-04-01
Jargonic: A Revolutionary ASR Model for Industry-Specific Speech

aiOla has launched Jargonic, a groundbreaking Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) model that addresses the limitations of existing ASR models in handling industry jargon, noisy environments, and real-time adaptability. Jargonic utilizes advanced domain adaptation, real-time contextual keyword spotting, and zero-shot learning to handle industry-specific language out-of-the-box, eliminating the need for retraining. Its unique keyword spotting mechanism combined with the ASR engine significantly improves transcription accuracy, especially for audio containing specialized terminology. Furthermore, Jargonic boasts robust noise handling capabilities, maintaining high performance across multiple languages and noisy industrial settings. Benchmark tests show it outperforms competitors like OpenAI Whisper.

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Bungie's Marathon Accused of Plagiarizing Independent Artist's Work

2025-05-18
Bungie's Marathon Accused of Plagiarizing Independent Artist's Work

Bungie's highly anticipated sci-fi game, Marathon, has been accused of plagiarism. Elements of the alpha build's visual design were flagged by artist antire.al as being lifted from their 2017 artwork, including their logo and poster designs, without permission or attribution. Bungie initially didn't respond but later stated a former employee was responsible and is reaching out to the artist while conducting a full review of in-game assets. This incident highlights concerns about copyright in the games industry and the power imbalance between large studios and independent artists.

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Swift Move Semantics: A Comparison with C++

2025-01-09

This article delves into the similarities and differences between move semantics in Swift and C++. Swift automatically performs move optimizations, which is beneficial for performance but can surprise C++ programmers accustomed to the RAII idiom. Swift's "non-copyable types" are similar to C++'s "move-only types," but Swift's moves are destructive, avoiding potential issues with C++'s "non-destructive moves." The article compares Swift's `consume` with C++'s `std::move`, and explains Swift's shortened variable lifetimes, parameter passing conventions (`consuming`, `borrowing`, `inout`), and the Law of Exclusivity. Finally, it discusses using non-copyable types for RAII, generics, and conditionally copyable types in Swift, and why Swift lacks perfect forwarding.

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Development Move Semantics

Estonia: A Digital Identity Pioneer

2025-03-19
Estonia: A Digital Identity Pioneer

Estonia's e-ID system, operational for over 20 years, is the cornerstone of its e-governance. All Estonian citizens, regardless of location, possess a state-issued digital identity used for daily transactions, from paying bills and voting online to signing contracts and accessing healthcare. This success has influenced EU policy, driving interoperability across Europe. Estonia now champions the adoption of digital wallets, enhancing security and convenience, while sharing its expertise globally.

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Superlinked: Unified Vector Search Without Re-ranking

2025-05-23
Superlinked: Unified Vector Search Without Re-ranking

Traditional vector search often relies on time-consuming and computationally expensive re-ranking to improve result relevance. Superlinked, a Python framework for building high-performance search and recommendation systems, elegantly solves this problem by unifying structured and unstructured data into multimodal vectors. It uses a mixture of encoders at index time to combine text semantics, numerical ranges, and categorical attributes into unified embeddings, eliminating the need for re-ranking to achieve more relevant, faster, and more efficient results at query time. Superlinked supports dynamic intent capture and hard filtering, allowing users to adjust weights and filter out irrelevant results at query time, further improving search accuracy and efficiency.

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Development re-ranking
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