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Non-Destructive Unrolling of Ancient Scroll via AI-Assisted X-ray Tomography

2025-08-19

Non-Destructive Unrolling of Ancient Scroll via AI-Assisted X-ray Tomography

German scientists used 3D X-ray tomography and AI to virtually 'unroll' a delicate antique Buddhist scroll crafted by Mongolian nomads, preserving its fragile state. The centuries-old scroll, tightly wound within silk pouches, revealed its contents—a Tibetan Buddhist mantra written in Sanskrit script—without physical manipulation. The analysis also unexpectedly uncovered metal particles in the ink. While labor-intensive, this technique offers invaluable opportunities for studying otherwise inaccessible artifacts.

(www.popsci.com)

Tech X-ray tomography

Firefly's Rocket Expertise Fuels Deep-Sea Probe

2025-03-02

Firefly's Rocket Expertise Fuels Deep-Sea Probe

Firefly, initially focused on rockets for launching satellites and spacecraft, has leveraged its experience building the Alpha rocket – despite some early setbacks – to design the propulsion system for its Blue Ghost deep-sea probe. CEO Jason Kim highlights the use of flight-proven attitude control thrusters from the Alpha rocket and in-house developed reaction control thrusters, reducing risk and capitalizing on existing expertise. Firefly's Texas facility, where rocket engine tests are conducted alongside a cow pasture, has expanded significantly. While thrusters were built on-site, the main engine for Blue Ghost was sourced from a supplier.

(www.cnn.com)

Tech Aerospace Technology

Building a CPU with Only a MOVE Instruction: A Transport Triggered Architecture (TTA) Experiment

2025-09-13

Building a CPU with Only a MOVE Instruction: A Transport Triggered Architecture (TTA) Experiment

This article details the author's experience building a 16-bit CPU using only a MOVE instruction based on the Transport Triggered Architecture (TTA). Unlike traditional CPUs, TTA lacks an ALU and registers; all computations are performed in memory. Using the Digital simulator and simple logic gates and counters, the author implemented instruction fetching, data reading, and writing, successfully running a Fibonacci sequence calculation program. While TTA is not mainstream, this article showcases its simplicity and the author's deep understanding and practical skills in CPU architecture.

(justanotherelectronicsblog.com)

Hardware TTA architecture digital logic

Using AI as a Socratic Mirror: An Experiment in Self-Understanding

2025-05-05

Using AI as a Socratic Mirror: An Experiment in Self-Understanding

The author conducted a unique experiment in self-understanding using large language models (LLMs). Instead of relying on introspection, he aimed to gain a clearer understanding of his cognitive abilities and thinking patterns through deep conversations with AI. The process involved iteratively refining prompts to create a "cognitive altitude tracker," assessing seven cognitive dimensions. The results indicated high-level cognitive capabilities, including abstract thinking and cross-domain synthesis. The author stresses this wasn't about seeking praise, but exploring the potential and limitations of using AI for self-discovery, cautioning readers to maintain critical thinking.

(www.lucidnonsense.net)

AI Self-Reflection

UK Explores Digital ID Cards to Tackle Illegal Immigration

2025-06-06

UK Explores Digital ID Cards to Tackle Illegal Immigration

The UK government is exploring a proposal for a digital ID card, dubbed "BritCard," to combat illegal immigration. This smartphone-based card would link to government records, verifying an individual's right to live and work in Britain and monitoring welfare fraud. Proponents argue it signals a tougher stance on illegal migration and helps alleviate the small boats crisis. While previously proposed by former Prime Minister Tony Blair, the idea was shelved and is now gaining renewed traction with support from some Labour MPs. They believe it simplifies right-to-rent and right-to-work checks, effectively targets criminal employers exploiting undocumented workers, while avoiding unfair impact on legal residents. The estimated cost is £400 million to build and £10 million annually to maintain as a free app.

(www.independent.co.uk)

Tech Digital ID Illegal Immigration

Harvard Professor Unravels the Math Behind Möbius Strips, Brain Folds, and Termite Mounds

2025-06-30

Harvard University professor L. Mahadevan uses mathematics and physics to explore the form and function of everyday phenomena. From the equilibrium shape of a Möbius strip to the complex factors driving biological systems like morphogenesis and social insect colonies, his curiosity knows no bounds. In this podcast episode, he shares his research inspirations, explaining how gels, gypsum, and LED lights can help uncover form and function in biological systems, and how noisy random processes might underlie our intuitions about geometry. He explores brain folds, simulating the folding process with gel experiments, and reveals how termites build massive mounds to regulate temperature and ventilation.

(www.quantamagazine.org)

Tech biological morphogenesis

UK Police Expand Live Facial Recognition, Sparking Privacy Concerns

2025-08-13

UK Police Expand Live Facial Recognition, Sparking Privacy Concerns

The UK is expanding its use of live facial recognition (LFR) technology with ten new police vans, boosting capabilities beyond London and South Wales. While authorities claim LFR is used only in targeted investigations and with privacy safeguards, privacy campaigners raise concerns about misidentification and potential misuse. Recent revelations suggest access to passport and immigration databases for facial recognition searches, further fueling the debate. The expansion highlights the ongoing tension between effective policing and individual privacy rights.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech

Las Vegas Fights Heat with Trees

2025-06-10

Las Vegas Fights Heat with Trees

Following a record-breaking summer with over 500 heat-related deaths, Las Vegas is aggressively tackling climate change. The city, county, and local advocates are planting thousands of trees, particularly in the hottest neighborhoods, to mitigate the urban heat island effect. Studies show trees can significantly lower surrounding temperatures, by at least 10 degrees Fahrenheit. The effort focuses not only on the number of trees planted but also on strategic species selection and placement to maximize cooling impact while conserving water in the desert environment. Schools are also participating, educating the next generation about environmental responsibility.

(www.npr.org)

Tech urban heat island tree planting

Harvard's HIV/AIDS Poster Archive: A Visual History of Public Health Messaging

2025-05-14

Harvard Library's digital archive of over 3,000 posters on the HIV/AIDS epidemic reveals the evolution of public health communication. Early posters prioritized simple, impactful visuals and a single, emotionally resonant message with a clear call to action (phone number, website, now QR code). Later campaigns diversified messaging for varied audiences, shifting from shame-based to positive and affirming approaches. Researchers emphasize co-creating messages with target audiences for better impact. The archive highlights the progress made with modern prevention and treatment (PrEP, antivirals), aiming to end HIV transmission and prevent further deaths, contrasting past limitations with current capabilities to eliminate new infections.

(news.harvard.edu)

Tech Health Communication

Biomni: A Game-Changing Biomedical AI Agent

2025-07-10

Biomni: A Game-Changing Biomedical AI Agent

Biomni is a game-changing general-purpose biomedical AI agent capable of autonomously conducting a wide array of research tasks across various biomedical subfields. By integrating cutting-edge LLMs, retrieval-augmented planning, and code-based execution, Biomni significantly boosts research productivity and facilitates the generation of testable hypotheses. The open-source project actively solicits community contributions—new tools, datasets, software, benchmarks, and tutorials—to build Biomni-E2, a next-generation environment. Significant contributors will be recognized with co-authorship on publications in top-tier journals or conferences.

(github.com)

AI Biomedical AI

YouTube Star Aims to Acquire Commodore Brand: A Legacy in the Making?

2025-06-08

A YouTube personality from the channel 'Retro Recipes' is aiming to acquire the Commodore brand, following a million-view video featuring the Commodore 64x. This success led to My Retro Computer Ltd. securing a license. Now, the YouTuber seeks a broader license and has even received an offer to buy the entire company from Commodore Corporation. This development sparks speculation about the future of the Commodore brand, hinting at a potential new chapter in its story.

(www.amiga-news.de)

Tech brand acquisition

DragonFlyBSD's Next-Gen Disk Encryption: dm_target_crypt_ng

2025-04-13

DragonFlyBSD has a major update: dm_target_crypt_ng, a next-generation disk encryption implementation. Developer Michael Neumann re-engineered the DM-crypt code for improved performance and interactivity. The new version ditches opencrypto and cryptodev, opting for a simplified symmetric block cipher API and using two worker pools for efficiency. Currently supporting AES-CBC and AES-XTS, with plans to add Twofish and Serpent. This update significantly improves system responsiveness, providing a smoother disk encryption experience for DragonFlyBSD users. It's expected to become the default in the upcoming DragonFlyBSD 6.4 release.

(www.phoronix.com)

Development

Apple vs. the DMA: Arrogance and Obstruction in Brussels

2025-07-11

Apple vs. the DMA: Arrogance and Obstruction in Brussels

Apple's defiant stance against the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) was on full display at a recent compliance workshop in Brussels. The company's representatives used the event as a marketing opportunity, dismissing the DMA's regulations as an 'extreme interpretation' and exhibiting an arrogant disregard for other participants. They dodged key questions, deflecting criticism onto competitors and wasting considerable time with self-congratulatory remarks. The author details the workshop's events, highlighting Apple's history of regulatory obstruction and its use of financial and political influence to hinder DMA enforcement. The article concludes with a call for fair and impartial application of the law to prevent tech giants from abusing their power and ensure a level playing field in the digital market.

(formularsumo.co.uk)

Tech

Global Optical Clock Network Paves Way for Redefining the Second

2025-06-16

Global Optical Clock Network Paves Way for Redefining the Second

Researchers have conducted the most extensive coordinated comparison of optical clocks to date, simultaneously operating clocks and links across six countries. This experiment, spanning thousands of kilometers, represents a significant step towards redefining the second and establishing a global optical time scale. Using both satellite and optical fiber links, the study highlights areas for improvement in optical clock precision and reliability. The findings are crucial for advancing next-generation optical clocks and scientific endeavors reliant on precise time and frequency measurements, ultimately aiming to leverage the superior accuracy of optical clocks to redefine the second in the International System of Units.

(phys.org)

Tech optical clocks international system of units

GitHub Pages: The Best Platform for Free Open Source Software in 2025

2025-04-28

Want to share your software for free? The best approach in 2025 is deploying static HTML and JavaScript to GitHub Pages. WebAssembly now allows for client-side applications in languages like Python. GitHub Pages offers a free, stable platform with a 17+ year history of uninterrupted service, surpassing previously reliable options like Heroku, whose free tier was discontinued in 2022 by Salesforce. Choose an open-source license and provide an accessible link to ensure your work benefits everyone.

(simonwillison.net)

Development

Shawn Mendes' Song Secretly Reveals His Stance on the Kuril Islands Dispute?

2025-06-09

Shawn Mendes' Song Secretly Reveals His Stance on the Kuril Islands Dispute?

This article humorously analyzes Shawn Mendes' song "Lost in Japan," using lyrics, flight schedules, and geographical data to deduce that Mendes may have visited Iturup Island in the Kuril Islands, subtly supporting Japan's claim to the territory. The author's playful yet detailed investigation links seemingly simple lyrics to a complex geopolitical issue, leading to a surprising conclusion.

(ericneyman.wordpress.com)

Misc geographical deduction

ShredOS: Secure Disk Eraser for All Processors

2025-01-01

ShredOS: Secure Disk Eraser for All Processors

ShredOS is a lightweight, bootable Linux distribution built with Buildroot, designed for secure disk erasure. It features nwipe, a powerful tool offering various wiping methods including DoD 5220.22-M compliance, and supports both 32-bit and 64-bit processors. Bootable from USB or CD, ShredOS requires no installation and provides a user-friendly interface. It also includes utilities like smartmontools and hdparm for disk diagnostics and maintenance.

(github.com)

Development disk erasure data security

Copyright Office: AI-Assisted Works Can Be Copyrighted

2025-01-30

Copyright Office: AI-Assisted Works Can Be Copyrighted

The US Copyright Office issued a report clarifying copyright for AI-assisted works. The report states that AI-assisted works can be copyrighted if human creativity is central to the work's authorship. This means human adaptation of AI-generated output with "creative arrangements or modifications" is protectable. However, fully machine-generated works will not receive copyright protection. The report follows a review involving thousands of stakeholders and addresses a growing need for clarity in the field. A future report will address the use of copyrighted material in training AI models.

(apnews.com)

AI Copyright Law

The Secret History of DNA: A Tale of Theft, Arrogance, and Scientific Breakthrough

2025-04-15

The Secret History of DNA: A Tale of Theft, Arrogance, and Scientific Breakthrough

This article unveils the untold story behind the discovery of DNA's double helix structure. A young, arrogant James Watson's encounter with Maurice Wilkins at a conference in Naples set the stage for his journey, but this wasn't a straightforward scientific quest. The narrative exposes power struggles, scientific theft, and blatant sexism. Howard Markel's book details Watson's unjust treatment of Rosalind Franklin and Wilkins's sharing of Franklin's crucial X-ray photograph without her permission. Franklin's groundbreaking contributions were long ignored, only gaining recognition posthumously. This is not merely a science story, but a dramatic tale of ethical conflicts, prompting reflection on honesty and fairness in scientific research.

(nautil.us)

Tech DNA double helix scientific history

The Plight of Groundbreaking Research: Great Ideas Left Untapped

2025-06-10

Many groundbreaking research papers, despite their immense potential, fail to reach their full impact. The article uses the McCulloch-Pitts neural network paper and Miller's 7±2 law paper as examples to explore the reasons behind this phenomenon. On the one hand, conflicts in academic viewpoints and researchers' adherence to their specific fields (``stovepiping'') lead to an insufficient understanding of the profound implications of these papers. On the other hand, the incentive structure of publishing also leads to numerous derivative works rather than genuine advancements of the core ideas. While current AI research shows a mix of innovation and imitation, we must remain vigilant against overlooking groundbreaking work with potentially transformative significance.

(www.johndcook.com)

AI

A Decade Later: Reflecting on Apple's Controversial 12-inch Retina MacBook

2025-03-13

A Decade Later: Reflecting on Apple's Controversial 12-inch Retina MacBook

A decade ago, Apple launched the infamous 12-inch Retina MacBook, a revolutionary yet controversial device. Its minimalist design, featuring a single USB-C port and butterfly keyboard, made it a talking point. While criticized for performance and battery life, it pioneered features like USB-C, the butterfly keyboard, and a haptic trackpad, shaping the future of Mac design. Discontinued in 2019, its design legacy lives on in the current MacBook Air.

(www.macrumors.com)

Hardware

America at a Crossroads: Empire's Decline or Rebirth?

2025-03-05

This article analyzes the current state of the American economy, highlighting its long-term reliance on dollar hegemony and financial speculation, leading to a hollowed-out real economy. The author argues that America faces two paths: one is to shift towards protectionism, becoming a regional power but facing stagnation; the other is to strive to maintain its imperial status, enhancing competitiveness by attracting global talent and backing the dollar with gold reserves. The author believes that the latter, while challenging, is the only hope for America's resurgence.

(geohot.github.io)

Startup American economy financial system

Amazon's Secret Project 'Bend the Curve': Cleaning Up the Everything Store

2025-05-30

Amazon's Secret Project 'Bend the Curve': Cleaning Up the Everything Store

Amazon has launched a secretive project codenamed "Bend the Curve" to purge billions of unproductive product listings, aiming to reduce cloud computing costs. This initiative, part of CEO Andy Jassy's cost-cutting strategy, targets a reduction to under 50 billion active ASINs by the end of 2024. While Amazon claims the goal is to improve product quality, not reduce selection, surveys suggest a decline in consumer perception of Amazon's product variety. The project has also caused confusion among some sellers, prompting Amazon to improve communication and clarify its policies.

(www.businessinsider.com)

Tech Cost-cutting

Solving the Ligature Puzzle in Monospace Fonts

2025-01-10

A developer building a graphical code editor encountered a challenge with ligature rendering in monospace fonts. Enabling ligatures introduced an extra glyph, "LIGSPACE", causing incorrect rendering for certain character combinations. Through experimentation, the developer discovered this wasn't a true ligature, but a zero-width placeholder adjusting spacing. The solution involved ignoring glyphs with zero rendering dimensions, effectively resolving the issue. This post shares the findings and insights gained during this debugging journey.

(joshleeb.com)

Development font rendering ligatures

Encryption Is Not a Crime: The Ongoing War for Privacy

2025-04-17

Encryption Is Not a Crime: The Ongoing War for Privacy

This article exposes the global attacks on encryption, with many government agencies attempting to undermine or even break end-to-end encryption under the guise of fighting crime. It argues that encryption is a vital tool for protecting personal privacy and security, not a criminal tool. Weakening encryption not only fails to effectively combat crime but also increases risks for ordinary citizens, making it easier for criminals to exploit leaked data. The article calls for public support for encryption technology and emphasizes that this is a protracted battle for privacy rights and digital security, requiring continuous effort to safeguard individual freedoms.

(www.privacyguides.org)

Tech

Meta's Antitrust Trial: Redacted Slides Spark Fury From Competitors

2025-04-17

Meta's Antitrust Trial: Redacted Slides Spark Fury From Competitors

Meta's antitrust trial took a turn today as Apple, Google, and Snap expressed outrage over easily removed redactions in slides presented by Meta. The tech giants accused Meta of negligence, jeopardizing confidential information and raising concerns about Meta's commitment to data security. While the revealed information itself wasn't particularly sensitive—internal assessments of user preferences and competitor success—the competitors focused on Meta's apparent carelessness and potential strategic implications. Snap's attorney even hinted at the possibility of Meta using the trial to gain intelligence on its rivals.

(www.theverge.com)

Tech

Btrfs Performance Boost: Chunk Allocation with Device Roles

2025-07-11

A significant performance improvement is coming to the Btrfs filesystem! A new patch introduces a performance-based chunk allocation method using device roles, addressing the current imbalance caused by allocation based solely on free space. By defining five device roles (metadata_only, metadata, none, data, data_only) and prioritizing roles alongside remaining space, the system can intelligently assign faster devices to metadata and slower devices to data, significantly boosting read/write performance. This improvement avoids complex device speed measurements, leveraging the existing on-disk format for smarter, more efficient storage management.

(lwn.net)

Development

Emily Dickinson's Playful Letterlocking: Poetry in Envelopes

2025-04-14

Emily Dickinson's Playful Letterlocking: Poetry in Envelopes

Emily Dickinson's creative use of envelopes and seals transformed letters into miniature works of art. She ingeniously inscribed poems onto envelopes, utilizing the physical act of sealing and the envelope's form as part of the poetic expression. This unique approach, blending the epistolary with the poetic, showcases Dickinson's playful experimentation with form and content, highlighting her multifaceted genius beyond her renowned poetry.

(thereader.mitpress.mit.edu)

Design Emily Dickinson letterlocking envelope poetry

$10,000 Toyota IMV 0: A No-Frills Truck America Can't Have

2025-03-28

$10,000 Toyota IMV 0: A No-Frills Truck America Can't Have

In a US market where new trucks average $59,000, the $10,000 Toyota IMV 0 is a game-changer. This compact pickup, based on the Hilux platform, lacks modern amenities like touchscreens and safety features, but it boasts surprising practicality and ruggedness. It offers a surprisingly spacious bed and cabin, and its manual transmission and rear-wheel drive provide a pure driving experience. While currently only available in developing markets like Thailand, and unavailable in the US, it presents a compelling argument for a simpler, more affordable truck. It suggests a potential shift in market demand towards smaller, cheaper, and more utilitarian vehicles.

(www.motor1.com)

Hardware pickup truck value

Dolby Vision 2: AI-Powered HDR Gets a Major Upgrade

2025-09-04

Dolby Vision 2: AI-Powered HDR Gets a Major Upgrade

Dolby has unveiled Dolby Vision 2, an evolution of its HDR format. Beyond fine-tuning picture settings, Dolby Vision 2 introduces "Content Intelligence," leveraging AI and TV sensors to dynamically adjust brightness, addressing common complaints about overly dark scenes (think *Game of Thrones*' infamous 'Battle of Winterfell'). A new "Authentic Motion" feature aims to optimize motion handling across various viewing environments, though this may prove controversial among purists.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech Dolby Vision

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