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Canva Outage: A Case Study in Saturation and Resilience

2025-01-12

Canva Outage: A Case Study in Saturation and Resilience

Canva recently experienced a major outage stemming from system saturation. A new editor page deploy wasn't the culprit; instead, a stale Cloudflare CDN rule caused massive latency for Asian users loading Javascript files. This triggered 270,000+ concurrent requests, subsequently overwhelming the API gateway with 1.5 million requests per second – three times its typical peak. A known, unfixed performance bug in the API gateway exacerbated the issue. The Linux OOM killer terminated all API gateway tasks, resulting in complete Canva.com failure. Canva engineers resolved the issue by manually increasing task counts, temporarily blocking traffic via Cloudflare firewall rules, and gradually restoring traffic. This incident highlights the importance of system resilience and the potential downsides of automated systems under heavy load.

(surfingcomplexity.blog)

Tech system outage system resilience

WordPress Sustainability Team Axed, Sparking Outrage

2025-01-12

WordPress Sustainability Team Axed, Sparking Outrage

Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress, abruptly disbanded the WordPress Sustainability Team, causing a major backlash within the community. The team, focused on social, economic, and environmental sustainability for WordPress, was dissolved despite its efforts to embed sustainable practices. Tech journalist Kara Swisher called the move "bizarrely heinous behavior." Mullenweg cited low ROI, but critics slammed his decision as short-sighted and dismissive of the team's contributions. The incident highlights governance issues and concerns about WordPress's long-term sustainability.

(www.therepository.email)

Development Community Backlash

DOJ Greenlit to Sell $6.5B in Seized Silk Road Bitcoin

2025-01-10

DOJ Greenlit to Sell $6.5B in Seized Silk Road Bitcoin

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has received court approval to sell approximately 69,000 Bitcoin seized from the Silk Road darknet marketplace, currently valued at around $6.5 billion. This decision concludes a long-standing legal battle. Despite objections and attempts to block the sale by Battle Born Investments, the DOJ prevailed. Citing Bitcoin's price volatility, the DOJ argued for a swift sale to mitigate potential losses. The sale, managed by the US Marshals Service, will be one of the largest sales of seized cryptocurrency in history.

(cryptobriefing.com)

Tech Silk Road DOJ

Tech Archaeology: Unearthing Brautigan's Poem

2025-01-09

Tech Archaeology: Unearthing Brautigan's Poem

Blogger John Graham-Cumming shared the complete text of Richard Brautigan's poem, "All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace," on his blog. While the poem is somewhat known in tech circles, a complete PDF of the original 1967 publication proved elusive. Interpreting the copyright notice as allowing free republication, Graham-Cumming provides a scan of the entire book, a delightful find for tech and literature enthusiasts.

(blog.jgc.org)

Misc tech history online resources

Finland's Near-Zero Homelessness: A Housing First Success Story

2025-01-10

Finland's Near-Zero Homelessness: A Housing First Success Story

Finland's remarkable reduction in homelessness over three decades, from over 16,000 in 1989 to around 4,000 in 2020, stems from a sustained national strategy centered on a "Housing First" approach. This prioritizes providing immediate, independent, permanent housing, coupled with integrated social support services and financial assistance through the social benefits system. Unlike temporary solutions, this strategy ensures a stable foundation for addressing other needs like employment and healthcare. The success highlights the importance of a balanced approach combining financial aid, comprehensive support, and increased housing supply, proving far more effective than relying on a single lever. The Finnish model offers valuable lessons for other OECD countries seeking to address homelessness effectively.

(oecdecoscope.blog)

Misc housing policy social welfare

SpaceX's Insane Success: The Haywood Algorithm in Action

2025-01-10

SpaceX's Insane Success: The Haywood Algorithm in Action

This review of Eric Berger's new book, *Reentry: SpaceX, Elon Musk, and the Reusable Rockets that Launched a Second Space Age*, details SpaceX's extraordinary success story. The author attributes SpaceX's achievements to Elon Musk's extreme adherence to the 'Haywood Algorithm' – making a list of everything needed for success and then doing it all. SpaceX overcame countless technical and political hurdles, disrupting the aerospace industry with its bold innovations and near-insane execution, achieving reusable rockets and drastically lowering launch costs. The review uses anecdotes of SpaceX's daring feats – from rocket transport and launchpad construction to handling unexpected crises – to highlight its unique company culture and relentless pursuit of innovation despite setbacks. Ultimately, the author argues that SpaceX's triumph stems from its unwavering commitment to its goals, its tenacious execution, and Musk's unconventional leadership style.

(www.thepsmiths.com)

Tech Rocketry

Visualizing Ruby's Lazy Enumerator: A Simple Trick

2025-01-10

Visualizing Ruby's Lazy Enumerator: A Simple Trick

This article uses an interactive demo to explain Ruby's lazy enumerator, `Enumerator::Lazy`. Unlike default eager enumeration, lazy enumeration only computes elements when needed, avoiding unnecessary work, especially beneficial with large datasets or complex data transformation pipelines. The article visually demonstrates the difference using 'vertical' and 'horizontal' analogies and suggests resources for a deeper dive into Ruby's lazy implementation.

(joyofrails.com)

Development Lazy Enumerator

2025 AI, Robotics, and Space Exploration Predictions: Hype vs. Reality

2025-01-10

MIT AI Lab founder Rodney Brooks' 2025 New Year's prediction review summarizes his 2018 predictions on self-driving cars, robotics, AI, and space exploration. He notes that AI hype significantly distorts the understanding of reality, with many predictions of AI replacing human jobs unfulfilled. Self-driving technology progresses slowly, failing to deliver on the promise of fully autonomous vehicles. Robotics faces similar challenges, with humanoid robots far from practical application. In space exploration, while commercial spaceflight shows progress, it's far from reaching expectations. Brooks emphasizes the importance of rationally assessing technological advancements and avoiding hype, as true technological breakthroughs require time and sustained effort.

(rodneybrooks.com)

AI

CES 2025 TVs: More AI Gimmicks Than Real Improvements

2025-01-10

CES 2025 TVs: More AI Gimmicks Than Real Improvements

At CES 2025, TV manufacturers showcased AI-powered smart TVs, but Ars Technica's author expresses disappointment. Many touted AI features, such as LG's AI remote lacking a direct input switching button and Samsung's AI food recognition, prioritize corporate interests over user needs. Google TV's Gemini-enhanced Assistant also raises questions about practicality and potential subscription fees. The author argues that the industry's focus on software and data collection overshadows hardware improvements and user experience, forcing consumers to pay for largely useless features. Ultimately, many consumers simply desire TVs with superior picture and sound quality, a goal increasingly difficult to achieve without navigating through excessive gimmicks.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech Smart TVs

Rewilding Ourselves: A Collective Reconnection with Nature

2025-01-12

Rewilding Ourselves: A Collective Reconnection with Nature

This article explores the concept of 'rewilding the self,' urging a renewed connection with nature. It argues that modern life has distanced us from the natural world, causing us to forget its crucial role in human survival. To combat this, the author advocates for 'rewilding,' encouraging various methods – from immersing oneself in wilderness to planting native species and observing wildlife – to reconnect with nature, restore ecological balance, and ultimately promote human well-being and environmental sustainability. This isn't just a personal journey, but a collective imperative, requiring a unified effort to rebuild our relationship with the natural world.

(worldsensorium.com)

Misc environmentalism

C++26: The Unnamed Placeholder `_` Arrives

2025-01-11

C++26 introduces a game-changing feature: the unnamed placeholder `_`. This solves a long-standing annoyance in C++: handling unused variables. Previously, developers needed `[[maybe_unused]]` or `std::ignore` to avoid compiler warnings, especially with structured bindings. The `_` placeholder can be declared multiple times without conflict and implicitly has the `[[maybe_unused]]` attribute, simplifying code and improving readability. This feature is already implemented in GCC 14 and Clang 18.

(www.sandordargo.com)

Development unnamed placeholder compiler warnings

DockView: Zero-Dependency Docking Layout Manager for React, Vue, and TypeScript

2025-01-11

DockView: Zero-Dependency Docking Layout Manager for React, Vue, and TypeScript

DockView is a zero-dependency docking layout manager supporting tabs, groups, grids, and split views. It works with React, Vue, and vanilla TypeScript. Features include serialization/deserialization, theming, drag-and-drop, popout windows, floating groups, a comprehensive API, and high test coverage. Built with security in mind, DockView uses GitHub Actions for verified publishing and builds. It boasts excellent documentation and live examples, making it a powerful and easy-to-use layout management solution.

(github.com)

Development Layout Manager

Hack Club: A Global Community for Teen Hackers

2025-01-09

Hack Club: A Global Community for Teen Hackers

Hack Club is a global community for high school students passionate about coding, boasting over 50,000 members. It offers both online and offline resources, including collaborative open-source projects, in-person club meetings, and hackathons. Members build games, tools, and learning resources together, receiving free hardware and funding opportunities. With workshops, tutorials, and a vibrant online Slack community, Hack Club fosters a supportive environment for teens to learn and explore the world of coding.

(hackclub.com)

Development teen coding open source community hackathons

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.

(mirawelner.com)

Development Development Tools

Bauble: A Functional Approach to 3D Art with Signed Distance Functions

2025-01-11

Bauble: A Functional Approach to 3D Art with Signed Distance Functions

Ian Henry recounts his journey building Bauble, a tool for creating interactive 3D graphics using signed distance functions (SDFs) and the Janet programming language. Initially a simple GLSL string concatenator, Bauble evolved to include features like animation, custom dynamic expressions, and lighting. However, its complexity led to a complete rewrite, resulting in a robust compiler and comprehensive documentation. Now, Bauble empowers users to create stunning 3D art with relative ease.

(ianthehenry.com)

Development Programming Tool Signed Distance Functions

Venu Sports Streaming Service Scrapped Before Launch

2025-01-10

Venu Sports Streaming Service Scrapped Before Launch

The much-anticipated Venu Sports streaming service, a joint venture between ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery, has been canceled before its official launch. Announced last year with a planned launch in Fall 2024, Venu aimed to provide live streaming access to a wide range of sports, including NFL, NBA, and more. However, an antitrust lawsuit and regulatory scrutiny led to significant hurdles. While a Disney-FuboTV merger temporarily resolved a lawsuit, concerns from DirecTV and EchoStar ultimately resulted in the project's termination.

(www.theverge.com)

Tech sports

TikTok's LA Staff Face Paid Time Off Crunch Amid Wildfires

2025-01-10

TikTok's LA Staff Face Paid Time Off Crunch Amid Wildfires

Devastating wildfires in Los Angeles have forced the closure of TikTok's LA office, leaving employees scrambling. The company is instructing staff to work from home if possible, but those unable to do so are told to use their personal/sick days. Many employees are facing power outages, internet disruptions, or even evacuation orders at home. TikTok's strict return-to-office policy, requiring three days a week in the office, exacerbates the issue, as employees are forced to use paid time off even for illness. While the company claims to prioritize employee safety, this policy has sparked controversy for its lack of flexibility during a natural disaster.

(techcrunch.com)

Tech Employee benefits

Mass Hacking on Autopilot: Exploiting Abandoned Backdoors

2025-01-12

Mass Hacking on Autopilot: Exploiting Abandoned Backdoors

The watchTowr team uncovered a novel attack vector: leveraging vulnerabilities in abandoned web shells (like r57shell and c99shell) to gain access to thousands of systems. These often contain unpatched flaws, allowing attackers to commandeer compromised systems with minimal effort. By registering 40+ domains, they monitored over 4000 live backdoors, targeting governments, universities, and businesses. The research highlights the security risks posed by abandoned infrastructure and underscores the need for continuous security testing.

(labs.watchtowr.com)

Tech Backdoor Exploitation Abandoned Infrastructure

Google's Quiet AI Domination: A SpaceX-like Vertical Integration Strategy

2025-01-07

Since 2013, Google has been quietly building its AI empire. Starting with the development of TPUs, and vertically integrating the entire stack from chips to applications, Google has created a cost advantage that dwarfs its competitors. Their TPUs offer performance comparable to Nvidia's H100, but at a fraction of the cost (estimated 10x less). This strategic move, similar to SpaceX's vertical integration in space launch, allows Google to control its AI infrastructure and significantly reduce costs. While OpenAI chases massive funding rounds, Google's long-term vision and substantial resources ($24B in cash) demonstrate a different approach to AI dominance.

(markmaunder.com)

AI Vertical Integration

Showcasing Ruby on Rails Apps: We Use Rails

2025-01-10

Showcasing Ruby on Rails Apps: We Use Rails

We Use Rails is a platform showcasing web applications built with the Ruby on Rails framework. It features a diverse range of apps from startups to enterprises, spanning finance, gaming, e-commerce, and more. Developers can find inspiration, and businesses can explore Rails' capabilities. The platform offers free app submission and search, along with premium features for enhanced visibility.

(weuserails.com)

Development Web Applications

Towards System 2 Reasoning in LLMs: Meta Chain-of-Thought

2025-01-10

Researchers propose Meta Chain-of-Thought (Meta-CoT), a novel framework extending traditional Chain-of-Thought (CoT) by explicitly modeling the reasoning behind a given CoT. Meta-CoT leverages process supervision, synthetic data generation, and search algorithms. The paper outlines a training pipeline incorporating instruction tuning with linearized search traces and reinforcement learning. This work provides a roadmap for enabling Meta-CoT in LLMs, promising more powerful and human-like reasoning in AI.

(arxiv.org)

AI Chain of Thought

Tech Giants Unite to Support Open-Source Chromium Development

2025-01-09

Tech Giants Unite to Support Open-Source Chromium Development

The Linux Foundation launched the "Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers" initiative, backed by Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Opera. This initiative aims to fund and support the open development of Chromium projects, fostering collaboration between developers, academia, and tech companies to ensure the sustainability and innovation of the ecosystem. Operating on an open governance model, the project prioritizes transparency and community involvement. This move is seen as crucial for securing the future of Chromium-based browsers and promoting greater collaboration within the tech industry.

(betanews.com)

Development Linux Foundation

Factorio Blueprint Visualizer: Turn Your Factory into Art

2025-01-09

Factorio Blueprint Visualizer: Turn Your Factory into Art

For Factorio enthusiasts, have you ever wished to showcase your meticulously crafted factories or blueprints in a more artistic way? The Factorio Blueprint Visualizer, a Python library and interactive web demo, lets you do just that. It transforms Factorio blueprint text into beautiful vector graphics (SVG), highlighting buildings, belts, pipes, and more, with customizable drawing settings and even random style generation. The creator has even used it to generate a dataset for fine-tuning the SDXL text-to-image model. Beyond aesthetic appreciation, this tool can also create printable engineering diagrams.

(github.com)

Game

LA Wildfires Force Mass Evacuations, NASA JPL Shuts Down

2025-01-08

LA Wildfires Force Mass Evacuations, NASA JPL Shuts Down

Massive wildfires raging across Los Angeles County have forced tens of thousands to evacuate, leading to the closure of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Fueled by strong winds, the fires have consumed thousands of acres, resulting in casualties and widespread property damage. California's governor has declared a state of emergency. While JPL itself remains undamaged, many staff have evacuated their homes, with some reporting significant losses. The disaster highlights the severity of climate change and raises concerns about the safety of invaluable scientific data and equipment.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech wildfires California

CES 2025: The Worst Tech of the Year

2025-01-11

CES 2025: The Worst Tech of the Year

At CES 2025, the "Worst in Show" awards highlighted the most troubling trends in tech, focusing on privacy violations, security flaws, poor repairability, and unsustainable practices. Judges evaluated products based on severity of issues, innovative badness, global impact, comparison to previous iterations, and the balance between positives and negatives. The awards served as a wake-up call, showcasing the concerning direction of certain technological advancements.

(www.worstinshowces.com)

Tech

India's Digital Payments Strategy Sidelines Visa and Mastercard

2025-01-10

India's Digital Payments Strategy Sidelines Visa and Mastercard

India is strategically reducing its reliance on Western payment networks like Visa and Mastercard, leveraging its homegrown Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and RuPay. UPI's massive transaction volume and user-friendliness have made it the dominant payment method, while RuPay, with exclusive rights to process credit card transactions through UPI, is rapidly gaining market share. This strategy lowers merchant fees, boosts India's digital economy independence, and presents a significant challenge to Visa and Mastercard.

(techcrunch.com)

Tech Digital Payments

Biden Admin to Further Restrict AI Chip Exports in Final Push

2025-01-10

Biden Admin to Further Restrict AI Chip Exports in Final Push

In a final push before leaving office, the Biden administration plans to further restrict the export of AI chips from companies like Nvidia, aiming to prevent advanced technologies from reaching China and Russia. New regulations will create three tiers of restrictions: close allies will face minimal limits; adversaries will be effectively blocked; and most countries will face limits on total computing power, though higher caps can be obtained by meeting US security and human rights standards. Nvidia opposes the proposal, arguing it will harm economic growth and US leadership.

(finance.yahoo.com)

Tech export controls geopolitics

41% of Employers to Cut Staff by 2030 Due to AI, Says WEF Report

2025-01-10

41% of Employers to Cut Staff by 2030 Due to AI, Says WEF Report

A World Economic Forum report reveals that 41% of global employers anticipate staff reductions by 2030 due to AI-driven automation. While 77% plan to upskill their workforce for AI collaboration, the report highlights the significant impact on the job market. Graphic designers and legal secretaries are among roles projected to decline, emphasizing the growing importance of AI skills, creative thinking, and lifelong learning. Despite predicting net job growth over the next five years, the report acknowledges substantial job displacement due to AI.

(gizmodo.com)

Tech

Francis Picabia's 391: Perpetual Motion in Dada and Beyond

2025-01-09

Francis Picabia's *391*: Perpetual Motion in Dada and Beyond

Francis Picabia, a close associate of Marcel Duchamp, was known for his multiple pseudonyms and his rebellious approach to artistic movements. His art review, *391* (1917-1924), chronicles his complex relationship with Dada and Surrealism. The magazine's eclectic content—poetry, artwork, satirical essays—reflects Picabia's anti-establishment stance. Ultimately, he declared his 'Instantanism,' rejecting all artistic movements and proclaiming that art is not a movement, but perpetual motion.

(publicdomainreview.org)

Design Dada Surrealism Picabia

Google's Fingerprinting Policy U-Turn: A Decade of Privacy Progress Reverted?

2025-01-10

Google's upcoming February 2025 policy change allowing device fingerprinting for advertising purposes has drawn sharp criticism from the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). This is seen as potentially the biggest erosion of online privacy in a decade. Previously, Google pledged to prohibit fingerprinting to protect user privacy and align with its Privacy Sandbox initiatives. The new policy, however, only mandates disclosure of data collection, not a ban on fingerprinting. This contradicts Google's past statements and could pave the way for highly targeted, AI-powered advertising, intensifying data collection and privacy risks. Analysts fear this signals a regression in online privacy and foreshadows similar approaches in future Google products.

(blog.lukaszolejnik.com)

Tech online privacy

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