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Using ed(1) as My Static Site Generator: A Quirky Experiment

2025-05-31

Artyom Bologov shares his unusual journey of building a static website using the ancient text editor ed(1). He's tried various methods, from Lisp to the C preprocessor, finally settling on ed(1) as his static site generator. While ed(1) has limitations, lacking features like file inclusion, its flexibility allows for custom syntax and processing of older preprocessor formats. He uses ed(1) scripts for preprocessing and format conversion, supporting multiple output formats (txt, gmi, 7, tex, etc.). While not a best practice, the article showcases the unexpected potential of ed(1) and the author's unique approach to text processing.

(aartaka.me)

Development

Go Iterators: A Tale of Purity and Impurity

2025-05-31

Go 1.23 standardized iterators, powerful functions that can be closures. However, the official documentation's classification of iterators is ambiguous. The author proposes a clearer distinction between 'pure' and 'impure' iterators: 'pure' iterators restart each time, while 'impure' iterators may retain state. The article explores various iterator types and the trade-offs between performance and consistency, concluding that Go's iterator landscape is still evolving, with conventions and terminology needing further refinement.

(jub0bs.com)

Development

Precision Clock Mk IV: A Two-Year Hardware Odyssey

2025-05-31

After a two-year odyssey, the Precision Clock Mk IV is finally here! This clock boasts millisecond precision with no perceptible jitter, automatically sets its timezone via GPS, and maintains accurate time even when powered off. Its innovative design features dual processors, six buffer chips, and a clever articulated hinge allowing for single or double-line display modes. The article details the intricate hardware design, software implementation, and manufacturing process, a true hardware epic!

(mitxela.com)

Hardware Precision Instrument

200+ Climate Scientists Launch 100-Hour Livestream Marathon to Protest Funding Cuts

2025-05-31

200+ Climate Scientists Launch 100-Hour Livestream Marathon to Protest Funding Cuts

In response to the Trump administration's cuts to climate research funding for organizations like NASA and NOAA, over 200 US climate and weather scientists have launched a five-day, 100-hour YouTube livestream marathon. The event features mini-lectures, panels, and Q&A sessions, aiming to educate the public about meteorology and climate science while advocating for increased research funding. With over 77,000 views in its first 30 hours, the livestream highlights the scientists' efforts to demonstrate the value of their work and warn against the potential disastrous consequences of funding cuts, impacting agriculture, coastal communities, and disaster warning systems.

(www.space.com)

Tech

Salmon's Amazing Adaptation: Thriving in Both Fresh and Salt Water

2025-05-31

Salmon face a remarkable physiological challenge: they mature in the ocean but spawn in freshwater streams. This means adapting to drastic environmental changes between saltwater and freshwater. To cope, salmon have evolved impressive physiological mechanisms. In saltwater, they drink copiously to replace lost water, their kidneys produce concentrated urine to excrete excess salt, and gill Na+-Cl- ATPases pump salt out of their bodies. In freshwater, they stop drinking, their kidneys produce large volumes of dilute urine, and the gill pumps reverse, absorbing salt from the water. This adaptation isn't instantaneous; salmon require days or weeks to transition between environments.

(www.unm.edu)

Tech Physiological Adaptation Osmoregulation Salmon

Fields and Their Trivial Ideals: An Elegant Proof

2025-05-31

This paper explores the algebraic concept of ideals in fields. A field possesses only two ideals: the zero ideal and the field itself, both termed trivial ideals. The paper elegantly demonstrates two key facts: first, any field has only trivial ideals; second, any commutative ring with distinct additive and multiplicative identities, possessing only trivial ideals, must be a field. The proof proceeds through definitions, examples, and a clear step-by-step derivation, showcasing the beauty and simplicity of the mathematical result.

(susam.net)

Development ideals

Rigorous: AI-Powered Scientific Manuscript Analysis – Now with Cloud Version!

2025-05-31

Rigorous: AI-Powered Scientific Manuscript Analysis – Now with Cloud Version!

Rigorous offers AI-powered scientific manuscript analysis. Its cloud version (https://www.rigorous.company/) lets you upload your manuscript, specify the target journal, and receive a comprehensive PDF report within 1-2 business days – currently free for testing. The tool features Agent1_Peer_Review for comprehensive analysis, detailed feedback, and a professional PDF report; and Agent2_Outlet_Fit (in development) for journal fit evaluation. Agent1_Peer_Review generates a visually appealing report with executive summaries, detailed analyses, and actionable recommendations.

(github.com)

Development Scientific Publishing

Back to 2007: A Retro Web Dev Adventure

2025-05-31

Back to 2007: A Retro Web Dev Adventure

Tired of the complexities of modern web development, a seasoned programmer decided to go back to basics. He built a simple ranking system using Sinatra, Sequel, and SQLite, rediscovering the joy of web development from 2007. No complex MVC frameworks, no massive databases, just lightweight code and fast responses. He cleverly leveraged the performance of modern hardware, achieving satisfying results with the simplest technology. This brought back the lost joy of programming and rekindled his passion for coding.

(github.com)

Development retro dev lightweight app

AI-Powered Turtle Artist in ROS Sim

2025-05-31

AI-Powered Turtle Artist in ROS Sim

turtlesim_agent is an AI agent that transforms the classic ROS turtlesim simulator into a creative canvas driven by natural language. Leveraging LangChain, it interprets text instructions and translates them into visual drawings, turning the simulated turtle into a digital artist. Users describe shapes or drawing intentions in plain English; the AI reasons through the instructions and executes them using turtlesim's motion commands. This project explores how large language models interact with external environments to exhibit creative behavior.

(github.com)

AI

AtomVM: A Lightweight Erlang VM for IoT

2025-05-31

AtomVM is a lightweight Erlang virtual machine (VM) for IoT devices. It's a subset implementation of the Bogdan Erlang Abstract Machine (BEAM), executing bytecode compiled from Erlang or Elixir. Optimized for microcontrollers, AtomVM supports a functional programming approach with an actor-based concurrency model, simplifying IoT application development. It boasts features like process spawning, monitoring, message passing, preemptive scheduling, and efficient garbage collection. AtomVM interfaces directly with peripherals (GPIO, I2C, SPI, UART) and even supports WiFi on compatible devices like the ESP32—all on hardware costing as little as $2!

(www.atomvm.net)

Development

Hugging Face Open-Sources Two Robots: HopeJR and Reachy Mini

2025-05-31

Hugging Face Open-Sources Two Robots: HopeJR and Reachy Mini

Hugging Face Inc. has open-sourced the designs of two internally developed robots, HopeJR and Reachy Mini. HopeJR is a humanoid robot capable of 66 movements, including walking, with robotic arms controlled by specialized gloves. Reachy Mini is a desk-sized, turtle-like robot with a retractable neck, ideal for testing AI applications. Blueprints for both are open-source, with pre-assembled versions selling for approximately $250 and $3,000 respectively. Shipping is expected by year's end.

(siliconangle.com)

AI

Implied Causality in Charts: A General Framework

2025-05-31

Implied Causality in Charts: A General Framework

This article expands on a previous post about implied causality in line charts, exploring how various chart types—bar charts, scatter plots, and maps—can misleadingly suggest causal relationships. The author highlights how simple comparisons, before-and-after contrasts, or spatial proximity can create a false sense of causality. Four key patterns of implied causality are identified: factor, event, covariation, and proximity. The article emphasizes the need for critical analysis of visualizations to avoid being misled by spurious correlations.

(filwd.substack.com)

Design

New WhatsApp Scam: Robot Voice Leads to Friend Request

2025-05-31

New WhatsApp Scam: Robot Voice Leads to Friend Request

A new WhatsApp scam involves robocalls leaving a number and immediately hanging up, prompting victims to add the number on WhatsApp. The scam leverages curiosity and a lack of caution towards unknown numbers. Despite the multiple steps involved, the sheer volume of calls might make it effective. The author questions the scam's efficiency and asks for comments from those who've found this approach successful.

(shkspr.mobi)

Misc

My Tiny Server vs. the AI Data Scraping Horde

2025-05-31

The author's personal website was hit with a massive data scraping attack, primarily from large tech companies like Amazon, Facebook, and OpenAI. Initially, resource consumption spiked, overwhelming the server. Using monitoring tools Zabbix and Loki, the author identified the problem and, by analyzing Nginx logs, pinpointed numerous malicious IPs and user agents. Ultimately, the author implemented a blacklist of user agents and IP address bans using Nginx configuration and Fail2Ban, effectively stopping the attack and restoring the website's functionality.

(lambdacreate.com)

Development server security

Classicide: The Deliberate Destruction of a Social Class

2025-05-31

Sociologist Michael Mann's concept of 'classicide' describes the deliberate and systematic destruction of a social class through persecution and violence. Unlike genocide, which targets a group based on ethnicity, classicide targets a group defined by its social status, and unlike politicide, it's not concerned with political activity. The article cites examples like the Soviet Union's dekulakization policy, the Cambodian genocide, and the persecution of landlords and wealthy peasants during China's land reform as instances of classicide. These are presented as perversions of socialist democratic theory, similar to how ethnic cleansing is a perversion of nationalist democratic theory.

(en.wikipedia.org)

Misc classicide

Dissecting the SDKs and APIs of Top Android Chat Apps

2025-05-31

This analysis dives into the third-party SDKs and API calls used by four major Android chat applications, including OpenAI and Anthropic's Claude. Leveraging publicly available data from AppGoblin, the author reveals prevalent use of Kotlin in development, along with a diverse range of business tools. These include Google Analytics, Statsig (product analytics), Segment (marketing analytics), Sentry (deployment analytics), and RevenueCat (in-app purchases). Notably, OpenAI and Grok utilize livekit.io for AI voice capabilities, while Perplexity integrates Mapbox maps and Shopify e-commerce functionality. API call analysis is also mentioned, although specific data isn't disclosed.

(jamesoclaire.com)

Development Android Development SDK Analysis API Calls

Energy Infrastructure Projects: A Shocking Truth About Massive Cost Overruns

2025-05-31

A new study from Boston University's Institute for Global Sustainability reveals that over 60% of energy infrastructure projects worldwide experience construction cost overruns. Analyzing $1.358 trillion invested in 662 projects across 83 countries between 1936 and 2024, the research encompassed diverse energy types, from wind and solar to nuclear and hydrogen. The study found that projects, on average, exceeded budgets by 40% and ran nearly two years behind schedule. Nuclear power plants were the worst offenders, with an average cost overrun of 102.5%, exceeding expectations by $1.56 billion. In contrast, solar and transmission projects performed best, often finishing ahead of schedule or under budget. Researchers suggest that smaller, modular renewable energy projects may offer lower financial risks and better budget predictability.

(www.bu.edu)

Tech

The Book of Secret Knowledge: A Curated Collection of Dev & Sec Tools

2025-05-31

The Book of Secret Knowledge: A Curated Collection of Dev & Sec Tools

This GitHub repository is a treasure trove of tools, scripts, cheat sheets, and resources used daily by the author. It's aimed at system and network administrators, DevOps engineers, penetration testers, and security researchers, offering a comprehensive collection of tools for everything from shell scripting and network analysis to security auditing and database management. The repository is constantly updated with new items.

(github.com)

Development tools

Webb Telescope Resolves Decades-Long Debate on Universe's Expansion Rate

2025-05-31

Webb Telescope Resolves Decades-Long Debate on Universe's Expansion Rate

A decade-long debate over the rate of the universe's expansion may be nearing its end. Scientists at the University of Chicago, using data from the James Webb Space Telescope, have performed a new calculation of the Hubble constant, finding agreement with early universe observations and supporting the Standard Model of cosmology. Webb's superior resolution and sensitivity allowed for more precise measurements of galactic distances, leading to a more accurate calculation of the expansion rate. This research provides compelling evidence towards resolving a long-standing cosmological puzzle, and opens new avenues for investigating dark matter and dark energy.

(phys.org)

Tech

The Perils of Pseudo-Randomness: Why You Need True Random Numbers for Security

2025-05-31

RFC 4086 details the critical need for true randomness in security systems. Relying on pseudo-random numbers leaves vulnerabilities exploitable by sophisticated attackers who can recreate the environment to easily crack them. The document highlights the pitfalls of using low-entropy sources or traditional pseudo-random number generation techniques, advocating for true hardware random techniques such as leveraging sound cards, hard disk drives, or ring oscillators. It also provides mitigation strategies when hardware solutions are unavailable and illustrates the required size of random numbers for various applications.

(datatracker.ietf.org)

Tech random numbers

Gradients Are the New Intervals: A Novel Approach to Efficiently Rendering Complex SDF Models

2025-05-31

This blog post explores a new method for efficiently rendering complex models based on signed distance fields (SDFs). Leveraging the Lipschitz property of SDFs, the approach uses single-point evaluation to obtain pseudo-interval results, combining it with traditional interval arithmetic techniques. This significantly improves performance by avoiding the conservatism of interval arithmetic and handling complex transformations more effectively. While additional normalization is needed for non-Lipschitz continuous distance fields, the overall efficiency surpasses traditional methods, opening new avenues for interactive visualization of complex models.

(www.mattkeeter.com)

Development

Mass-Production Ready: A 3D-Printed Soft Robot Walks Off the Printer

2025-05-31

Mass-Production Ready: A 3D-Printed Soft Robot Walks Off the Printer

Scientists at the University of Edinburgh have developed a mass-production-capable soft robot 3D-printed in a single, nine-hour process using a $500 open-source printer. The quadruped robot, made of flexible TPU, overcomes the challenges of 3D-printing this material by using a larger filament and an upside-down printing technique. Air-powered, this easily reproducible bot shows promise for applications in exploration, medicine, and search and rescue, paving the way for wider adoption of soft robotics.

(newatlas.com)

Tech soft robotics mass production

Google Duo to be fully discontinued in September 2025

2025-05-31

While the Google Duo brand disappeared in 2022, some features lingered in Google Meet. However, Google has announced the complete shutdown of all Duo features by September 2025. This includes 'Legacy calls' which utilized Duo technology. Users will need to transition to 'Meet calls', offering enhanced capabilities like screen sharing and live captions. Note that some beloved Duo features, such as Family Mode and Knock Knock, won't be carried over. Google urges users to export their call history and video messages before the deadline.

(9to5google.com)

Tech Video Calling

The Perils of Fast Math Compiler Flags

2025-05-31

This article delves into the potential dangers of the 'fast-math' compiler flag, a common optimization that can significantly speed up mathematical computations but at the cost of accuracy. The author details several pitfalls associated with flags like `-ffast-math` in GCC, including the removal of NaN and Inf checks, reassociation of floating-point operations, and the enabling of Flush-to-Zero (FTZ). These optimizations, while seemingly innocuous, can lead to subtle and difficult-to-debug errors. The article advocates for a cautious approach to using fast-math, suggesting thorough testing and selective application of specific optimizations. It concludes with a call for improved compiler and language features to provide safer, more granular control over these optimizations, moving away from the blunt instrument of a single compiler flag and towards more sophisticated mechanisms.

(simonbyrne.github.io)

Development floating point

AI's Energy Consumption: On Track to Surpass Bitcoin Mining?

2025-05-31

AI's Energy Consumption: On Track to Surpass Bitcoin Mining?

A new study warns that AI's energy consumption is rapidly escalating, projected to consume nearly half of global data center electricity by 2025, potentially surpassing even Bitcoin mining. The lack of transparency from major tech firms regarding AI's energy demands hinders accurate assessment. While efficiency improvements and a shift towards renewables are underway, these may not offset AI's exponential growth. The massive energy needs, resulting carbon emissions, and reliance on rare minerals pose a significant environmental challenge.

(www.digit.fyi)

Tech

Oldest Whale Bone Tools Found, Dating Back 20,000 Years

2025-05-31

Oldest Whale Bone Tools Found, Dating Back 20,000 Years

Scientists have unearthed the oldest known evidence of humans using whale bones to make tools, dating back approximately 20,000 years. Discovered in the Bay of Biscay near Spain and France, these narrow projectiles were crafted from the bones of blue whales, fin whales, sperm whales, and other species. Researchers believe ancient humans likely scavenged beached whales, repurposing their bones for hunting reindeer or bison, rather than actively hunting whales themselves. This discovery, published in Nature Communications, highlights the importance of coastal resources for early human survival and pushes back the timeline of whale bone tool use.

(apnews.com)

Tech paleolithic whale bone tools

AccessOwl Hiring: Senior Software Engineer (TypeScript, AI, Remote)

2025-05-31

AccessOwl Hiring: Senior Software Engineer (TypeScript, AI, Remote)

AccessOwl, a profitable Y Combinator-backed startup, seeks a Senior Software Engineer to build and maintain its SaaS tool management platform's integration layer. Ideal candidates are fluent in TypeScript and AI-native, experienced with Playwright or Puppeteer, familiar with IaC, and passionate about solving real-world problems. The role offers a competitive salary, fully remote work, and flexible hours.

(www.ycombinator.com)

Development

Rust for C++ Programmers: A Practical Guide

2025-05-31

This book serves as a practical guide for C++ programmers transitioning to Rust. It translates common C++ patterns into idiomatic Rust, using concrete code examples and discussing engineering trade-offs. The book is designed for both sequential and random-access reading, perfect for when you encounter a Rust problem and think, "I know how to do this in C++". Written by experts at Brown University's Cognitive Engineering Lab, it focuses on accuracy and detail, with no AI-generated content.

(cel.cs.brown.edu)

Development

Identifying Unmarked Cast Iron Cookware: A Collector's Guide

2025-05-31

This article delves into the identification of unmarked cast iron cookware, focusing on 20th-century pieces. Many unmarked pieces weren't necessarily makerless, but rather a result of marketing strategies or the practices of smaller foundries. The guide details the characteristics of unmarked cast iron from manufacturers like Birmingham Stove & Range Co., Chicago Hardware Foundry, Lodge Manufacturing Co., Griswold Manufacturing Co., Wagner Manufacturing Co., and Vollrath Manufacturing Co., providing valuable information for collectors. While tracing the origins of many 19th-century and older pieces is difficult, observing casting marks, handle designs, and lid features can provide clues. The article also highlights several enigmatic unmarked pans, adding to the intrigue.

(www.castironcollector.com)

Misc cast iron antique

Cerebras Shatters Inference Speed Record with Llama 4 Maverick 400B

2025-05-31

Cerebras Shatters Inference Speed Record with Llama 4 Maverick 400B

Cerebras Systems has achieved a groundbreaking inference speed of over 2,500 tokens per second (TPS) on Meta's Llama 4 Maverick 400B parameter model, more than doubling Nvidia's performance. This record-breaking speed, independently verified by Artificial Analysis, is crucial for AI applications like agents, code generation, and complex reasoning, significantly reducing latency and improving user experience. Unlike Nvidia's solution which relied on unavailable custom optimizations, Cerebras' performance is readily accessible via Meta's upcoming API, offering a superior solution for developers and enterprise AI users.

(www.cerebras.ai)

AI

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