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Study: Video Games May Boost Kids' IQ

2024-12-16

Study: Video Games May Boost Kids' IQ

A study of nearly 10,000 US children aged 9-10 revealed that kids who spent more time playing video games scored higher on IQ tests. Researchers controlled for genetics and socioeconomic background, finding that increased gaming correlated with better scores in reading comprehension, visual-spatial processing, and cognitive tasks, resulting in a 2.5-point IQ boost on average. While the study focused on US children and didn't differentiate game types, it offers valuable insights, challenging the long-held belief that gaming harms children. Further research is needed to establish causality and explore other contributing factors.

(www.sciencealert.com)

AI video games children's IQ cognitive abilities

Rust's Vec::drain: Leveraging Drop for Safety

2024-12-16

Rust's Vec::drain: Leveraging Drop for Safety

This article delves into Rust's Vec::drain method and its Drop implementation, showcasing how ownership prevents subtle bugs—memory-related and otherwise. Vec::drain optimizes performance by maintaining a mutable reference to the original vector and only reading/updating the original storage. The key lies in the Drain struct's Drop implementation, which uses a DropGuard to ensure that even if the iterator is dropped prematurely, remaining elements are safely moved back into the original vector, guaranteeing memory safety. The article thoroughly explains the implementation details of Drain and DropGuard, addressing special cases like zero-sized types and pointer provenance.

(v5.chriskrycho.com)

Development

Multiple Vulnerabilities in Qualcomm DSP Driver Raise Security Concerns

2024-12-16

Google's Project Zero team discovered six vulnerabilities in a Qualcomm DSP driver, one of which was exploited in the wild. Analysis of kernel panic logs provided by Amnesty International, without access to the exploit sample itself, revealed the flaws. A code review uncovered multiple memory corruption vulnerabilities, including use-after-free and refcount leaks. The attacker likely leveraged these vulnerabilities with inotify_event_info object heap spraying to achieve code execution. This highlights the critical need for improved security in Android's third-party drivers.

(googleprojectzero.blogspot.com)

Tech Qualcomm DSP driver vulnerabilities

GNU Make's New --shuffle Mode: Uncovering Hidden Bugs in Parallel Builds

2024-12-16

For eleven years, elusive bugs plagued parallel builds in GNU Make. Inspired by this, a new `--shuffle` mode was developed to randomly reorder Makefile targets, simulating non-deterministic build order. This effectively revealed hidden bugs in over 30 packages, including gcc, vim, and ghc. Now part of GNU Make 4.4, this mode is accessible via `make --shuffle` or the `GNUMAKEFLAGS=--shuffle` environment variable. This powerful feature helps developers identify and resolve parallel build issues, highlighting the continuous improvement of software development tools.

(trofi.github.io)

Development parallel build bug fixing

Google's New Load Balancer, PReQuaL: Beyond CPU Load Balancing

2024-12-16

Google Research presented PReQuaL (Probing to Reduce Queuing and Latency), a novel load balancer, at NSDI 2024. Unlike traditional CPU load balancing, PReQuaL actively probes server latency and active requests to select servers, dramatically reducing tail latency, error rates, and resource consumption in systems like YouTube. Deployed in YouTube for over a year, PReQuaL has significantly improved system utilization. This innovative approach challenges conventional wisdom and offers a new paradigm for high-performance distributed systems.

(www.usenix.org)

Development load balancing

Popeye, Tintin, and Literary Classics Enter the Public Domain

2024-12-16

Popeye, Tintin, and Literary Classics Enter the Public Domain

In 2025, iconic comic characters Popeye and Tintin, along with numerous novels by literary giants like Faulkner and Hemingway, will enter the US public domain. This means these works can be freely used and adapted without permission or payment to copyright holders. The list includes Faulkner's 'The Sound and the Fury' and Hemingway's 'A Farewell to Arms,' among others whose copyrights expired after 95 years. Early Mickey Mouse cartoons also join the public domain, including those where Mickey speaks for the first time. This expansion of public domain works offers creators a wealth of material and invigorates cultural preservation.

(apnews.com)

Misc public domain cultural heritage

Open-Source Tool me_cleaner: Streamlines Intel ME Firmware for Enhanced Privacy

2024-12-16

Open-Source Tool me_cleaner: Streamlines Intel ME Firmware for Enhanced Privacy

me_cleaner is an open-source Python script designed to partially deblob Intel Management Engine (ME) firmware, reducing its ability to interact with the system and improving user privacy and security. Intel ME firmware, integrated into all Intel motherboards since 2006, has access to system memory and network, making it difficult to disable or replace. me_cleaner modifies the ME firmware to be inactive during normal operation, activating only during boot, effectively mitigating potential security risks. The tool supports various Intel platforms, but obtaining and flashing the modified firmware requires an external SPI programmer. Results vary depending on the ME firmware version, but generally significantly reduce firmware size, potentially causing minor inconveniences like longer boot times or warning messages.

(github.com)

Tech Intel ME Firmware reduction Privacy Security

Nokia 5110 Resurrection: Bringing a 2G Legend into the 4G Era

2024-12-16

Nokia 5110 Resurrection: Bringing a 2G Legend into the 4G Era

The author fondly remembers their childhood Nokia 5110 and embarks on a project to transform it into a 4G phone. The plan centers around replacing the original 2G module with a SIM7600SA 4G module. Surprisingly, the 5110's simple design makes the conversion easier than anticipated; the original buttons, display, and interfaces can be reused. The author details their progress and plans to share the new circuit board design in a subsequent post, breathing new life into this classic phone.

(opsbros.com)

Hardware Nokia 5110 4G upgrade retro phone

IBM Breakthrough: Beyond Copper Interconnects for Future CMOS Nodes

2024-12-16

IBM Breakthrough: Beyond Copper Interconnects for Future CMOS Nodes

IBM researchers presented two papers at the 2024 IEDM conference on back-end-of-line (BEOL) interconnect technology, showcasing advancements in advanced interconnect solutions. The first paper explored improvements and future directions for copper interconnect technology, while the second (co-authored with Samsung) introduced a post-copper alternative utilizing an advanced low-k dielectric (ALK) material and rhodium (Rh). This new technology significantly enhances performance and reliability, reducing resistance and capacitance, and addressing reliability challenges faced by traditional copper interconnects at 24nm and below. This research paves the way for future CMOS node chip manufacturing and provides crucial support for the continued development of high-performance, low-power logic integrated circuits.

(research.ibm.com)

Hardware chip interconnect back-end interconnect

UK Tech Firms Face New Online Safety Regulations

2024-12-16

UK Tech Firms Face New Online Safety Regulations

The UK's Online Safety Act has come into force, placing new safety responsibilities on tech companies. Ofcom has published its first codes of practice and guidance, requiring firms to assess and mitigate the risks of illegal content on their platforms, such as terrorism, hate speech, and child sexual abuse. New rules mandate enhanced content moderation, improved reporting mechanisms, and measures to protect children from sexual exploitation, including default settings to hide children's personal information. Ofcom will closely monitor tech companies' actions and impose strict penalties for non-compliance.

(www.ofcom.org.uk)

Tech online safety UK tech companies

Cultivated Meat: From a $330,000 Burger to the Future of Food

2024-12-16

Cultivated Meat: From a $330,000 Burger to the Future of Food

From Winston Churchill's 1931 prediction to the world's first lab-grown burger in 2013, the cultivated meat industry has overcome challenges to become a booming sector. The initial high cost (the first burger cost $330,000) fueled innovation, leading to over 100 companies worldwide investing a total of $2.6 billion. Technological advancements have reduced costs, such as serum-free growth media, and increased efficiency with innovations like PluriMatrix. Regulatory approvals in countries like the US and Singapore are paving the way for wider adoption, though mainstream acceptance is projected to take 20-30 years.

(www.synbiobeta.com)

Tech cultivated meat cell-based meat food technology

Sweden Blames Germany's Nuclear Phase-Out for Soaring Energy Prices

2024-12-16

Sweden Blames Germany's Nuclear Phase-Out for Soaring Energy Prices

Sweden's Energy Minister Ebba Busch has blamed Germany's decision to phase out nuclear power for the country's soaring energy prices, announcing that the government is considering new measures to tackle the crisis. Busch expressed anger at Germany's actions, stating they have had serious consequences for Sweden and the EU. The rising prices, exacerbated by regional disparities and a spike in southern Sweden, are prompting the government to explore ways to support households and businesses. Despite the pressure, Sweden doesn't appear to be considering leaving the EU energy market, instead focusing on issues with the EU's Flow-Based Market Coupling system as a contributing factor.

(www.euractiv.com)

Tech energy crisis nuclear phase-out Sweden energy policy

UK Watchdog to Issue New Guidance on Smart Device Data Privacy

2024-12-16

UK Watchdog to Issue New Guidance on Smart Device Data Privacy

The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) will issue new guidance addressing data privacy concerns surrounding smart home devices. A Which? report revealed that some air fryers and other smart devices sent user data to servers in China. The ICO stated that consumers feel overwhelmed by the amount of data collected and lack control over its use. New guidelines, launching Spring 2025, will cover consent procedures, privacy information provision, and tools enabling users to exercise their rights.

(news.sky.com)

Tech data privacy information security

Canada's First Pirate Site Blocking Order Expires

2024-12-16

Canada's first pirate site blocking order, targeting the IPTV service GoldTV, quietly expired this week. Rightsholders Bell and Rogers chose not to seek an extension, despite many targeted domains remaining online. The decision likely reflects cost considerations and shifting priorities. Initially approved in 2018 and upheld against appeals in 2021, the order had a significant impact on piracy. However, the rightsholders have now shifted focus to broader, more dynamic blocking efforts targeting live sports streams and other platforms.

(torrentfreak.com)

Tech piracy site blocking

Negotiating with Infringers: A Better Option for Creative Professionals

2024-12-16

Negotiating with Infringers: A Better Option for Creative Professionals

When a creative professional's copyright is infringed, litigation isn't the only option. This article's author, a lawyer, suggests considering negotiation with the infringer. Negotiation is quicker and cheaper than litigation and may yield benefits beyond monetary compensation, such as promotion and collaboration opportunities. The author points out that most infringements are not malicious but due to negligence. Through negotiation, adversaries can be transformed into collaborators, leading to long-term success. Of course, if negotiations fail, litigation remains a last resort.

(www.thelegalartist.com)

Startup intellectual property copyright infringement negotiation

A Software Engineer's CAD and 3D Printing Journey: An Overengineered Webcam Raiser

2024-12-16

A seasoned software engineer, tired of the virtual world of coding, yearned to create in the real world. He acquired a Bambu Lab X1C 3D printer and quickly mastered 3D printing. He then started learning Fusion 360 CAD software, surprisingly finding its constraint concepts similar to iOS UI constraints, and parametric CAD design echoing functional programming. His first project: an overengineered webcam raiser to solve the issue of the webcam obstructing his screen. This project not only provided him with the joy of 3D printing and CAD design but also a deep understanding of the manufacturing, material, and other details that need to be considered during the design phase.

(fangpenlin.com)

Development 3D printing CAD design Software engineering

The Cyclic Identity for Partial Derivatives: Unraveling the Mystery of -1

2024-12-16

$The Cyclic Identity for Partial Derivatives: Unraveling the Mystery of -1$

This article explores the cyclic identity for partial derivatives: ∂z/∂x * ∂x/∂y * ∂y/∂z = -1, rather than the intuitive 1. Through examples and various proof methods, including differential forms and geometric interpretations, the article reveals the mathematical principles behind this seemingly counterintuitive identity. The author also discusses its applications in physics and offers intuitive explanations.

(johncarlosbaez.wordpress.com)

Misc partial derivatives differential forms mathematical physics

Adélie Linux 1.0-BETA6 Released: Enhanced Compatibility and Richer Features

2024-12-16

Adélie Linux 1.0-BETA6 Released: Enhanced Compatibility and Richer Features

Adélie Linux has released its 1.0-BETA6, supporting 32-bit and 64-bit ARM, POWER, and x86 architectures, spanning smartphones, game consoles, and supercomputers. This release boasts over 35 new packages, updates to GCC 13, LLVM 18, Rust 1.80, and Linux kernel 6.6 LTS, along with improved GRUB and Wayland support. Numerous bugs have been squashed, and the user experience has been enhanced. While some known issues remain, the Adélie team is actively working on solutions and welcomes bug reports and feedback.

(blog.adelielinux.org)

Development Linux distribution

Astonishing Patterns of Prime Numbers in Polar Coordinates

2024-12-16

This article explores the phenomenon of prime numbers plotted on polar coordinates exhibiting spiral or linear patterns. The author uses Python code, employing SymPy to generate prime numbers and Matplotlib for visualization. Results show that as the number of primes increases, the pattern transitions from spirals to straight lines. This isn't unique to primes; it's related to rational approximations of $2pi$. The article explains the underlying mathematics and explores the connection between prime distribution and pattern sparsity.

(jaketae.github.io)

Misc polar coordinates

Revolutionary WM12 Energy Recovery Ventilator: Fresh Air Year-Round

2024-12-16

Revolutionary WM12 Energy Recovery Ventilator: Fresh Air Year-Round

The WM12 is an innovative decentralized energy recovery ventilator (ERV) designed for window installation. Combining two TW4 modules in a durable polypropylene foam casing, it efficiently exchanges indoor and outdoor air while recovering approximately 90% of heat energy. This ensures fresh air without significant heating or cooling costs. Boasting a quiet operation, extremely long lifespan (>50 years), and compatibility with smart home systems, the WM12 offers superior energy efficiency and environmental benefits. Currently in beta, interested users can contact the company via email for more information.

(www.openerv.ca)

Hardware energy recovery ventilator energy efficiency smart home

Cyphernetes: Automating Cloud-Native Kubernetes Cluster Management

2024-12-16

Cyphernetes is a project that automates the management of cloud-native Kubernetes clusters. It significantly reduces operational complexity by simplifying deployment, upgrades, and management processes. Imagine effortlessly scaling your cluster to handle surges in traffic, automatically repairing failures, and ensuring service stability—all without manual intervention. Cyphernetes acts like an expert Kubernetes cluster administrator, safeguarding your applications 24/7, allowing you to focus on innovation.

(cyphernet.es)

Development Automated Operations

Nottingham Scientists Discover New Type of Magnetism with Potential to Revolutionize Digital Devices

2024-12-16

Researchers at the University of Nottingham have discovered a new class of magnetism called 'altermagnetism,' where magnetic building blocks align antiparallel but with a rotated structure. Published in Nature, this finding could revolutionize digital devices. Altermagnets promise a thousand-fold increase in the speed of microelectronic components and digital memory, while offering improved robustness and energy efficiency, and reducing reliance on rare and toxic heavy elements. The team used X-ray imaging at the MAX IV facility in Sweden to confirm the existence and controllability of this new magnetic order.

(www.nottingham.ac.uk)

Tech new magnetism digital devices microelectronics

Wikipedia's Fundraising: A Closer Look at the Millions

2024-12-16

Wikipedia's Fundraising: A Closer Look at the Millions

Wikipedia, known for its free information, conducts aggressive fundraising campaigns. This article reveals the Wikimedia Foundation has amassed hundreds of millions of dollars, far exceeding the site's operational needs. The vast sums aren't used to compensate volunteer editors but instead fund a large staff (550 employees) and high executive salaries, leading to discontent among volunteers. The article urges readers to reconsider donating, questioning the efficiency and transparency of funds and highlighting potential political biases.

(unherd.com)

Misc fundraising financial transparency

Adult Basic Skills Test Scores Decline Sparks Concern

2024-12-16

Adult Basic Skills Test Scores Decline Sparks Concern

An international test of adults' "basic skills" reveals a growing number of Americans struggling with moderately complex reading and math tasks. U.S. adults scored below the OECD average in literacy and numeracy, with scores declining since 2017. While a correlation with declining children's test scores exists, the connection isn't straightforward. The largest score drops were among older adults, suggesting the issue extends beyond the education system. The test itself may be flawed, potentially measuring complex text comprehension more than pure reasoning. The article suggests education can bridge the gap by improving knowledge reserves and understanding of complex syntax, better preparing individuals for such tests.

(nataliewexler.substack.com)

Misc adult education basic skills test

PLATO: How a 1960s Educational Computer System Shaped the Future

2024-12-16

PLATO: How a 1960s Educational Computer System Shaped the Future

PLATO, a groundbreaking educational computer system from the 1960s, significantly impacted the development of modern computing. Preceding its time, it pioneered features like forums, instant messaging, and multiplayer games. Its innovative gas plasma display, the TUTOR authoring language, and its advanced networking capabilities for simultaneous users were revolutionary. While PLATO's home market success was limited, its influence on graphic displays, networking, and user interfaces remains undeniable. Its legacy continues through emulators and modern reimaginings, preserving a piece of computing history and its vision for the future of education and interactive technology.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech Educational Technology

Dillo Browser: 25 Years of History, a Resurrection Story

2024-12-16

The Dillo web browser, born in 1999, has weathered 25 years of development. It has stalled several times but persevered. Initially led by Jorge Arellano Cid, it went through major GTK and FLTK phases, with key developers changing hands and the project experiencing ups and downs. In 2024, Rodrigo Arias Mallo took over, and with community help, released version 3.1.1, bringing this veteran browser back into the spotlight. Dillo's story exemplifies the spirit of open source and is a legendary tale of technological legacy and innovation.

(dillo-browser.github.io)

Development open-source browser

Microsoft Unveils Phi-4: A Small Language Model Excelling in Complex Reasoning

2024-12-15

Microsoft Unveils Phi-4: A Small Language Model Excelling in Complex Reasoning

Microsoft has introduced Phi-4, a new 14-billion parameter small language model (SLM) that outperforms larger models in complex reasoning tasks, particularly in mathematics, surpassing even Gemini Pro 1.5 on math competition problems. This achievement is attributed to high-quality synthetic and organic datasets and post-training innovations. Currently available on Azure AI Foundry under an MSRLA, Phi-4 will launch on Hugging Face next week. Microsoft emphasizes its commitment to responsible AI development, integrating robust safety features into Phi-4's design and deployment.

(techcommunity.microsoft.com)

AI small language model complex reasoning

Best-of-N Jailbreaking: A Novel Attack on AI Systems

2024-12-15

Researchers have developed a new AI attack algorithm called Best-of-N (BoN) Jailbreaking. This black-box algorithm repeatedly modifies prompts—randomly shuffling or capitalizing text, for example—until it elicits a harmful response from the AI system. BoN achieved impressively high attack success rates (ASRs) on closed-source language models like GPT-4o (89%) and Claude 3.5 Sonnet (78%), effectively circumventing existing defenses. Furthermore, BoN seamlessly extends to vision and audio language models, highlighting the vulnerability of even advanced AI systems to seemingly innocuous input variations. This research underscores significant security concerns in the field of AI.

(arxiv.org)

AI AI security AI attack Best-of-N Jailbreaking

Conquering iPhone NFC Compatibility: Reviving Magic MIFARE Tags

2024-12-15

The author encountered a tricky NFC issue: some Magic MIFARE cards couldn't be read by iPhones. Using a Proxmark3 tool, they tried wiping card data and formatting with ndefformat, but the iPhone still refused to recognize them. Finally, after writing data using the iPhone's NFC Tools app in "compatibility mode", the iPhone successfully read the card. The author also demonstrates how to use the ndeflib library to create and write NDEF records, ultimately enabling the Magic MIFARE card to work on iPhones.

(ewpratten.com)

Misc

RAM Data Remanence Times: Significant Differences Between DDR4 and DDR5

2024-12-15

3mdeb conducted research testing data remanence times in different RAM types (DDR4 and DDR5). Results showed DDR5 data vanishes almost instantly after power loss, while DDR4 data persists for significantly longer, up to two minutes. This highlights critical differences in data security between RAM types. A custom UEFI application was used, writing and comparing memory patterns while accounting for temperature and humidity. This research is significant for understanding memory data security and designing more secure systems.

(blog.3mdeb.com)

Hardware RAM data remanence

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