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NYC Real Estate Boom: Manhattan Dominates Luxury Market

2025-04-30

NYC Real Estate Boom: Manhattan Dominates Luxury Market

NYC's median home sale price jumped 10% year-over-year in Q1 2025, reaching $768,000. Manhattan claimed the top five priciest neighborhoods, with Hudson Yards leading at a staggering $5.355 million median sale price. Brooklyn and Queens also saw significant increases, with multiple neighborhoods in the city's top 50 most expensive areas. However, these increases paled in comparison to Manhattan's surge. The Bronx saw the smallest increase, with no neighborhoods making the top 50. The report highlights the impact of increased transactions and higher-priced homes driving up prices in certain areas, showcasing a dynamic and stratified NYC real estate market.

(qns.com)

Misc NYC real estate price surge Manhattan

CVE-2025-21756: Exploiting a Linux Kernel Vulnerability via vsock

2025-04-30

A researcher discovered a simple Linux kernel vulnerability, CVE-2025-21756, in a KernelCTF submission, allowing privilege escalation via vsock. The exploit centers on a Use After Free (UAF) issue, fixed with only a few lines of code. The researcher analyzed the patch, identified the vulnerability, and attempted a cross-cache attack. However, AppArmor prevented direct exploitation. They cleverly used vsock_diag_dump as a side channel to bypass kASLR and leak kernel addresses. Finally, a carefully crafted ROP chain was used to call `commit_creds` and gain root privileges. The journey was challenging, providing valuable kernel security knowledge.

(hoefler.dev)

Development

Boox Mira Pro Color: An E Ink Desktop Monitor That's Easy on the Eyes (But Expensive)

2025-04-30

Boox Mira Pro Color: An E Ink Desktop Monitor That's Easy on the Eyes (But Expensive)

Boox has unveiled the Mira Pro Color, its first desktop monitor with a color E Ink screen. Building on the 2023 black-and-white model, it uses the same color E Ink technology found in Kindles. While E Ink is known for being easy on the eyes, large color panels are pricey; the 25.3-inch Mira Pro Color costs $1,899.99, with potential import tariffs adding to the cost. While its refresh rate can't match LCDs or OLEDs, Boox offers four display modes balancing quality and speed for tasks like video playback. Ideal for text editing, writing, or spreadsheets in bright environments, it's not suited for gamers or video editors.

(www.theverge.com)

Hardware E Ink display

Mechanical NAND Gate: A Breakthrough in Molecular Mechanical Computing

2025-04-30

This paper presents an ingenious method for constructing a NAND gate using mechanical forces. By controlling the truth values of inputs A and B, 'pushers' are guided through a series of locked pathways. Only when A and B satisfy the NAND gate logic does the clock signal pass, thus performing the logical operation. This physics-based computation opens new possibilities in molecular mechanical computing and provides new avenues for further research. A 20-minute overview video by one of the authors is also available for those wanting to learn more.

(tennysontbardwell.com)

Tech molecular mechanical computing NAND gate

Microsoft's AI Code Generation: 20-30% of Code is Now AI-Written

2025-04-30

Microsoft's AI Code Generation: 20-30% of Code is Now AI-Written

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella revealed at Meta's LlamaCon that 20-30% of the code in Microsoft's repositories is AI-generated. This figure aligns with Google's CEO's recent statement of over 30% AI-generated code. However, Microsoft's success varies across programming languages, with Python showing more progress than C++. Microsoft's CTO previously predicted 95% AI-generated code by 2030. While the exact measurement methods remain unclear, these figures highlight the significant potential of AI in software development.

(techcrunch.com)

Tech

NotebookLM Now Offers Multilingual Audio Summaries

2025-04-30

NotebookLM Now Offers Multilingual Audio Summaries

NotebookLM has updated its audio summarization feature, allowing users to select their preferred output language. Whether you upload a Portuguese documentary, a Spanish research paper, or an English study report, the system can generate an audio summary in your chosen language, facilitating the creation of multilingual content or learning materials. For instance, a teacher can share resources about the Amazon rainforest in various languages, and students can upload these and generate audio summaries in their native language, breaking down language barriers and making information more accessible.

(blog.google)

Development audio summarization

Google CEO Testifies: Data Sharing Proposal Would Be a 'De Facto' Breakup of Search

2025-04-30

Google CEO Testifies: Data Sharing Proposal Would Be a 'De Facto' Breakup of Search

Google CEO Sundar Pichai testified in an antitrust trial that the Department of Justice's proposal to share search data with rivals would be a “de facto” divestiture of the company’s search engine. Pichai argued that sharing data and ranking algorithms would allow competitors to reverse-engineer Google's technology, harming its R&D. The DOJ wants Google to divest Chrome, license search data, stop paying for exclusive placements, and extend the ban to AI products like Gemini. Google counters that this would harm consumers, the economy, and US tech leadership. This marks Pichai's third antitrust trial testimony in recent years, highlighting the intense antitrust scrutiny Google faces.

(www.moneycontrol.com)

Tech Pichai

ART: Minimal Code Changes, Maximal LLM Performance Gains via RL

2025-04-30

ART: Minimal Code Changes, Maximal LLM Performance Gains via RL

Agent Reinforcement Trainer (ART) is an open-source reinforcement learning library designed to boost Large Language Model (LLM) performance in agent workflows. Leveraging the powerful GRPO algorithm, ART trains models from their own experiences. Unlike most RL libraries, ART integrates seamlessly into existing codebases, offloading the complexity of the RL training loop to its backend. ART consists of a client (for interacting with your code) and a server (handling inference and training). The training loop involves inference (gathering data and assigning rewards) and training (using GRPO to train the model and update LoRAs). ART supports most vLLM/HuggingFace Transformers compatible causal language models. Currently in alpha, ART welcomes contributions.

(github.com)

Development

DeepSeek-Prover-V2: Revolutionizing Formal Mathematical Reasoning with Reinforcement Learning

2025-04-30

DeepSeek-Prover-V2: Revolutionizing Formal Mathematical Reasoning with Reinforcement Learning

DeepSeek-Prover-V2 is an open-source large language model designed for formal theorem proving in Lean 4. It leverages a recursive theorem proving pipeline powered by DeepSeek-V3 and reinforcement learning to integrate both informal and formal mathematical reasoning. The model starts by decomposing complex problems into subgoals using DeepSeek-V3, synthesizing proofs of these subgoals to create initial data for reinforcement learning. DeepSeek-Prover-V2-671B achieves state-of-the-art performance, reaching an 88.9% pass ratio on MiniF2F-test and solving 49 problems from PutnamBench. A new benchmark dataset, ProverBench, containing 325 formalized problems from high school competitions and textbooks, is also introduced.

(github.com)

AI Theorem Proving theorem proving

YouTube's Homepage: From 30 Videos to Near-Zero

2025-04-30

Comparing YouTube's homepage in 2019 to the current version, the author notes a drastic increase in ads and a significant decrease in visible videos. While 30 videos were previously displayed, now only five are shown, with a massive ad taking up a sixth of the page. The author predicts that by May 2026, only one video will remain, and by September, there will be none. They lament YouTube's prioritization of profit over user experience, humorously suggesting that future ads might be directly injected into our brains via Neuralink.

(jayd.ml)

Misc

Wikipedia: AI as a Tool, Not a Replacement

2025-04-30

Wikipedia: AI as a Tool, Not a Replacement

Facing the rise of AI, Wikipedia announced its AI strategy: not to replace human editors, but to empower them. This includes automating tedious tasks, improving information discoverability, simplifying translation and adaptation of content, and enhancing onboarding for new volunteers. Wikipedia emphasizes a human-centered approach, prioritizing open-source, transparency, and multilingualism, ensuring AI serves its mission of freely accessible knowledge.

(wikimediafoundation.org)

Tech

Sun Microsystems Employee #8: A Founding Story

2025-04-30

Sun Microsystems Employee #8: A Founding Story

This article recounts the author's experience joining Sun Microsystems, a tiny startup, 40 years ago. The author's journey from Amdahl, driven by interest in UNIX and the Motorola 68000, led to encounters with Sun's founding team. His background in UNIX and workstations, combined with his brothers' connections at Xerox, secured his position as an early core member. He contributed to the development of the Sun-1 and porting BSD UNIX, witnessing Sun's meteoric rise.

(akapugs.blog)

Startup

EA Cuts Hundreds of Jobs, Cancels Titanfall Game

2025-04-30

EA Cuts Hundreds of Jobs, Cancels Titanfall Game

Electronic Arts (EA) is laying off 300 to 400 employees, including about 100 at its Respawn Entertainment subsidiary, and canceling a new Titanfall game codenamed R7. The cuts are part of a strategic realignment to improve resource allocation and drive future growth. R7, an extraction shooter set in the Titanfall universe, was in early development. This follows EA's earlier reduction of its fiscal year bookings estimate after the underperformance of EA Sports FC 25 and layoffs at BioWare after the disappointing sales of Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

(finance.yahoo.com)

Game

AI-First? Tech CEOs' Groupthink and the Illusion of Productivity

2025-04-30

AI-First? Tech CEOs' Groupthink and the Illusion of Productivity

A recent trend among tech CEOs is the demand for an "AI-first" approach to work, mandating the use of AI tools across the board. The author challenges this, arguing that forcing AI adoption on employees already proficient in their tasks may hinder productivity. Using personal anecdotes, the author illustrates how AI is best suited to assist those lacking specific skills, not replace experts. The author suggests this "AI-first" push is more of a performative act among tech leaders, a way to signal belonging to a particular group, rather than a genuine productivity enhancer. A more effective approach, argues the author, would involve employee choice and a focus on the actual utility of AI tools.

(www.anildash.com)

Tech AI adoption

Lebanon's Forgotten Cold War Space Race

2025-04-30

Lebanon's Forgotten Cold War Space Race

During the Cold War, Lebanon, a small nation, defied expectations by launching rockets into low Earth orbit under the leadership of Manoug Manougian and his Lebanese Rocket Society. Operating with minimal resources and ingenuity, they achieved remarkable feats, only to be ultimately thwarted by geopolitical tensions, fears of militarization, and international pressure. Their story highlights the power of vision and determination in overcoming resource constraints and achieving seemingly impossible goals, a testament to human ingenuity in the face of adversity.

(kasurian.com)

Tech Space Race Lebanon

Slashing R&D Funding: A Macroeconomic Disaster

2025-04-30

A new analysis reveals the devastating long-term economic consequences of cutting federal funding for scientific R&D. Reducing public R&D spending by 25% would shrink GDP comparably to the Great Recession. Halving it would impoverish the average American by roughly $10,000 (in today's dollars). Furthermore, such cuts would significantly reduce federal revenue; a 25% reduction leading to a 4.3% annual decrease, and a 50% cut resulting in an 8.6% annual decline. Agencies like NIH and NSF, crucial for funding basic and applied research, face funding freezes and downsizing, highlighting the urgent need to address this issue.

(impa.american.edu)

Tech R&D funding

BSSG: A Decade-Long Bash Static Site Generator Goes Open Source

2025-04-30

BSSG: A Decade-Long Bash Static Site Generator Goes Open Source

The author, a long-time website owner since the late 90s, journeyed through various website creation methods—from hand-coding HTML to using WYSIWYG editors and dynamic CMS like WordPress. Frustrated by the constant security updates and maintenance of dynamic CMS, they embraced static site generators. After experimenting with bashblog, Pelican, and Nikola (for which they even created a Docker container), they developed their own Bash Static Site Generator (BSSG) in 2015. Over time, BSSG evolved, incorporating features like theming, archiving, and tagging. Its strengths lie in its lightweight nature, portability, high performance, high accessibility scores, Markdown support, and a variety of themes. While acknowledging imperfections in the code, the author releases BSSG open-source, hoping it benefits those seeking a low-maintenance alternative to dynamic CMS.

(it-notes.dragas.net)

Development

Raven: OCaml's New Machine Learning Ecosystem

2025-04-30

Raven: OCaml's New Machine Learning Ecosystem

Raven is a comprehensive ecosystem bringing machine learning and data science to OCaml. It offers libraries mirroring popular Python tools like NumPy (with Ndarray), Jupyter (with Quill), and JAX (with Rune), aiming for Python-like ease of use while leveraging OCaml's type safety and performance. Currently in pre-alpha, Raven boasts a growing suite of tools for numerical computation, visualization (Hugin), and more, promising a compelling alternative for data scientists seeking a safer, faster language.

(github.com)

Development

The Art of Saying No: A Lightweight API for Graceful Rejections

2025-04-30

The Art of Saying No: A Lightweight API for Graceful Rejections

Tired of struggling to politely decline requests? This lightweight API, "No as a Service," offers thousands of creative and humorous rejection reasons for any situation. Easy to integrate into apps, bots, landing pages, and more, it even helps craft witty rejection letters. The open-source code is simple to run, making it a fun and efficient tool for saying "no" with style.

(github.com)

Development Rejection Reasons Lightweight

English Hedgerows: A Shifting Landscape Mirrored in Sporting Art

2025-04-30

English Hedgerows: A Shifting Landscape Mirrored in Sporting Art

This article uses sporting art as a lens to explore the history of English hedgerows and their connection to socio-economic changes. Paintings from different eras reveal a fluctuating landscape: thriving hedgerows in prosperous periods contrasted with sparse, neglected ones during economic downturns. The post-WWII eradication of hedgerows for agricultural efficiency is highlighted, challenging the common perception of a perpetually biodiverse pre-1945 countryside. The article argues that the English landscape is dynamic, its appearance shaped by governmental policies, not solely by natural processes.

(engelsbergideas.com)

Misc English countryside agriculture

Autistic Poets Defy Stereotypes: A Response to Kennedy's Claims

2025-04-30

Autistic Poets Defy Stereotypes: A Response to Kennedy's Claims

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s recent declaration of autism as a national epidemic and his disparaging remarks about autistic individuals' potential have sparked widespread outrage. His claims, suggesting many autistic people will never contribute to society, directly contradict the reality of numerous talented autistic poets and writers. The article highlights the significant body of work created by autistic poets, showcasing their unique perspectives and artistic contributions. It emphasizes the compatibility between poetic structures and autistic ways of thinking, ultimately refuting Kennedy's harmful stereotypes and celebrating the rich creativity within the autistic community.

(theconversation.com)

Misc neurodiversity

Chemours Seeks to Seal 20,000+ Documents; Environmental Groups Fight Back

2025-04-30

Chemours Seeks to Seal 20,000+ Documents; Environmental Groups Fight Back

Chemours and its predecessor, DuPont, are attempting to seal nearly 20,000 documents related to their release of PFAS chemicals into the Cape Fear River in North Carolina. Environmental groups, represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), are intervening, arguing the documents are crucial for understanding the health and property impacts on local communities and future generations. While Chemours claims the documents contain trade secrets, the SELC counters that the company has already publicized much of this information in marketing campaigns. A public petition demanding transparency has garnered thousands of signatures, highlighting the widespread concern over this attempt at secrecy.

(www.thenewlede.org)

Tech

NIST-F4: A Clock More Accurate Than the Age of Dinosaurs

2025-04-30

NIST-F4: A Clock More Accurate Than the Age of Dinosaurs

NIST's new cesium fountain clock, NIST-F4, is one of the world's most accurate timekeepers. If it had been running since the dinosaurs roamed the Earth, it would be off by less than a second today. This breakthrough in atomic clock technology will help calibrate official US time and contribute to the global Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), ensuring accuracy in critical systems like finance, telecommunications, and transportation. The achievement solidifies NIST's leading role in precision timekeeping.

(www.nist.gov)

Tech time measurement

The Science of Wilderness Management: Balancing Preservation and Access

2025-04-30

The Science of Wilderness Management: Balancing Preservation and Access

Colorado's Crestone Needle, once deemed unclimbable, now draws thousands of hikers annually. The resulting environmental pressure has forced land managers to seek a balance between preservation and sustainable access. Traditional visitor caps are giving way to more scientific, evidence-based approaches. Researchers use surveys, interviews, and drone technology to analyze policy impacts on ecosystems and visitors, exploring how behavioral changes, rather than strict limitations, can minimize environmental impact. This behavior-focused strategy, combined with community engagement and data-driven methods, aims for a harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, ensuring more people can enjoy outdoor recreation while protecting fragile environments.

(undark.org)

Tech Wilderness Management Sustainable Recreation Behavioral Interventions

MiMo-7B: 7B Parameter Reasoning LLM Outperforms 32B Models

2025-04-30

MiMo-7B: 7B Parameter Reasoning LLM Outperforms 32B Models

Xiaomi introduces MiMo-7B, a 7-billion parameter language model designed for reasoning. Through optimized pre-training data and strategies, along with innovative reinforcement learning techniques, MiMo-7B demonstrates exceptional performance on math and code reasoning tasks, surpassing even larger 32B parameter models. The open-sourced model includes checkpoints for the base model, SFT model, and RL-trained models, offering valuable resources for developing powerful reasoning LLMs.

(github.com)

AI reasoning capabilities

Firefly's Alpha Rocket Mission Fails

2025-04-30

Firefly's Alpha Rocket Mission Fails

Firefly Aerospace's sixth Alpha rocket launch ended in failure. The mission aimed to deliver a technology demonstration payload for Lockheed Martin to low Earth orbit (LEO). However, an anomaly shortly after stage separation resulted in a significant reduction of thrust in the upper stage engine, preventing the payload from reaching orbital velocity. The payload ultimately impacted the Pacific Ocean. This marks the second failed mission for Firefly's Alpha rocket out of six attempts. Firefly will investigate the cause of the anomaly with its customer and the FAA.

(www.space.com)

Tech

Finland Bans Smartphones in Schools

2025-04-30

Finland Bans Smartphones in Schools

Finland's Parliament passed a law restricting mobile device use by students in primary and secondary schools, effective August after the summer break. While not a complete ban, phone use will generally be prohibited in class. Students need teacher permission for educational or health-related reasons. School staff can confiscate disruptive devices. The Education Minister assures continued support for students' digital skills development.

(yle.fi)

Tech Schools

AI Model Explosion: 2024-2025's Race to the Top

2025-04-30

The years 2024 and 2025 witnessed an unprecedented boom in AI model development. From Stable Diffusion 3 to GPT-4o, from Gemini to Claude 3, tech giants and startups alike unleashed a flurry of new models, sparking intense competition across image generation, video generation, text generation, and multimodality. The rise of open-source models further fueled the rapid advancement and accessibility of AI technology. This 'model melee' continues to evolve, with ever-increasing parameter counts and capabilities, ultimately shaping the future landscape of AI.

(nhlocal.github.io)

AI

From Jobless to $250K/Year: A SaaS Startup Story Built on Microsoft Teams

2025-04-30

From Jobless to $250K/Year: A SaaS Startup Story Built on Microsoft Teams

After losing his job in 2020, Ilia capitalized on the remote work boom by developing apps for Microsoft Teams. Following an initial failed attempt with a translation app, he identified a gap in the market: the inadequacy of Teams' built-in Wiki. He created Perfect Wiki, a simple, user-friendly knowledge base tool. Its seamless integration with Teams and focus on user needs led to rapid adoption, generating $250,000 in annual revenue within five years with a team of only two. This success story highlights the importance of focusing on niche markets and building simple, effective products.

(habr.com)

Startup

arXivLabs: Community Collaboration on New arXiv Features

2025-04-30

arXivLabs is an experimental framework enabling collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on the website. Participants embrace arXiv's values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. Got an idea to improve the arXiv community? Learn more about arXivLabs!

(arxiv.org)

Development

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