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Bitcoin Address Collision Hunting: A Distributed Computing Project

2025-04-05

This is a distributed computing project aimed at finding a collision in Bitcoin addresses. By exploiting the properties of the RIPEMD160 hash function, the project attempts to find different private keys that result in the same Bitcoin address. The project cleverly partitions the search space, assigning it to different clients for parallel computation, and uses a Bloom filter to efficiently check if generated hashes match known addresses with funds. Focusing only on addresses with funds significantly reduces the search space and increases the probability of finding a collision, while simultaneously incentivizing rightful owners to reclaim their funds.

(lbc.cryptoguru.org)

Tech Hash Collision Distributed Computing

NASA Eases Restrictions on ISS Private Astronaut Mission Commanders

2025-04-05

NASA Eases Restrictions on ISS Private Astronaut Mission Commanders

NASA's latest call for proposals for private astronaut missions to the International Space Station (ISS) opens the door for non-NASA astronauts to command these missions. This solicitation is part of NASA's broader commercialization effort in low Earth orbit, aiming to eventually replace the ISS with commercial stations. While initially requiring commanders to be former NASA astronauts with flight experience, the new proposal allows for commanders from the Canadian, European, or Japanese space agencies, offering opportunities for former astronauts now working with commercial spaceflight companies like Axiom Space, which has hired former ESA and JAXA astronauts. This competition is expected to be more intense than previous ones, with Vast also expressing interest in bidding, in addition to Axiom Space, which has won all previous bids.

(spacenews.com)

Tech Commercial Spaceflight

Retired Broadcast Engineer's Dream Mini Rack: A Solution for 40+ Remote Tower Sites

2025-04-05

Retired Broadcast Engineer's Dream Mini Rack: A Solution for 40+ Remote Tower Sites

A retired broadcast engineer built a robust system for managing 40+ remote tower sites using a DeskPi RackMate T1 mini rack. This system integrates redundant internet connectivity, multiple audio source processing, silence monitoring, an exciter, and remote monitoring capabilities. The standardized setup allows for easier maintenance and deployment by volunteers. Improvements suggested include a larger rack, PoE power, and standardized mini-rack mounting options for better efficiency and convenience.

(github.com)

Hardware Mini Rack

Microsoft's AI Copilot Uncovers 20 Zero-Day Vulnerabilities in Bootloaders

2025-04-05

Microsoft's AI Copilot Uncovers 20 Zero-Day Vulnerabilities in Bootloaders

Microsoft's AI-powered Security Copilot unearthed 20 previously unknown vulnerabilities in the GRUB2, U-Boot, and Barebox open-source bootloaders. These flaws, ranging from buffer overflows and integer overflows to side-channel attacks, could allow attackers to bypass security protections and execute arbitrary code, potentially installing stealthy bootkits. While exploitation may require physical access, the possibility remains a concern. Patches have been released; users are urged to update immediately.

(www.bleepingcomputer.com)

Tech

Improving Database Protocols: A Developer Experience Perspective

2025-04-05

This article discusses shortcomings in SQL database client protocols, specifically MySQL and PostgreSQL. The author points out issues with connection management, error recovery, and prepared statements, leading to increased development complexity. For example, mutable connection state makes error recovery difficult, while the session-scoped nature of prepared statements limits their use in connection pools. The author proposes improvements borrowing from the Redis protocol, such as an explicit configuration phase, idempotency keys, and globally scoped prepared statement identifiers. These changes would simplify development workflows and improve the reliability of database clients, resulting in a better developer experience and more user-friendly databases.

(byroot.github.io)

Development protocol

Rich Text, Poor Text: The Hidden Pain of Character Encoding

2025-04-05

This article delves into the issue of how font styles (bold, italics, etc.) are stored in rich text editing. The author argues that these styles aren't mere 'decorations' but integral parts of language expression, similar to punctuation. However, early character encoding standards (like ASCII) didn't include this styling information, leading to the use of embedded markup. This 'pollutes' text data, impacting efficiency and consistency in text processing. The author proposes a wider character encoding scheme to directly encode style information into characters, solving this problem.

(laemeur.sdf.org)

Development character encoding rich text

Faster Go Interpreters: Closing the Gap with C++

2025-04-05

Faster Go Interpreters: Closing the Gap with C++

Vitess, the open-source database powering PlanetScale, initially used an AST-based interpreter for its SQL engine. Over the past year, this has been replaced with a Go-based virtual machine that performs comparably to MySQL's native C++ code, while being significantly easier to maintain. The VM achieves remarkable speed improvements—up to 20x faster in some cases—through static type checking and clever instruction dispatch. This article details the design and implementation, including leveraging Go's closures to simplify the VM and handling SQL's dynamic typing challenges.

(planetscale.com)

Development

Voyager's Sunset: A Legacy of Interstellar Exploration

2025-04-05

Voyager's Sunset: A Legacy of Interstellar Exploration

Nearly 50 years after launch, the Voyager probes are nearing the end of their operational lives. Powering down due to decaying plutonium, the aging spacecraft lose 4 watts annually, forcing tough decisions to shut down non-essential systems, including science instruments. Project scientist Linda Spilker recounts the challenges of maintaining these aging vessels and the effort to pass on their knowledge to new generations. Voyager's journey, yielding invaluable data on the heliopause and interstellar space, inspires future interstellar missions, charting a course for humanity's continued exploration of the cosmos.

(gizmodo.com)

Tech

Banning Ads: A Revolutionary Idea for a Healthier Democracy

2025-04-05

Banning Ads: A Revolutionary Idea for a Healthier Democracy

The author proposes a radical idea: banning all advertising. They argue that advertising fuels addictive digital content, creates echo chambers, and enables political manipulation. Algorithmic platforms exploit advertising to profit, harming young people's minds, while politicians use it to control voters. The author believes banning ads would force everyone to be more rational, protecting democracy and mental health, even if it sounds like science fiction.

(simone.org)

Misc echo chambers

Google Releases Stable Model Signing Library to Secure the AI Supply Chain

2025-04-05

Google Releases Stable Model Signing Library to Secure the AI Supply Chain

The rise of large language models (LLMs) has brought increased focus on AI supply chain security. Model tampering, data poisoning, and other threats are growing concerns. To address this, Google, in partnership with NVIDIA and HiddenLayer, and supported by the Open Source Security Foundation, has released the first stable version of its model signing library. This library uses digital signatures, such as those from Sigstore, to allow users to verify that the model used by an application is identical to the one created by the developers. This ensures model integrity and provenance, protecting against malicious tampering throughout the model's lifecycle, from training to deployment. Future plans include extending this technology to datasets and other ML artifacts, building a more robust AI trust ecosystem.

(security.googleblog.com)

AI Model Signing

Tracking the ISS with a repurposed IR Turret

2025-04-05

Using a HackPack IR turret received as a birthday gift, the author created a device that tracks the International Space Station (ISS) in real-time. By fetching Two-Line Element (TLE) data for the ISS and using the SGP4 algorithm to calculate its position, the author converted this into azimuth and elevation angles to control stepper and servo motors. The project involved astronomy calculations, embedded programming, and 3D modeling, showcasing creativity and technical skills. It offers a unique observation tool for amateur astronomers.

(faridrener.com)

Hardware

RDNA 4's Dynamic VGPR Allocation: A Ray Tracing Bottleneck Breaker

2025-04-05

RDNA 4's Dynamic VGPR Allocation: A Ray Tracing Bottleneck Breaker

AMD's RDNA 4 architecture introduces a novel dynamic VGPR (vector general-purpose register) allocation mode to address the trade-off between register count and occupancy in ray tracing. Traditional GPUs face limitations in ray tracing where fixed register allocation per thread restricts thread parallelism in stages with high register demands. RDNA 4's dynamic allocation allows threads to adjust register counts at runtime, increasing occupancy without enlarging the register file, thus reducing latency and boosting ray tracing performance. While this mode can lead to deadlocks, AMD mitigates this with a deadlock avoidance mode. This isn't a universal solution, limited to wave32 compute shaders, but significantly advances AMD's ray tracing capabilities.

(chipsandcheese.com)

Hardware Dynamic VGPR Allocation

Nissan to Shift Rogue SUV Production to US to Avoid Tariffs

2025-04-05

Nissan to Shift Rogue SUV Production to US to Avoid Tariffs

Nissan Motor is considering shifting some production of its Rogue SUV, a key model for the US market, from a Japanese factory to the US as early as this summer, Nikkei reported. This move is a direct response to new tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, marking the first reported instance of Japanese production being moved to avoid the tariffs' impact.

(asia.nikkei.com)

Tech Nissan Production Shift

Haskell Functors: Elegantly Handling Values in Context

2025-04-05

In Haskell, Functors provide a powerful abstraction for working with values wrapped in contexts like Maybe or lists. The `fmap` function elegantly applies functions to these values, avoiding type errors that would arise from direct function application. The article details the Functor definition, the role of `fmap`, and the identity and composition laws Functors must obey, illustrating with examples using Maybe and lists. It concludes by highlighting the benefits of Functors in creating cleaner, more readable code.

(codehakase.com)

Development

PyCon US 2025: Tickets, Sponsorships, and More!

2025-04-05

PyCon US 2025 is coming to Pittsburgh! Tickets, sponsorships, and hotel bookings are open, with the schedule now live, featuring over 100 talks and events. The PyLadies auction, tutorials, summits, and sprint projects are also open for registration. Plus, the PyPI Organizations feature rollout is progressing, and PEP 770 (on Software Bills of Materials) is in provisional status. PSF board elections are upcoming, and the 2024 PSF fellows have been announced. Don't miss the retro game-themed fun at the PSF booth at PyCon US 2025!

(mailchi.mp)

Development

AI Engineer: Build the Next-Gen Customer Research AI Assistant

2025-04-05

AI Engineer: Build the Next-Gen Customer Research AI Assistant

Great Question, a customer research platform company, is hiring an AI Engineer to design and implement an agent-based UI, building an AI research assistant to help users conduct research. The role requires expertise in prompt engineering, agent frameworks (LangGraph, etc.), and LLM application development (JavaScript preferred), encompassing AI system architecture, prompt optimization, framework selection and implementation, and performance evaluation. This is a fully remote role, with a preference for candidates in the US or Canada.

(www.ycombinator.com)

Development Customer Research LLM Applications

AI in Healthcare: The Computational Bottleneck

2025-04-05

AI in Healthcare: The Computational Bottleneck

A researcher highlights the inaccuracy of current clinical tools used for cancer risk prediction. AI has the potential to leverage massive patient data for personalized care, enabling earlier cancer detection, improved diagnostics, and optimized treatment protocols. However, the sheer volume of healthcare data overwhelms traditional computer chips, making computational power a bottleneck for realizing AI's full potential in healthcare. While researchers optimize algorithms, silicon-based chip technology is nearing its performance limits, necessitating a new approach to chip technology for AI to reach its full potential.

(www.schott.com)

AI AI healthcare computational power

Loader's Number: A Programming Challenge on a Theoretical Infinite-Memory Machine

2025-04-05

Loader's Number is the output of loader.c, a C program by Ralph Loader that won the Bignum Bakeoff contest. The goal was to write a C program (under 512 characters) generating the largest possible output on a theoretical machine with infinite memory. The calculation relies on the Huet-Coquand Calculus of Constructions, resulting in an unimaginably large number far exceeding other known large numbers like the output of Marxen.c. While lacking formal proof, estimates place it beyond certain values in fast-growing hierarchies. Calculating Loader's Number is computationally intensive and its sheer scale represents a fascinating exploration of computational limits in computer science.

(googology.fandom.com)

Development large numbers

LeCun: LLMs Will Be Obsolete in Five Years

2025-04-05

LeCun: LLMs Will Be Obsolete in Five Years

Yann LeCun, Meta's chief AI scientist, predicts that large language models (LLMs) will be largely obsolete within five years. He argues that current LLMs lack understanding of the physical world, operating as specialized tools in a simple, discrete space (language). LeCun and his team are developing an alternative approach called JEPA, which aims to create representations of the physical world from visual input, enabling true reasoning and planning capabilities surpassing LLMs. He envisions AI transforming society by augmenting human intelligence, not replacing it, and refutes claims of AI posing an existential risk.

(www.newsweek.com)

AI

SpacetimeDB: Multiplayer at the Speed of Light

2025-04-05

SpacetimeDB: Multiplayer at the Speed of Light

SpacetimeDB revolutionizes game development by merging database and server functionality. Developers upload application logic directly into the database as modules, eliminating the overhead of traditional client-server architectures. Clients connect directly to the database, executing logic within it for unparalleled speed and low latency. BitCraft Online's backend is built entirely on SpacetimeDB, processing and synchronizing all game data in real-time. SpacetimeDB uses in-memory storage and a write-ahead log for persistence, optimized for real-time applications. Installation is straightforward, and modules can be written in various programming languages.

(github.com)

Development

Woolly Mammoth Revival: Ecological Claims Questioned

2025-04-05

Woolly Mammoth Revival: Ecological Claims Questioned

Colossal's ambitious plan to resurrect woolly mammoths rests on claims of their positive ecological impact, particularly on carbon sequestration. However, existing research on the effects of large herbivores on carbon sequestration is mixed: African forest elephants may enhance it, while savanna elephants reduce it. While one study suggests increasing large herbivore populations lowers permafrost temperatures, the feasibility and cost-effectiveness are questionable. Furthermore, warmer winters due to climate change could mean mammoth trampling accelerates soil warming. Ecosystems are complex and unpredictable, making it challenging to assess extinct species' impact on modern ecosystems. Colossal's narrative leverages this uncertainty, but this doesn't make their claims more likely to be true.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech

OpenAI Wins Partial Victory in Copyright Lawsuit Against NYT

2025-04-05

OpenAI Wins Partial Victory in Copyright Lawsuit Against NYT

The New York Times sued OpenAI for copyright infringement, alleging ChatGPT's unauthorized use of its content. A judge dismissed some claims, including those of 'free-riding' and removal of copyright management information, but upheld others, finding that OpenAI had at least reason to investigate and uncover end-user infringement. OpenAI argued its AI training is fair use and highlighted ChatGPT's benefits. The ruling is likely disappointing for news publishers, but a partial win for OpenAI.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech fair use

Incremental Compiler Course: From Tiger to x86-64 Assembly in OCaml

2025-04-05

This is a highly practical compiler course aiming to build a compiler that translates the high-level Tiger language into x86-64 machine code. The course uses OCaml and emphasizes test-driven development, version control, and code reuse. It employs an iterative, incremental development approach, gradually extending language and compiler features, leveraging the tagless-final style for enhanced extensibility. The course covers standard compiler topics like parsing, type checking, optimization, and assembly generation, but in a non-traditional way.

(okmij.org)

Development incremental development

Kubernetes Deployment Strategies for Small Businesses on Hetzner Cloud: k3s Takes the Lead

2025-04-05

Kubernetes Deployment Strategies for Small Businesses on Hetzner Cloud: k3s Takes the Lead

This article compares four Kubernetes deployment options on Hetzner Cloud: k3s, MicroK8s, Minikube, and Docker Swarm. For resource-constrained small businesses, k3s stands out due to its lightweight nature (40MB binary, 512MB RAM baseline), high availability support (embedded etcd), and easy deployment (single command installation). Performance benchmarks show k3s clusters achieve production-grade performance and stability on Hetzner, outperforming other options in cost and scalability. While Docker Swarm offers simplicity, it lacks the features and scalability of k3s. For deployments exceeding 100 nodes, a hybrid approach combining k3s worker pools with Hetzner's managed Kubernetes service is recommended.

(htdocs.dev)

Development Hetzner Cloud

Swift's WebAssembly Journey: Performance, Security, and the Future

2025-04-05

Swift's WebAssembly Journey: Performance, Security, and the Future

The Swift community has steadily improved WebAssembly support over the years, and this article outlines a vision and roadmap for its future. WebAssembly, with its portability, security, and high performance, is ideal for cross-platform applications. Swift's integration with WebAssembly expands its reach and enhances security, particularly in developer tools. Virtualizing Swift macros and SwiftPM plugins using WebAssembly offers stronger security and faster build times. Future goals include increased API coverage in core libraries, improved cross-compilation support, enhanced component model support, and a better debugging experience. The article also delves into platform-specific considerations like debugging, multi-threading, 64-bit address space, and shared libraries, showcasing the potential for Swift's flourishing within the WebAssembly ecosystem.

(forums.swift.org)

Development Cross-platform Development

Emulating iOS on QEMU: A Challenging Journey

2025-04-05

Emulating iOS on QEMU: A Challenging Journey

This article details a team's journey in emulating iOS on QEMU. Starting with existing open-source projects, they leveraged checkra1n and PongoOS to bypass iOS security mechanisms. They overcame numerous challenges including software rendering, IOMFB display issues, address randomization, and Pointer Authentication (PAC). The team developed tools to generate and apply Mach-O patches and injected shellcode to simulate USB pairing. Ultimately, they successfully displayed the iOS boot screen and unlock interface on QEMU, showcasing a remarkable achievement.

(eshard.com)

Development iOS emulator

Tennessee's Jumping Spiders: More Adorable Than You Think

2025-04-05

Tennessee is home to a surprisingly diverse array of jumping spiders (Salticidae), small, diurnal creatures with exceptional eyesight, even color vision, used in courtship. They don't build webs, instead using silk for shelters and draglines to stabilize jumps for hunting and escape. Their venom poses minimal threat to humans, and some species exhibit mimicry, such as imitating ants to avoid predators. Male jumping spiders have elaborate courtship rituals, with different species displaying diverse colors and behaviors. Though small, jumping spiders play an important ecological role, and their abundance makes them a fascinating subject for observation.

(digital.tnconservationist.org)

Misc jumping spiders spiders

Gaza Massacre: 15 Paramedics Killed in Israeli Attack

2025-04-05

Gaza Massacre: 15 Paramedics Killed in Israeli Attack

On March 23, Israeli forces massacred 15 Palestinian paramedics in Rafah, southern Gaza, including eight Red Crescent and five Civil Defense workers. The sole survivor, Munther Abed, recounted being directly shot at, their vehicles destroyed, and subsequently tortured. The UN described the attack as part of a “concerted policy to destroy Gaza’s healthcare system,” and the Red Cross/Red Crescent called it the deadliest single attack on their workers since 2017. This incident highlights the ongoing attacks on medical personnel in the Gaza war and the gross violation of international humanitarian law.

(www.dropsitenews.com)

Misc Gaza conflict human rights abuses war crimes

NYC's 50-Year-Old Property Tax System: Unfair, Needs Reform

2025-04-05

NYC's 50-Year-Old Property Tax System: Unfair, Needs Reform

New York City's property tax system, now 50 years old, is under fire for its inequities. It overtaxes large multifamily buildings, hindering the construction of much-needed apartments and exacerbating the housing crisis. Low-income households and minority communities bear a disproportionately heavy burden, while luxury condos pay significantly less. Reform advocates are pushing for change, but mayoral candidates are largely silent. A lawsuit challenging the system is ongoing, with the state's highest court ordering action, yet the city remains largely unresponsive.

(www.thecity.nyc)

Misc property tax

Reciprocal Tariffs: A Potential Solution for Balancing Trade Deficits

2025-04-05

Reciprocal Tariffs: A Potential Solution for Balancing Trade Deficits

This report explores the concept of 'reciprocal tariffs,' designed to balance bilateral trade deficits between the U.S. and its trading partners. It calculates the tariff rates needed to drive bilateral trade deficits to zero. The study finds reciprocal tariff rates ranging from 0% to 99%, with an unweighted average of 20% and an import-weighted average of 41%. Persistent trade deficits are attributed to a combination of tariff and non-tariff factors hindering trade balance. The report employs an elasticity model, utilizing estimates of tariff elasticity of import demand and price pass-through to calculate reciprocal tariffs.

(ustr.gov)

Tech trade deficit

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