Embark on an interactive story among the stars

:Gooch Lawrence, Kurt Schoenfeld, Neil, JJ Freedump, Steve, Dale, Makro, Vikas, Gianni Roberto, Sajib Moskowitz, Sanuel Darnuld, Greg Moss the F.O.S.S. Boss, Orange DeLonge, Ross Elephant, Tim Thomasworth

NASA's Voyager 1 has resumed sending usable data after an issue with its memory storage was addressed. The team is now working to reinstate the probe's ability to return science data.

Penguin Random House's attempt to acquire Simon & Schuster was blocked by a judge citing monopoly concerns. An industry insider revealed that most publishing revenues come from celebrity and franchise book deals, with a tiny fraction of books becoming significant financial successes.

The Super Nintendo's game cartridges featured enhancement processors and copy protection, with some allowing saved game progress. The most notable processors included the Super FX for rendering and the SA-1 for improved performance, which allowed for more complex and expansive games.

Nigerian edtech startup Flexisaf shifted from Google Workspace to Zoho, saving significant costs and joining other African startups in adopting Zoho's cheaper, localized offerings. Despite early successes, Zoho faces challenges in design updates, mobile app quality, and community support to compete against Google.

An individual recounts their journey of creating a CNC bottle plotter using a paint marker for direct label plotting, which involved prototyping and overcoming mechanical design challenges. They eventually produced a functional machine and designed cost-effective components with standardization for easier replication.

This instance of OpenOrb is curated by Raphael Kabo.

The article discusses the author's investigation into whether the `final` keyword in C++ really improves performance as claimed. Despite initial tests showing a slowdown, further, more comprehensive tests across different systems revealed mixed results, with `final` sometimes speeding up and sometimes slowing down performance.

A cloud server leak revealed North Korean animation outsourcing for global IT projects, highlighting the challenge foreign firms face in ensuring they don't breach sanctions. The incident sheds light on North Korea's use of internet-restricted IT infrastructure to participate in international work.

One becomes distracted by a series of interesting topics while working on a tech task. Along the way, each new discovery leads to another, diverting attention from the original assignment.

Jan Gampe elevated a shared pattern by creating a charming cross-stitch with flowers; the writer also works full-time on curl, a product used by over a billion internet-connected people.

This WebGL experiment is an attempt to create a procedural city that feels alive and is fun to watch. First, we generate a finite grid of random city blocks. Then, using some tricks, the viewpoint wraps around this grid, which creates the illusion of an endless cityscape.

The article presents various professionals coordinating and sharing updates on work projects, including ideas for improvement, strategic changes, and budget discussions. It also mentions planning for personal activities like vacations and hikes.

The article discusses a surge in spam comments from bot accounts with similar NSFW names across front page posts. Admins face a busy day as thousands of these accounts spam, but a shared prefix may aid in cleanup.

Wasmer introduces py2wasm, a Python to WebAssembly compiler that runs Python programs 3x faster by avoiding interpreter overhead. It requires Python 3.11, and provides a significant speed increase over standard methods.

The article describes an interactive flat Earth map where clicking on either hemisphere centers that point, with options to rotate the disks and reset. Instructions for making a physical disk from the map are provided, alongside links to related resources and articles.

Dify is a versatile LLM app development platform with intuitive AI workflow and comprehensive model support for easy transition from prototype to production. It offers extensive features like RAG pipeline, agent tools, and observability with cloud and self-hosting options.

The article describes an image-based deployment process where images are stored on ghcr.io with a production environment file defining services. For migrations, accessing the database and running 'make latest' after pulling changes is sufficient.

Photographer Liron Gertsman captured an exceptional solar eclipse photo titled 'The Frigatebird and the Diamond Ring' after extensive preparation and a bit of luck. His diligent research and strategic planning paid off during the total eclipse on April 8th, 2024, achieving his long-sought dream image.

WebAssembly bindings in Rust link Apache Parquet with Apache Arrow, allowing read/write operations in browsers via JavaScript. It offers sync/async APIs, compression, and a minimal read-only WASM bundle as small as 456 KB.

Python leverages objects to dictate iteration processes, while Ruby uses methods that integrate procedural code as blocks for flexibility. Ruby emphasizes object customizability in data processing, contrasting Python's iteration-centric approach.

The speaker presented practical applications for Large Language Models at a conference, demonstrating them through various tools he developed, and further shared these insights through a detailed annotated video and related resources. He also discussed recent AI advances and his preference for leveraging current technologies over futuristic speculation.

Apple has acquired Datakalab, a French AI startup focused on AI compression and computer vision. The acquisition could bolster Apple's AI capabilities for iOS features and facial recognition technologies.

Espressif Systems acquires majority stake in M5Stack, bolstering their IoT and embedded systems capabilities. The merger supports their shared goal to advance AIoT technology and efficiency.

Intel unveiled the Gaudi 3 AI accelerator at Intel Vision 2024, surpassing Gaudi 2 with substantial improvements in compute, memory, and interconnects, aiming for volume production later that year. Gaudi 3 excels in AI inference and training, competing aggressively on price while optimizing power efficiency.

JEDEC's updated DDR5 spec achieves up to 8800 MT/s with focus on latency and security, including PRAC to counter rowhammer exploits. High-speed DDR5-8800 sets looser timings, while increasing peak bandwidth by 37.5%.

SBCL is a high-performance Common Lisp compiler that supports multiple platforms and advanced features, with in-depth documentation and guides for experienced users. It utilizes a unique build process and memory representation for Lisp objects, offering debugging and memory manipulation tools.

Deep learning's demand for specialized hardware is driving the evolution of FPGAs, which offer custom acceleration with flexibility and efficiency. FPGAs adapt to DL changes and integrate well in diverse systems, from datacenters to edge devices.

Gary Kildall created CP/M, the first successful PC OS, in 1974, which with the BIOS, became a foundation for the PC revolution. Digital Research Inc. lost ground when Microsoft provided a cheaper OS, and despite wide recognition, Kildall's impact became overshadowed.

Cliff L. Biffle's blog details a network switch issue caused by obsolete assumptions in code, illustrating the danger of relying on implicit invariants that fail as systems evolve. The post emphasizes how system changes can unknowingly violate these assumptions, leading to inevitable failures.

The article details the author's struggle to find and enroll in a new clinical trial for cancer treatment after a setback, highlighting the complexity and urgency of the process. It also examines the emotional challenges and the need for system improvements.

Feeding wild birds can have positive effects like increased survival and earlier breeding, but also poses risks like disease spread and altered behaviors. Proper feeding practices and hygiene can mitigate negative impacts and provide conservation benefits.

GitLab Duo integrates AI across the software development lifecycle, enhancing security and efficiency without using proprietary data for AI training. It supports transparency and multiple languages/IDEs, streamlining coding and vulnerability fixes.

The Guardian's April Fool's Day joke in 1977 featured a fake travel supplement on San Serriffe, an imaginary island with typographical term-based details, which fooled readers and garnered massive response. Advertisements from known brands in the feature added to the believability of the prank.

The article posits that AI machines' performance improves as researchers gain access to faster hardware, and predicts affordable hardware matching human brainpower by the 2020s. It explores the relationship between MIPS and AI tasks complexity, suggesting human-like AI will be economically viable when their cost is low.

Modal programs use brackets and parentheses to apply transformation rules to trees, allowing for iterative modifications. The language, being homoiconic, treats rules as data, enabling dynamic rule creation and alteration.

MonsterWriter, originally a semi-structured wiki, evolved into an application for scientific writing. The creators released MonsterWriter2 and offer free lifetime licenses until April 28 with a promo code.

The author's book, "Secure Code Review for Rails Developers," discusses preventing security issues in code review, using a hacking challenge example where a regex in a small Sinatra app is bypassed to execute harmful code. Multiline strings can exploit single-line regex, highlighting the importance of safer coding practices and tools like static code analyzers.

vfox helps switch between development environments quickly, outpacing asdf-vm with simpler commands and genuine cross-platform support. It's a plugin-extensible version manager that's easy to integrate into various shells.

Meta is expanding its mixed reality platform by opening Meta Quest's OS to third-party hardware, aiming to boost developer support and consumer choice. The move builds on a decade of tech advancements and opens up a new ecosystem for mixed reality devices.

The article discusses the remarkable achievements of programmer Ludvig Strigeus, revealing a pattern of his successful creations. The writer expresses astonishment at Strigeus’ productivity and knack for creating solutions with significant impact.

The article discusses the UNIX-HATERS Handbook, highlighting Berkeley's association with LSD and Unix as noteworthy, and details the book's publishing information, including copyright statements and its distribution network. The article also mentions the publisher's history and commitment to quality in computer and business book publishing.

Bloomberg provides fast, accurate business and financial information globally. Amazon's Maple Valley warehouse operates efficiently to ensure speedy deliveries in Seattle.

The article describes the author's experience in hardware hacking to automate a standing desk with no prior advanced knowledge. They successfully created a custom circuit controllable via HTTP requests after learning from various attempts and tools.

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Over half of Americans use ad blockers, with higher usage among professionals in advertising, programming, and security. People mostly aim to protect privacy and improve browsing speed, while being aware of extensive online data collection.

The paper surveys the progress in AI agents, emphasizing their enhanced reasoning and tool use for complex goals. It discusses current capabilities, observations, and future design considerations for AI systems.

Millions of small fish fling themselves on Californian beaches to have sex – strictly under the full or new Moon.

Mexico is restoring a railway to compete with the Panama Canal, aiming to shift container traffic and leverage proximity to the U.S. amidst drought challenges for the canal. The $2.8 billion rail project could represent up to 5% of Mexico's GDP, offering a shorter transit time.

The article discusses the current state of generative AI, highlighting the hype and skepticism surrounding its capabilities and impact on industries. It draws a parallel between AI's illusions and historical 'smoke and mirrors,' suggesting AI's market proposition is still unclear amid broad interest.

The Bittle robot dog, developed for educational purposes, comes in kits for assembly with programmable features and is suitable for users aged 10+, with adult supervision recommended for younger users. It operates independently of a network, processes voice commands locally, and is customizable with expansion modules.

El Niño is fading, with an 85% chance of shifting to neutral and a 60% likelihood of La Niña by August, which may cause a very active Atlantic hurricane season. Overall, 2024 is expected to be one of the top five warmest years on record despite La Niña's cooling effect.

The article critiques the adage "If you're not paying for the product, you're the product," arguing it oversimplifies the complex relationship between tech platforms, advertisers, and users. It suggests that abuse occurs not only towards non-paying users but also paying advertisers and stresses that power dynamics, not payment, dictate how different parties are treated.

The article discusses a sudden influx of spam comments on Hacker News posts, promoting a link with the promise of an AI girlfriend, highlighting the unusualness for a typically spam-free site.

Eve O. Schaub argues that plastic recycling is largely a myth, with only about 5% being effectively "recycled" due to its toxic nature and inefficiency. She advocates for treating plastic as toxic waste and reducing its production significantly.

The Shekhawat family of Rajasthan, with a distilling heritage since 1768, modernizes ancestral liquors, manifesting royal and historic flavors. These beverages reflect the region's rich past, evolving from Ayurvedic medicine to symbols of power and luxury, now available commercially post the Heritage Liquor Act.

The article discusses the transition from few-shot to many-shot in-context learning in large language models, yielding substantial performance improvements but also facing example scarcity. It explores alternative approaches like Reinforced and Unsupervised ICL to overcome limitations.

Jules Evans experienced lasting negative effects from a bad psychedelic trip, prompting research that revealed such adverse experiences can persist, challenging the view that these drugs are completely safe. The "Challenging Psychedelics Project" collected accounts of long-term difficulties following psychedelic use, highlighting the need for more caution and information.

Before his recent death, the influential philosopher Daniel Dennett spoke to the BBC about why he saw new dangers from AI.

Cubic Life is an advanced cellular automaton engine for simulating Conway's Game of Life in 3D, offering real-time visualization and customization. Its modular design allows intricate patterns and flexible rule implementation for diverse simulation needs.

The FDNY filed criminal charges against an e-bike shop owner in Brooklyn for selling uncertified batteries and unsafe charging practices, marking a first in their campaign. This follows numerous e-bike battery fires in the city, intensifying legal actions against such violations.

Ice Spice is a mythical Arctic heroine celebrated for her strength, courage, and spirituality. Her legacy endures in the cultural heritage of the Arctic's indigenous peoples.

The article examines the cultural shift towards digital nomadism, highlighting its growth and its impact on consumer behavior and brand strategies. It underscores the need for flexible lifestyles, new services for nomadic living, and reshaping values.

RecurrentGemma, leveraging Google's Griffin architecture, boasts enhanced language performance with efficient memory usage. It offers pre-trained models with competitive abilities despite less training data.

A traveler reflects on a memorable trip to Bologna with her boyfriend, highlighting her experience with sensory overload and how her autism diagnosis helped her understand her reactions. She emphasizes the importance of planning ahead and considering one's sensory preferences to enhance travel experiences.

The Apple Vision Pro has seen a decline in interest and sales since its U.S. release in February, with challenges in maintaining user engagement and a lack of compelling content. Apple is expected to make a more affordable version by 2025 as current high prices and novelty wear off.

Jontay Porter of the NBA's Toronto Raptors was banned for life for gambling-related misconduct. The article argues for stricter regulation of gambling, highlighting its negative societal impact and its growth due to technology and legalization.

AMD has announced plans to open-source more of their software stack and hardware documentation, including the Micro-Engine Scheduler (MES) firmware. They have also pointed to the nod-ai/fuzzyHSA GitHub repository as a resource for fixes and more information on these efforts. Beyond the MES firmware documentation/code, it will be interesting to see what more AMD open sources throughout 2024.

Google's 2004 recruitment campaign involved solving a puzzle found on a billboard, which led to programming challenges. Solutions ranged from Perl scripts to computations with arbitrary-precision arithmetic for finding a prime number in the digits of e.

Reddit went public with a strong market debut but is adapting to shifts in its platform dynamics and content trends post-IPO. It's now focusing on original user content and battling karma farming while exploring new business ventures like Reddit Pro and licensing deals.

Robert Kahn's work on packet communication technologies for networks like ARPANET and the Internet earned him the 2024 IEEE Medal of Honor. Despite initial skepticism, his innovations laid the groundwork for the first operational packet network.

The long-standing border tensions between Italy and Yugoslavia left Istria unstable, prompting 10,000 residents to migrate. Digitron emerged in this climate, introducing the first European pocket calculator, gaining fame and awards.

Heating technologies' cultural significance is anchored in early Western writings; Descartes's stove-inspired reflections exemplify this, influencing his philosophy development. Descartes's thermal comfort shaped his thoughts, challenging the notion that the mind is separate from sensory experiences.

George Leigh Mallory's personal correspondence has been digitized by Magdalene College, revealing insights into his life and ill-fated Everest expeditions. His final letter reflects on the slim odds of reaching the summit before his 1924 disappearance.

The A-Z80 is a recreated Z80 processor for use on modern FPGAs, offering a detailed reverse-engineered design. The project includes Sinclair ZX Spectrum implementation and supports simulation and testing on Altera and Xilinx devices.

The EU is probing TikTok Lite for potential mental health risks and may impose interim measures; penalties for not complying with the Digital Services Act (DSA) could be significant. TikTok, under investigation for possible systemic risks, may face fines after failing to submit a required risk assessment.

The Senate passed a two-year reauthorization of Section 702 without reforms, despite some Republicans seeking to limit FBI access. The reauthorization expands governmental surveillance capabilities, ignoring proposed warrant requirements and privacy concerns.

The Archive Team is a volunteer collective archiving websites to preserve history and foster debate. They host projects and data, with support from the Internet Archive, to safeguard digital heritage.

Walmart is removing self-checkout lanes in a Missouri store due to customer feedback and shoplifting concerns, mirroring actions by Target and Dollar General. Retailers are reevaluating self-checkout's role post-pandemic amid theft issues and reduced shopper interest.

1789 Capital, named after the year of the U.S. bill of rights, taps into conservative economy themes while investing trends are increasingly politicized as American Democrats and Republicans apply their political identities to financial decisions, influencing investment choices and business behaviors.

Swiss Airlines flight LX-17 aborted takeoff at JFK due to three planes entering the runway; no instructions to stop or abort were given by ATC. The flight departed 15 minutes later without further incident.

Lolita's programming language allows for types that depend on values, streamlining real-world patterns and string formatting without extra compiler magic. It uses a 'tagless-final' style for simplicity and compositional programming, while also featuring strong metaprogramming capabilities.

The article discusses an individual's solitary and intermittent work on the Helios project, hopeful for community involvement to progress the software for modern systems. Future plans include updating for Solaris and Linux compiles, with a focus on server communication updates.

A potential U.S. ban on TikTok threatens the livelihoods and businesses built off the app, impacting the $100 billion creator economy and the job market intertwined with it. The ban also raises concerns over competition and innovation in the social media landscape.

Dr. Viviane Ghaderi filed a lawsuit against Amazon, claiming wrongful termination and discrimination after her maternity leave, and alleging Amazon pressed her to violate copyright rules. Ghaderi also contends she was challenged over AI competition and subsequently demoted and dismissed.

The article describes a method to automate open-source project releases by using the changelog as the release authority, and details how version updates and publishing are automated upon changes in the master branch.

The author describes the transition from preferring physical books to reading on a smartphone due to convenience, which eventually turned into a habit affecting reading patterns and exploration of new literature. Despite e-reading apps being a refuge from social media, the overall reading of books has decreased, raising questions about the impact of technology on reading habits and attention spans.

Kirby chose a lucrative blue-collar career over college, starting his own company and now mentors employees in skilled trades, highlighting a growing trend among Gen Z opting for vocational training over degree paths burdened by debt. This shift is supported by a perception of manual jobs as stable and well-paying, amidst rising college costs and technology-driven job market changes.

The article discusses users' experiences with Proton's services; it provides a suite of tools but has issues like limited integration with other apps, slow load times, and E2EE complexities. Some switched for better alternatives; others appreciate its privacy-focused approach despite less polish compared to Google.

Kaldo enables alias sharing across multiple shells and operating systems; manual installations require shell plugin initialization. Once initialized, aliases in the ~/.kaldorc file can be shell-specific or universal.

The FAA now requires a reentry license for space vehicles before launch, a change prompted by Varda Space Industries' unlicensed reentry last year. This aims to ensure public safety by assessing reentry risks beforehand.

The US Senate has reauthorized a contentious warrantless surveillance tool for another two years and added more people and organizations to the list of those who can be compelled to spy for Uncle Sam. The Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (RISAA) was signed into law by President Biden. The Senate rejected six amendments that would have reined in the US intelligence agencies' ...

The article criticizes government regulation of AI for likely worsening its most dangerous aspects while hindering its benefits, drawing parallels with prior handling of environmental issues and nuclear technology. It argues that governments, due to short-term and self-interested incentives, are ill-suited to manage AI's misuse and misalignment risks.

An experienced developer highlights the importance of AI tools in programming, emphasizing a potential update to the famed Joel Test to reflect modern tooling essentials. Despite some flaws in AI tools, their use leads to improved efficiency and job satisfaction.