TikTok users received a message about a US ban, citing a law enacted by President Joe Biden. The ban may be temporary as President-elect Donald Trump indicated he would work on a solution to reinstate the app.
TikTok restored service to US users after President-elect Trump provided assurances to its service providers. Trump vowed to issue an executive order to extend the ban's deadline and work on a long-term solution for TikTok's US presence.
The tech industry has shifted from empowering individuals to exploiting them with extractive business models, surveillance, and digital locks. We need to reclaim control of our digital lives and make computing personal again through fair business practices and structural changes.
UK engineering talent is wasted in low-paying jobs, while computer science graduates secure high-paying tech jobs. The UK can become the hardware capital of the world by investing in its engineering talent and innovation.
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A user noticed that Git waits 100ms before running a command after a typo, which seems too short for even a Formula One driver to react. This delay is due to a 17-year-old patch that introduced the help.autocorrect setting, which was set to 1 decisecond by default.
Forgejo is a self-hosted, lightweight software forge that prioritizes security, scaling, and privacy, offering a free and open-source alternative to GitHub. It's easy to install and maintain, allowing users to control their server with minimal effort and collaborate efficiently.
Infinigen is a procedural generator creating realistic 3D assets from random mathematical rules, including natural environments and objects. It provides customizable annotations for computer vision tasks, ensuring accurate 3D ground truth.
Using RSS and Atom feeds offers a decentralized alternative to algorithm-driven social media platforms, giving users control over their content consumption. Decentralized systems like RSS allow users to filter, prioritize, and discover content in a way that works for them, promoting media literacy and intentional consumption.
Haskell allows side effects to be treated as first-class values, enabling them to be stored in variables, data structures, and manipulated like regular values, which provides benefits such as refactorability and discipline. This approach also enables the creation of side effect objects that can be executed later, allowing for more control over side effects and reducing the risk of interaction bugs.
Forcing dark mode on users can cause eye strain and discomfort due to high contrast ratios. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 does not address maximum contrast ratios in dark mode, but WCAG 3.0 may provide suitable recommendations.
Billionaires like Zuckerberg and Musk are changing social media rules for their gain, but a new platform called Bluesky offers a healthier alternative with open protocols and community moderation. A new project called Free Our Feeds aims to secure Bluesky's foundation and prevent enshittification by creating a nonprofit foundation and redundant servers.
Douglas McIlroy developed a compression algorithm for a 250kB dictionary that fit in 64kB of RAM, using properties of the data and achieving 13.60 bits per word, close to the theoretical minimum of 13.57 bits. He used a combination of techniques including affix removal, Bloom filter, hash compression, and Golomb's code to achieve fast lookups and efficient storage.
The Fuzzing Book is a textbook on software testing and security testing that automates software testing through test generation. It covers various techniques, including random fuzzing, mutation-based fuzzing, and symbolic testing, with interactive code examples.
A Chinese transit card called China T-Union can be used as an access card in UID-based systems due to its unique NFC behavior. However, this method is deemed insecure and requires permission from the system owner and a Chinese UnionPay card to obtain the card.
This tutorial explains how to build a standalone online Certificate Authority (CA) using a YubiKey and an open-source True Random Number Generator, allowing for secure TLS certificate generation and renewal. The CA can be used to automate certificate issuance and renewal for devices on a local network, providing a secure alternative to self-signed certificates and password-based authentication.
yek is a Rust tool that reads text files, chunks them, and serializes for LLM consumption. It has default settings and can be configured via yek.toml or command line options.
Software engineers experience varying levels of stress and productivity loss due to different types of interruptions. Leaders can mitigate these effects by minimizing high-dominance interruptions and respecting engineers' focus time.
The text describes various user interface components, including action bars, accordions, alert banners, and more, inspired by classic terminal interfaces and mechanical concepts. It also touches on design principles, entropy, and the importance of user experience, while referencing various real-world examples and inspirations.
Twitter is a new messaging protocol that doesn't specify recipients, making it a rare and significant innovation. Its private ownership and slow monetization have allowed it to feel like a public protocol, facilitating its widespread adoption.
The user built a ribbon microphone as a replacement for a ModMic after cutting its cable, using imitation silver leaf as the ribbon material due to availability issues with commercial ribbon foil. The microphone sounds subjectively like a studio mic but has some background hum and requires a high-output ribbon and careful design to minimize stray resistance and electrical noise.
Get insights into how your X (Twitter) feed affects your mental health, political balance, and overall digital wellbeing with our AI-powered analysis tool.
Television presenter C hosts a game show "The Traitors" that teaches game theory through lying and betrayal. The show has international versions and features celebrities, making it a fun way to study game theory.
To convert a UTC time string to a UNIX epoch timestamp, use strptime() to parse the string and then pass the resulting struct tm to timegm() or mktime() with tm_isdst set to -1. However, be aware of the complexities and potential pitfalls of time handling in C and POSIX, and consider using a more modern and robust library like the C++20 timezone database.
A user modified a Commodore 64 to use its audio output as a modem to connect to a Convergent WorkSlate, using a 35-cent modem program written by John Iannetta in 1998. The user created a new assembly version of the program, merging the NTSC and PAL versions, and added features such as dial tone synthesis and ASCII translation, making it easier to use the Commodore 64 as a modem.
ByteDance Ltd's apps including TikTok will no longer be available for download or updates in the US starting January 19, 2025. Existing users can keep the apps but won't receive updates or make in-app purchases.
The author discusses the challenges of indentation in Lisp, particularly with long function names and deeply nested code. They propose a macro-like indentation style where the function name is on one line and arguments on the next.
Lenovo has removed the TrackPoint from its latest 14- and 15-inch ThinkPad X9 Aura Editions, but it will still appear in other ThinkPads. The company says it's time for a change, citing the rise of touchpad technology.
The "Tiny Clouds" shadertoy by stubbe uses a simple ray marching algorithm to render photorealistic clouds in just 10 lines of code, utilizing a white noise texture for FBM data and alpha blending for density. The code is optimized for character count, with techniques such as using a macro for texture sampling and scaling down the ray march step index to fit within the 280 character limit.
Castle Game Engine developers released 3 web demos using WebAssembly and WebGL, with plans for more features and data loading. The engine is cross-platform and open-source, with documentation available on the web platform page.
A developer created a new firmware ROM for the Yamaha DX9, restoring missing features and allowing it to load and play DX7 patches. The source code is freely available online.
Linux network programming involves using sockets for interprocess communication, with various types of sockets including stream, datagram, and raw sockets. The user provided a tutorial on Linux network programming, covering topics such as socket programming, TCP/IP, UDP, and SSL/TLS encryption using OpenSSL.
Amazon staff face issues after being forced back to office, including lack of desks and increased thefts. Workers criticize leadership for poor handling of return-to-office policy.
A person made Strontium Aluminate, a glow-in-the-dark material, by decomposing nitrate salts and combining aluminum and strontium oxides. The process involved several steps, including making aluminum hydroxide and using lanthanides as dopants to create a bright green glow.
The US TikTok ban went into effect on January 19, 2025, causing an 85% drop in DNS traffic and a 95% decline in traffic to Cloudflare. TikTok alternatives saw a 74% surge in DNS traffic on January 19, with overall growth reaching 116% on January 15.
Philosophy is increasingly influencing AI development and use, shaping value creation through perspectives on knowledge, reality, and goals. Business leaders must cultivate philosophical insight to reap superior returns from AI investments.
Dylan is an object-functional language created by Apple for the Newton, derived from Scheme and CLOS. It supports efficient machine code generation with fine-grained control over dynamic and static behaviors.
Martin, a 60-year-old isolated man, spent the day alone watching TV and went to sleep without interacting with anyone. His isolation is not unique, as loneliness has become a common experience in the last few decades, especially among younger people and the elderly.
Meta used pirated ebooks and articles from Library Genesis to train its AI model Llama without permission, despite concerns about copyright and potential backlash. Internal emails show Meta employees discussing methods to remove copyright indicators and avoid detection, contradicting the company's argument that its use of copyrighted material is fair.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg blamed former COO Sheryl Sandberg for an inclusivity initiative at the company ahead of his rollback of DEI programs, the New York Times reported.
Japan's largest women's prison, Tochigi, has an aging population with many elderly inmates preferring to stay due to loneliness and lack of support outside. The prison provides regular meals, healthcare, and companionship, making it a stable life for some inmates.
Icelandic turf houses were built using turf, stone, and wood, providing good insulation and adapting to residents' needs over time. Two notable examples, Laufas and Glaumbaer, showcase Icelandic life before the 20th century, offering a glimpse into the country's history and culture.
User notes that ternary operations reduce depth by 2, compared to binary operations which reduce depth by 1, resulting in a significant reduction in the number of operations needed. This leads to a potential win at smaller scales with ternary operations.
The user had trouble debugging their 2013 Ford Transit van due to a lack of error messages, but was able to diagnose the issue using FORScan on their MacBook after setting it up with a Windows OBD2 cable and Homebrew. They created a custom Homebrew tap to automate the setup process for others, including FORScan and necessary dependencies, and also created a launcher to simplify the experience.
A UK cabinet minister defended the government's decision not to ban TikTok, saying it doesn't pose a security threat to the UK. The UK's approach to TikTok differs from the US, where the app was forced to stop working ahead of a federal ban.
You use various apps and software for writing, including Notes, Voice Memo, Rhymezone, The Complete Rhyming Dictionary, ChatGPT, and Logic Pro. These tools assist with suggestions, proof-reading, and music composition, but you often rely on your own unconscious mind for creative ideas.
A UChicago study found that 2020 California wildfires emitted 30% of the state's greenhouse gas emissions, nearly doubling emissions reductions achieved over 16 years. The study warns that wildfire emissions may set California back in meeting its climate goals and cause significant global damages.
TikTok is restoring service with the help of its service providers. It thanks President Trump for allowing TikTok to continue serving 170 million Americans without penalties.
The Sonnenschein-Mantel-Debreu (SMD) theorem states that aggregate excess demand functions can take any form, implying that general equilibrium theory has no predictive power at the aggregate level. However, Brown and Matzkin's work shows that general equilibrium theory can generate testable restrictions on the equilibrium manifold, which can be used to test the theory.
Police misuse face recognition technology, leading to wrongful arrests, and ignoring protocols. The technology is too invasive and a liability in law enforcement hands, prompting calls for a ban.
Content creators should own and host their own platforms to avoid risks of proprietary platforms disappearing or changing rules. Migrating audiences to owned spaces like blogs and email lists is crucial for mitigating these risks.
Toshiba Corporation released the Visicom COM-100 in 1978, a color version of the RCA Studio II console with a unique color system and four displayable colors. The Visicom had built-in educational games, detachable joypads, and a few exclusive cartridges, including Sumo Wrestling and a slot machine game, showcasing Toshiba's attempt to enter the Japanese video game market.
A hacker extracted Bambu Lab's X1-series 3D printer certificate and private key from the Bambu Connect app. This could allow third-party software to communicate with Bambu Lab printers, forcing the company to reevaluate its security approach.
The article discusses implementing data structures in C, specifically a string-to-string map, using a bump allocator, counted strings, and a 4-ary trie, and compares them to their C++ equivalents. It also covers string manipulation, dynamic arrays, and using Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) to seed the hash for security.
TikTok’s CEO used to work for Mark Zuckerberg as a Facebook intern. Just one decade later, he’s become one of Meta’s fiercest competitors
The text discusses "calculator forensics," a method to identify a calculator's chip set and technology spread among manufacturers. It involves reviewing documentation, observing physical attributes, and analyzing embedded algorithms.
Games Workshop, a UK company, started from humble beginnings in 1975 and is now one of the UK's top 100 companies with £126.8m profit. It has expanded into licensing, video games, and TV series, including a deal with Amazon for Warhammer adaptations.
Meta spent a record $7.6 million on lobbying in the first quarter, focusing on homeland security and election integrity. The company's efforts may be linked to the proposed TikTok ban, which is advancing through Congress.
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The user analyzed the Redis commands DEL and UNLINK, finding that UNLINK is not always non-blocking as previously believed, but instead calculates the deallocation cost of an object and sends it to the background queue if it's too expensive. The user dug into the Redis codebase and found that UNLINK uses a two-phase linking mechanism and calculates the cost of deleting an object before ...
Scientists have proposed a new "kiss and capture" theory for how Pluto and its moon Charon formed, where they collided and briefly merged before separating. This theory challenges previous ideas and suggests Pluto may have secured Charon through a massive impact billions of years ago.
President Biden warned of a tech-industrial complex threatening US democracy, citing Elon Musk's growing power and influence. Democrats have largely enabled the tech oligarchy's rise through subsidies, tax breaks, and favorable policies, and must now take action to curb its excesses.
OpenAI is expected to announce a breakthrough in AI that unleashes super-agents capable of complex human tasks. This advancement could replace human workers, particularly mid-level software engineers, and push generative AI from a tool to a true replacement for human workers.
Horizontal AI products will eventually outperform vertical AI products due to their ability to leverage more general approaches and improve with each model release. Vertical AI products will struggle to maintain their market position once horizontal alternatives become viable.
A paper in MDPI's Logistics journal contained obvious nonsense, including descriptions of tomatoes as "creatures" and "homegrown creatures." The journal's editorial process was criticized for failing to catch the errors, with reviewers and editors seemingly unaware of the issues.
Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein was inspired by her personal life, particularly the mysterious suicide of her half-sister Fanny Imlay. Fanny's death, along with other family tragedies, influenced the themes of motherhood and responsibility in the novel.