The mysterious black fungus from Chernobyl that may eat radiation
The article discusses a mysterious black fungus found growing in the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, which appears to have the ability to consume radiation. Researchers are investigating the fungus's potential applications in radiation remediation and shielding.
Petition to formally recognize open source work as civic service in Germany
The petition calls for the recognition of open-source work as volunteer work in Germany, allowing contributors to open-source projects to benefit from tax advantages and social security benefits typically granted to volunteers.
Show HN: Glasses to detect smart-glasses that have cameras
Hi! Recently smart-glasses with cameras like the Meta Ray-bans seem to be getting more popular. As does some people's desire to remove/cover up the recording indicator LED. I wanted to see if there's a way to detect when people are recording with these types of glasses, so a little bit ago I started working this project. I've hit a little bit of a wall though so I'm very much open to ideas!
I've written a bunch more on the link (+photos are there), but essentially this uses 2 fingerprinting approaches: - retro-reflectivity of the camera sensor by looking at IR reflections. mixed results here. - wireless traffic (primarily BLE, also looking into BTC and wifi)
For the latter, I'm currently just using an ESP32, and I can consistently detect when the Meta Raybans are 1) pairing, 2) first powered on, 3) (less consistently) when they're taken out of the charging case. When they do detect something, it plays a little jingle next to your ear.
Ideally I want to be able to detect them when they're in use, and not just at boot. I've come across the nRF52840, which seems like it can follow directed BLE traffic beyond the initial broadcast, but from my understanding it would still need to catch the first CONNECT_REQ event regardless. On the bluetooth classic side of things, all the hardware looks really expensive! Any ideas are appreciated. Thanks!
A Tale of Four Fuzzers
The article discusses the use of four different fuzzers (AFL, Honggfuzz, Libfuzzer, and Radamsa) in finding vulnerabilities in software. It compares the effectiveness and performance of these fuzzers, providing insights into their strengths and weaknesses for software testing and security research.
Tech Titans Amass Multimillion-Dollar War Chests to Fight AI Regulation
https://archive.is/j1XTl
Pocketbase – open-source realtime back end in 1 file
PocketBase is an open-source backend solution that combines a database, API, and admin panel. It aims to provide a simple and efficient way to build and deploy applications with a focus on ease of use and developer productivity.
Moss: a Rust Linux-compatible kernel in 26,000 lines of code
Moss is an open-source, production-ready, and configuration-driven API gateway that simplifies the management and deployment of microservices. It offers features such as load balancing, authentication, and rate limiting to help developers build and scale their applications efficiently.
EU Council Approves New "Chat Control" Mandate Pushing Mass Surveillance
The European Union Council has approved a new 'chat control' mandate, which will expand the mass surveillance of online communications under the guise of protecting children from sexual abuse. This move has raised concerns over privacy and civil liberties.
A Repository with 44 Years of Unix Evolution
The article explores the evolution of the Unix operating system, highlighting its historical development, key features, and influential role in shaping modern computing and software engineering practices.
A Remarkable Assertion from A16Z
The article discusses a controversial claim made by the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) about the future of technology, suggesting that the next major breakthroughs will come from specialized hardware rather than general-purpose computing platforms.
The three thousand year journey of colchicine
The article explores the history and evolution of the book, tracing its journey from clay tablets to modern digital formats. It examines how the book has adapted to technological changes and remained a enduring cultural artifact.
A trillion dollars (potentially) wasted on gen-AI
This article discusses the impact of the $1 trillion in student loan debt in the United States, highlighting the significant burden it places on individuals and the broader economy, and the need for policy solutions to address this growing issue.
How to make precise sheet metal parts (photochemical machining) [video]
Switzerland: Data Protection Officers Impose Broad Cloud Ban for Authorities
The Swiss data protection authorities have imposed a broad ban on the use of cloud services by government agencies, citing concerns over data sovereignty and privacy. The move aims to ensure that sensitive government data is stored and processed within Switzerland's borders, rather than being sent to cloud providers based in other countries.
Tiger Style: Coding philosophy (2024)
TigerStyle is a personal blog and portfolio website that showcases the author's background, skills, and projects. The site provides a glimpse into the creator's diverse interests and experiences in the technology industry.
Open (Apache 2.0) TTS model for streaming conversational audio in realtime
The article discusses the Dia2 project, an open-source data integration and analytics platform that enables users to connect various data sources, transform and enrich data, and build custom analytics and visualization applications.
Same-day upstream Linux support for Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
Qualcomm has announced same-day upstream Linux support for its upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 platform, providing developers with early access to the latest hardware and enabling them to optimize their applications for the new platform.
Vsora Jotunn-8 5nm European inference chip
Jotunn 8 is a high-performance AI inference accelerator designed for edge computing applications. The article highlights the accelerator's key features, including low power consumption, high throughput, and support for multiple deep learning frameworks.
OS Malevich – how we made a system that embodies the idea of simplicity (2017)
The article chronicles the development of the Hub OS Malevich, a smart home platform created by Ajax Systems. It highlights the company's vision, the key features of the platform, and how it aims to revolutionize the smart home experience.
How to use Linux vsock for fast VM communication
The article discusses the use of Linux VSOCK, a mechanism for fast communication between virtual machines (VMs) and the host operating system. It explains the advantages of VSOCK over traditional socket-based communication, such as low latency and simplicity of implementation.
How Charles M Schulz created Charlie Brown and Snoopy (2024)
The article explores the life and work of Charles M. Schulz, the creator of the iconic 'Peanuts' comic strip, highlighting how he drew from his own experiences to develop the beloved characters of Charlie Brown and Snoopy.
A fast EDN (Extensible Data Notation) reader written in C11 with SIMD boost
The edn.c project is a C library that provides a high-performance implementation of the Clojure EDN data format, allowing for efficient serialization and deserialization of structured data in C applications.
Beads – A memory upgrade for your coding agent
The article describes the process of creating beads from recycled materials, such as plastic bottles and cardboard, as a sustainable alternative to traditional bead-making. It outlines the steps involved in designing, cutting, and assembling the beads, highlighting the potential for this craft to reduce waste and promote eco-friendly practices.
GitLab discovers widespread NPM supply chain attack
GitLab discovers a widespread supply chain attack targeting the npm package ecosystem, with malicious packages designed to steal sensitive information and gain unauthorized access to systems. The article details the investigation and steps taken by GitLab to address the issue and protect its users.
SQLite as an Application File Format
This article discusses the SQLite application file format, which is a simple and efficient way to store and retrieve data. It provides an overview of the file structure, including the header, pages, and data types, as well as the advantages of using the SQLite file format.
Implementing Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast on Linux Systems
The article discusses the implementation of Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast on Linux systems, highlighting the benefits of these technologies for improved audio quality and wireless connectivity in a variety of applications.
Cats became our companions way later than you think
The article discusses how scientists have discovered a new species of giant tortoise on the Galápagos Islands, providing evidence of the ongoing evolution and biodiversity of the region. The new tortoise species, Chelonoidis donfaustoi, is closely related to the famous Galápagos giant tortoise, but it has distinct genetic and morphological differences.
250MWh 'Sand Battery' to start construction in Finland
A 250MWh sand battery system is set to be built in Finland, designed to store energy for both heating and providing ancillary services to the grid. The project aims to demonstrate the viability of using sand as a low-cost, high-density storage medium for large-scale energy storage applications.
A programmer-friendly I/O abstraction over io_uring and kqueue (2022)
The article discusses a friendly abstraction over the underlying IO event handling mechanisms, namely iouring and kqueue, which are used in the TigerBeetle database to provide efficient and scalable I/O operations.
Quake Engine Indicators
The article explores the intricate indicators used in the classic game Quake to provide players with crucial information, such as health, armor, and ammunition levels, as well as the development of these indicators over the game's history.