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Una caída masiva de RedSys deja sin servicio de tarjetas de crédito a buena parte de España:
A mysterious technical failure has caused Visa and Mastercard credit card services to be unavailable at various businesses and restaurants across a significant portion of the country. This issue has generated confusion among merchants and hospitality providers, as they are unable to process charges. The problem appears to have originated from a RedSys service at 1:10 pm, affecting cash registers, mobile devices, in-store payments, and even the Bizum payment service. Banks have been receiving complaints from users, pointing towards RedSys as the epicenter of the issue. The service failure occurred during a critical time for consumption, just before Black Friday, which marks the peak of annual consumption. Additionally, it happened on Saturday afternoon, close to lunchtime when many people were completing their purchases or grabbing something at bars and restaurants. RedSys, as a payment processing platform, serves as an intermediary between banks and buyers to ensure transaction security. More than 50 Spanish financial institutions are adhered to the Redsys platform, meaning that this type of problem affects the entire payment system in Spain.
Chaos in Spain after payment card network crash:
The payment card network in Spain experienced a crash yesterday, causing chaos for several hours as people were unable to make payments in supermarkets and restaurants. The incident likely led to financial losses for many Spanish businesses, highlighting the importance of decentralized blockchain networks for the future of payments.
The article discusses the challenges in unit testing and suggests adopting the classicist style for better results. It recommends writing tests from outside in, not isolating code when testing it, always having a red test, and considering trade-offs between quality assurance, refactor resistance, and fast feedback loops. Additionally, the article mentions alternative testing pyramids like the Honeycomb and The Testing Trophy.
This article provides an overview of the UNIGE 14×050 Deep Learning course offered at the University of Geneva in Switzerland, which offers a comprehensive introduction to deep learning using the PyTorch framework. The course covers topics such as machine learning objectives and main challenges, tensor operations, automatic differentiation, gradient descent, and various deep-learning specific techniques. Additionally, the article includes links to slides, recordings, and a virtual machine for the course.
The article discusses how modern technology is constantly evolving, leaving behind various devices and inventions that were once considered cutting-edge. The author shares personal experiences with outdated technologies such as short-wave radios, speaking tubes, telephone plug adaptors, and answering machines. They also reflect on the idea of what could have been in terms of transportation, such as express mailbag retrieval systems for trains and slip-coach inventions. The article ultimately highlights that modern technology is ever-changing and leaves a trail of outdated but once innovative devices behind it.
Suddenly, I Understand Software:
The article summarizes an epiphany experienced by the author after listening to a podcast and reading two papers related to programming and theories as defined by Gilbert Ryle. It explains that being a programmer involves building „Theories“ in the Ryle sense, which are mental constructs of code bases that allow for creation, diagnosis, modification, and understanding of software. This concept helps explain various phenomena such as why legacy code is difficult to maintain, why solo engineers can outperform teams, and the challenges faced when working with unfamiliar projects or outsourcing work. The author emphasizes the importance of retaining software engineers who have developed a comprehensive theory of a given program for its continued success and maintenance.
Tipping once rewarded good service. Now it determines how consumers are treated:
A recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that around 75% of adults consider the quality of service they receive when deciding whether and how much to tip. However, consumers are increasingly being asked to tip in advance, which has raised concerns about tipping becoming a form of bribery. Doordash warns customers that custom tips may influence order delivery time, while Instacart allows shoppers to choose from available batches based on expected customer tips. The trend towards „tip creep“ is leading to „tip fatigue,“ with 67% of Americans expressing a negative view of tipping.
“Parental controls? What parental controls?” – Gabriel Sieben:
The article discusses the shortcomings of various parental control systems available on different ecosystems and devices such as Windows 11, MacOS/iOS, Nintendo Switch, and router-based filtering. These limitations include incomplete features, loopholes, bugs, complicated designs, privacy invasions, and more. The author argues that if users don't want Congress to regulate the internet for children's protection, they should demand better parental control solutions from companies.
Resuming the transition to Manifest V3 - Chrome for Developers:
In December last year, Google decided to pause the deprecation of Manifest V2 to address developer feedback and provide better solutions for migration issues. Following this decision, they have improved Manifest V3 by introducing Offscreen Documents, providing better control over service worker lifetimes, and adding a new User Scripts API. With these changes in place, Google has seen an increase in support for Manifest V3 among extension developers. As a result, they are resuming the deprecation timeline. Manifest V2 extensions will be disabled in pre-stable versions of Chrome as early as June 2024 and will lose their Featured badge in the Chrome Web Store if they currently have one.
5 red flag questions to ask in a Linux interview – Diary of a SysAdmin:
This article discusses the importance of finding a balance between nimble, adaptable environments and stable production systems in an organization. It highlights that most large organizations have legacy infrastructure, such as Perl scripts from the early 2000s. The push toward web apps can be seen as a positive indicator. However, it's important to consider whether homemade configuration tools are being used, and whether there is apprehension towards containers. KubeVirt is mentioned as an example of a tool that allows for the running of VMs on platforms like Kubernetes.
The article advocates for a balanced approach involving bare metal, some virtual machines (VMs), and a container orchestration system like Kubernetes or Nomad. It also emphasizes the importance of having a consistent Linux kernel version across the organization to avoid instability, while still allowing for exceptions when necessary. A red flag is the presence of multiple different distributions in the environment without a clear reason.
UnitedHealth uses AI model with 90% error rate to deny care, lawsuit alleges:
UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurance company in the US, is allegedly using an AI algorithm to make coverage decisions for Medicare Advantage Plan patients, resulting in denials of critical health coverage for elderly individuals. The lawsuit filed against UnitedHealth argues that the use of this flawed AI algorithm is causing harm and denying needed care to patients.
30 Bits of Advice for 30 Years:
The article shares advice on life and personal development collected from various sources. It covers topics such as communication skills, empathy, goal setting, personal growth, teamwork, finance management, and more. Some specific insights include the importance of treating others with kindness, focusing on stories rather than facts, maintaining an open mindset, and surrounding yourself with passionate individuals.
Uruguay has been powering its economy with renewable sources for nearly four months, with wind being the main contributor. The country aimed to reduce its reliance on volatile imported oil and gas by using solar, wind, water, and biomass waste resources. This led to a $6 billion investment in clean energy over five years, resulting in significant cost reductions and job creation while also making Uruguay a net exporter of electricity.
"Assassin's Creed Nexus VR" angespielt: Frischer Wind für eine alte Formel:
Assassin's Creed Nexus VR is a virtual reality (VR) game exclusive to Meta Quest that transitions the stealth action from open-world settings into manageable areas explored from a first-person perspective. This adaptation provides an immersive experience, allowing players to leap from high vantage points with outstretched arms to avoid landing on real-life coffee tables. The game offers free movement and optional teleportation, along with visual indicators to help alleviate vertigo. Although the stealth and combat mechanics sometimes require careful navigation of rooftops and obstacles, the game provides a satisfying experience for fans of the franchise. Assassin's Creed Nexus VR is available for Quest 2, 3, and Pro users since November 16th, 2023.
The Lack of Compensation in Open Source Software is Unsustainable:
In the article, the author discusses their experience as a software engineer and a computer programmer by hobby and passion. They mention the challenges faced by open source software (OSS) maintainers due to „Maintainer burnout“ and suggest that compensation for OSS developers should be based on contributions made to projects with high usage. The author also suggests that companies using OSS should contribute financially or through developer time to support these open-source projects.
Chrome Users Beware: Manifest V3 is Deceitful and Threatening:
Manifest V3, an upcoming update to Google Chrome's web browser extensions, has been criticized for potentially hindering privacy efforts, security, and performance. Privacy advocates argue that Manifest V3 will limit the capabilities of extensions designed to monitor or block certain online activities. While Google claims this update is a step towards improving user experience and privacy, it remains uncertain if Mv3 will effectively address these concerns. It is worth noting that Firefox has also announced plans to adopt Mv3 for cross-browser compatibility.
Donald Trump poses the biggest danger to the world in 2024:
The article suggests that a Trump victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election is becoming increasingly likely and has significant consequences for both America and the world. If elected, Trump would prioritize economic protectionism, which could result in higher prices for Americans. His foreign policy decisions may not align with American values or long-term interests, as he might abandon support for allies like Ukraine and NATO while pursuing deals that benefit his political standing. The election will have global implications on American moral authority and the stability of international relations.
There are two types of work: planned and unplanned. Planned work involves tasks organized and scheduled ahead of time, while unplanned work consists of issues and emergencies that appear unexpectedly. Unplanned work can be challenging to manage due to its unpredictable nature, but there are strategies and tools available to help systematically manage it. Linear, a project management tool, focuses on making the unplanned work process more efficient through integrations with various platforms and features like Triage for centralizing unplanned work.
Migrating to OpenTelemetry | Airplane:
Airplane has migrated most of its observability data generation and collection to the OpenTelemetry (OTel) standard. This switch has allowed them to collect data more reliably from various places, connect easily with different vendors, and better monitor and control costs. OTel unifies logs, metrics, and traces, offers vendor agnosticism, strong library support for common programming languages, and simplifies the migration process. However, some challenges were faced in instrumenting applications and refining metrics-related functionality of SDKs. Overall, Airplane has been pleased with the OTel-oriented observability stack and its advantages for data collection and cost savings.
How moving from AWS to Bare-Metal saved us 230,000$ /yr.:
In the constantly evolving world of technology, businesses are always looking for ways to optimize their operations and reduce costs. One such journey involved moving from Amazon Web Services (AWS) to bare-metal infrastructure. This change provided greater control over resources and led to substantial financial savings. To ensure uninterrupted service when the public cloud went down, a dedicated data center was necessary. By transitioning to bare-metal in a colocation facility, independence and technological benefits were achieved.
The company used Kubernetes on AWS initially but later shifted to Microk8s cluster in a colocation facility for better cost efficiency. The decision to move to bare-metal servers allowed them to control resources effectively. This transition resulted in financial savings of over $230,000 per year.
Considerations include backups, multi-location clusters, backup clusters, server admins, Microk8s use, and Kubernetes flexibility. The conclusion highlights that while cloud services offer robust flexibility, bare-metal infrastructure might be more beneficial in terms of cost efficiency for certain enterprises.
US restaurants are struggling to find sufficient staff due to a current labor shortage, with workers leaving the industry owing to low pay, poor benefits, and lack of flexible working hours. However, Pollo Tropical, a Caribbean-food chain with 169 restaurants in Florida, has managed to almost reach normal staffing levels by increasing wages, improving benefits, offering sign-on bonuses for new employees, and providing additional perks at understaffed locations. Pollo Tropical plans to raise prices in December by up to 6% to cover the higher labor costs. The company claims that sales have been significantly higher in well-staffed restaurants.
Running Signal Will Soon Cost $50 Million a Year:
Signal has grown from a niche encrypted messaging app to a mainstream service with hundreds of millions of installs worldwide. The nonprofit organization behind the app, Signal Foundation, has published its operating costs for the first time, revealing an estimated $40 million in expenses this year and projected to rise to $50 million by 2025. The breakdown includes infrastructure ($14 million), staffing ($19 million), and feature engineering costs. Signal relies on donations from users to cover these costs, with small monthly contributions accounting for 25% of its budget. The organization remains focused on its mission to ensure private communication while calling attention to the anti-privacy practices in the tech industry.
PATTERNZ is a platform designed for national security agencies to detect audience patterns and user behavior using digital advertising data mining and analytics. It offers functional areas like detecting threats, tracking users, geo trapping, getting full user profiles, monitoring group activities, predicting suspicious behavior, worldwide coverage, real-time analysis, historical context, an exabyte big data warehouse, a PATTERNZ engine for surgical targeting, analyzing ad transactions to build user and app profiles, enabling full user profile access, and more. The platform can also integrate with mobile operator datasets for enriched user understanding and unique capabilities.
The thread discusses Patternz, a global mass surveillance tool that harvests digital advertising data on behalf of national security agencies. It is operated by an Israeli and or Singapore-based company and can track individuals' location history, home address, interests, and more through real-time bidding (RTB) in the digital advertising industry. The thread reveals links between Patternz and NUVIAD, a adtech firm, DSP, and consumer data broker based in Israel. It also mentions other firms that exploit advertising data for surveillance purposes, such as Ability Inc. and Sovereign Systems.
A mass surveillance system for national security based on advertising/RTB data:
This article discusses a mass surveillance system for national security that is based on advertising/RTB (Real-Time Bidding) data. The author, wchr, presents this idea as an alternative approach to traditional methods of collecting information for national security purposes. The proposal has garnered attention and received both praise and criticism from the community.
Good morning. This is a heartfelt message from Zandar's Dad announcing the passing of his son, Jonathan David Mott, who was known by the blogging name „ZandarVTS“. Zandar was passionate about justice and democracy, and his blog served as both his legacy and pride. The best way to honor his memory is by voting responsibly. If you'd like to donate, consider supporting the American Heart Association in Jonathan's name.
Taiwan serves as a shining example of innovation, finding ways to improve people's lives while preserving their dignity and privacy. Infrastructure in Taiwan demonstrates pragmatism, with simple reinforced concrete designs that prioritize function over form. The country also boasts an efficient transport system, including the Taipei Metro, which provides a high value for money to its citizens. Moreover, Taiwan has made significant progress in smart city technologies, utilizing big data and AI to generate real-time information while ensuring individual privacy is protected. However, challenges such as an aging population and geopolitical tensions remain obstacles to Taiwan's continued growth and development.
How to Build Trust as a New Engineering Manager:
As a new manager, it is important not to pretend to have all the answers or try to get everything right from the beginning. This approach can lead to a lack of authenticity, which contradicts trust-building. Instead, focus on earning your team's trust by being authentic and vulnerable, showing empathy towards their needs and concerns, and making decisions that are backed by logic. Regular one-on-ones with employees and actively engaging in their personal lives can help foster a sense of empathy. Moreover, acting quickly when your team members need support is crucial to maintaining trust and preventing small issues from escalating into bigger problems. Finally, remember that you are part of the team rather than its leader, so leave your ego at the door and focus on helping others succeed.
Full text: bin Laden's 'letter to America':
The article provides a detailed explanation and warning from an Islamic perspective in response to questions regarding the motivation behind attacks against American interests. It highlights historical instances where Muslims have been oppressed and victimized by Western powers, such as Palestine and Somalia, and challenges America's role as the „land of freedom.“ The author also criticizes American society for promoting immoral values and double standards in international relations. In conclusion, the author calls on Americans to adhere to Islamic principles, end their support for Israel and other oppressive regimes, and cease interfering in Muslim countries. They warn that if America does not heed these warnings, they will face a similar fate as previous oppressors and experience defeat at the hands of Muslims.
Interview: Warum im Gesundheitswesen ein großer Vertrauensverlust droht:
Mit Änderungen an der E-Patientenakte will die Politik mehr Patientendaten. Warum Änderungen an den Gesetzesvorhaben wichtig sind, erklart BfDI Prof. Kelber.
Die Bundesbeauftragter für den Datenschutz und die Informationssicherheit, Prof. Ulrich Kelber, kritisiert die geplanten Gesetze im Gesundheitswesen. Er befürchtet, dass diese Gesetze nicht genug Vertrauen bei den Patientinnen und Patienten aufrechterhalten und zu einer erhöhten Gefahr für Re-Identifikationsrisiken führen könnten. Stattdessen wird vorgeschlagen, die Datensicherheit der E-Patientenakte beizubehalten und zusätzlich sicherheitsniveaulose Zugangsmittel zur Telematikinfrastruktur und anderen Dienstleistungen im Gesundheitswesen zu erlauben.
Die Europäische Kommission arbeitet an Leitlinien zur Anonymisierung und Pseudonymisierung von Daten und hat bereits verschiedene Leitlinien veröffentlicht. Prof. Kelber ist jedoch der Meinung, dass eine stärkere Beteiligung von Datenschutzbeauftragten und Aufsichtsbehörden bei der Erarbeitung dieser Leitlinien vorteilhaft wäre, um ein ausreichendes Vertrauen in den Schutz der Daten zu gewährleisten.
Hardware-Bugs: Wie CPU-Hersteller Kunden täuschen und Sicherheit gefährden:
A short summary of the article is as follows: Since the Meltdown and Spectre CPU security flaws were discovered, it has become clear that processors have numerous flaws, some of which are dangerous. Despite this, manufacturers have not learned from these issues, as evidenced by recent vulnerabilities in Intel and AMD chips. The problem lies in how chip manufacturers handle cloud computing capabilities, and the promises they make about security. These issues have led to a loss of trust for cloud customers, who are now urging manufacturers to address these flaws more seriously. Researchers have found that CPU bugs can be exploited in ways that chip makers claim are impossible. Intel, for example, is accused of knowing about some CPU vulnerabilities but not sharing this information publicly. The author argues that for customers to trust the functionality and security of processors, manufacturers need to open up more about their inner workings and provide clearer documentation.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon: Chapter Guide & Plot Summary:
Yakuza: Like A Dragon is the seventh mainline installment in the popular Yakuza series and introduces a shift from brawler combat to turn-based. The new protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga, takes over for Kazuma Kiryu, with many new features and gameplay elements introduced as well. The game has 15 chapters, making it one of the longest in the series, and is the first game to introduce turn-based combat.
The article provides two related rules of thumb to improve code quality and performance. Firstly, consider moving an „if“ condition from within a function to its caller. This helps centralize control flow in a single function with complex branching logic while delegating actual work to straight line subroutines. Secondly, dissolve enumerations by pulling up matching conditions, making it easier to notice redundancies and dead conditions in the code. The article also discusses the performance benefits of handling batches of objects over individual entities. By adopting these practices, developers can improve both their code's readability and execution efficiency.
Give Up Seventy Percent Of The Way Through The Hyperstitious Slur Cascade:
The article discusses how words can become „slurs“ or offensive terms due to social pressures and changes in societal attitudes. It uses the word „Jap,“ which was originally not a slur, as an example of how language evolves over time. During World War II, negative emotions surrounding Japanese people led to the shortened form „Jap“ becoming associated with negativity. This resulted in some people avoiding its use altogether. The article argues that slurs are essentially hyperstitions - beliefs that become true if people believe them to be true. It provides several examples of words and phrases that have transformed from neutral terms into slurs due to societal changes and pressures.
While acknowledging the drawbacks of language evolving in this way, the author suggests joining cascades around 70% of the time, rather than at their beginning or end, as a compromise between principle and self-preservation. This approach allows individuals to push back against societal pressure while avoiding being too extreme or conformist.
The Religion of Science And Its Consequences.:
The article emphasizes the idea that science has become a de facto religion, with scientists serving as clergy. It discusses the use of the term „Science“ in the context of climate change, arguing that it denotes both an encapsulating terminology for climate research, implying an ethical component, denying scientists agency by attributing it to „The Science,“ and suggesting a consensus among scientists. The author asserts that technology is unpredictable and emphasizes the importance of human judgment in decision-making processes. They argue against mechanizing science and politics and stress the necessity for honest scientists to conduct their research transparently. Overall, the article highlights the potential issues arising from treating „Science“ as a religion and the need to maintain a clear separation between science and policy.
Feds Have No Idea How Many Times Cruise Driverless Cars Hit Pedestrians:
The article discusses the lack of awareness by the federal government about the number of incidents involving Cruise autonomous vehicles and pedestrians in San Francisco, due to an absence of a good method for collecting public complaints of unsafe driverless car driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is working on improving this issue.
Aufgeladen: Alpitronic über Ladesäulen und das Geschäft damit:
Alpitronic's Hypercharger electric vehicle charging stations have become popular due to their reliability, efficiency, modular design, user-friendly features, and competitive cost structure compared to other solutions on the market. The company's power stacks are built with an all-in-one system that reduces installation costs, while the use of water-glycol mixtures for cable cooling ensures simpler maintenance over time.
The new generation of power stacks will utilize silicon carbide (SiC) technology to further improve efficiency and reduce costs. The lifespan of Alpitronic's charging stations depends on factors such as usage patterns and thermal stress from repeated charge cycles, with the company operating its own laboratory for quality control purposes. Despite current challenges like high initial investment costs and limited public funding opportunities, there is an optimistic view on the future potential for electric vehicle charging stations in Germany due to increased demand from both private individuals and commercial fleets.
The article discusses Tim Berners-Lee's views on the Principle of Least Power, which emphasizes choosing solutions that are not the most powerful but the least complex. This allows for better analysis and manipulation of data. Berners-Lee proposes a corollary to this principle, known as Atwood's Law, stating that any application can eventually be written in JavaScript. The article suggests reading more of his philosophical points on web design and development for valuable insights from the inventor of the World Wide Web.
Silicon Valley’s worldview is not just an ideology; it’s a personality disorder.:
This article critiques Silicon Valley's ideology and its effects on society. It presents the ideology as hierarchical and extractive, with wealthy tech billionaires exploiting others for their own gain while undermining democracy and privacy. The author highlights several issues related to this ideology, including income inequality, destruction of independent media, and enabling autocrats. They also point out that the people who maintain the status of these tech billionaires are often overly subservient and complicit in their actions.
Companies With Flexible Remote Work Policies Outperform On Revenue Growth: Report:
A new report by Scoop and Boston Consulting Group reveals that companies with flexible remote work policies, allowing employees to choose whether or when they come into the office, have seen a 16% higher revenue growth over the past three years than companies with stricter in-office rules. The research analyzed data from 554 public companies and found that fully flexible policies lead to a 21% industry-adjusted revenue growth rate, while more restrictive policies resulted in just a 5% growth rate. Some argue that this increased productivity is due to the trust placed in employees, a pro-innovation company culture, and an emphasis on employee wellbeing.
The battle over right to repair is a fight over your car's data:
This article discusses how modern vehicles have grown „smarter,“ leading to a complex legal landscape surrounding the right to repair them, as well as issues of property rights, trade secrets, cybersecurity, data privacy, and consumer rights. Massachusetts voters approved an amendment in November 2020 that requires car manufacturers to provide access to vehicle mechanical data through an open-access telematics platform starting with the 2022 model year onwards. However, legal scholars emphasize that the right to repair must be balanced with ensuring safety and privacy for consumers.
AspNetCoreDiagnosticScenarios/AsyncGuidance.md at master · davidfowl/AspNetCoreDiagnosticScenarios:
The article „AspNetCoreDiagnosticScenarios“ is about a public repository that focuses on diagnostic scenarios for ASP.NET Core applications. It has been forked 700 times and starred 7,100 times as of 2023 by GitHub, Inc.
The O-Ring Theory of Economic Development is a theory proposed by Kremer in 1993, published in The Quarterly Journal of Economics. The article explores the concept of technology diffusion and its role in economic development through an analogy to the sealing system used in space shuttle missions: the O-ring. In this model, countries are compared to individual components in a technological network, with each country contributing unique knowledge or skills that can be combined for overall advancement.
The Architecture of Serverless Data Systems — Jack Vanlightly:
The article discusses the future of cloud data services, focusing on large-scale, multi-tenant systems like S3. It explores real-world serverless, multi-tenant data architectures to understand how different types of systems implement serverless MT. The author highlights various aspects such as disaggregated architectures with separated storage and compute, heat management, resource utilization, tenant isolation, and challenges faced by these systems. Additionally, the article covers specific system designs in groups based on their workload.
Life expectancy for men in U.S. falls to 73 years — six years less than for women, per study:
The article highlights a recent research published in JAMA Internal Medicine stating that life expectancy for men in the US is around six years shorter than that of women, due to factors such as over one million Covid-19 deaths and the worsening opioid epidemic. According to the study's author Brandon Yan, a resident physician at UCSF School of Medicine, baseline factors accounting for men's lower longevity like genetics or higher vulnerability to chronic disease are not the only reasons behind this life expectancy gap. Instead, other preventable causes such as mental health issues and chronic metabolic diseases should be considered as well. Furthermore, Yan notes that improvements in public health could potentially counter these problems better than just focusing on medical treatment alone.
Mechanism Behind Aspirin’s Protective Effect Against Colorectal Cancer Identified:
Colorectal cancer is the third most prevalent form of cancer globally, with over 1.9 million new cases and 900,000 deaths annually. Aspirin has emerged as a promising candidate for colorectal cancer prevention due to its demonstrated efficacy in reducing risk among patients with cardiovascular diseases. A team led by Professor Heiko Hermeking investigated the molecular mechanisms behind aspirin's effects on colorectal cancer cells, discovering that it induces the production of two tumor-suppressive microRNA (miRNA) molecules called miR-34a and miR-34b/c. Aspirin achieves this by activating the enzyme AMPK, which alters the transcription factor NRF2's activity to increase miR-34 gene expression. Furthermore, aspirin also suppresses c-MYC, a protein that would otherwise inhibit NRF2, leading to the miR-34 genes being crucial for aspirin's inhibitory effect on colorectal cancer cells. This study highlights aspirin's potential therapeutic application in cases where p53, a commonly inactivated tumor suppressor gene, is involved.
Inside the strange, secretive rise of the 'overemployed':
Overemployment has been on the rise since the pandemic among professionals like Bryan Roque who have seized on the privacy provided by remote work to secretly take on two or more jobs, multiplying their paychecks without working much more than a standard 40-hour workweek. This phenomenon is not only culturally taboo but also considered a fireable offense that could expose the cheaters to a lawsuit if they're caught. The overemployed community includes some 300,000 members on Discord and Reddit who celebrate each other's successes, commiserate on their failures, and swap secrets for fooling their bosses.
What's driving social justice ideology? The US and UK compared:
The British Election Study (BES) and the American National Election Study (ANES) have enabled analysis of the demographic and economic drivers of social justice ideology. Researchers found that in Britain, age seems to be the key predictor, with younger voters being more sympathetic, while in the US, sex appears to be the key factor, with female voters leaning more towards social justice values. Education does not seem to play a major role. In both countries, analysis of left-liberal positions on traditional liberal issues revealed interesting results, suggesting that support for social justice values follows its own distinct pattern rather than being part of the typical liberal-authoritarian dimension. Further research is needed to better understand the drivers of these ideologies and their potential long-term consequences.
Google is announcing enhanced protections for Android developers publishing apps to the Google Play Store. The updated rules include requiring new developers with personal accounts to test their app on a minimum of 20 people for at least two weeks before publication and increasing investments in the app review process. This decision follows recent efforts by Google to keep low-quality and unsafe apps out of its app store, such as launching real-time app scanning features to combat malicious apps.
Privacy Win: EU Parliament Decides That Your Private Messages Must Not Be Scanned!:
The European Parliament has decided to remove chat control requirements and safeguard secure encryption in response to widespread opposition from technology experts, security researchers, and citizens across Europe. This decision comes after a historic agreement on the EU Commission's Child Sexual Abuse Regulation (CSAR). Patrick Breyer, Member of the EU Parliament, has stated that the new version of chat control does not deserve its surveillance-focused moniker anymore. Instead, it will focus on protecting children from abuse and exploitation online while ensuring citizens' right to privacy is upheld. Although this decision is a victory for digital freedom and democratic values in Europe, the fight against chat control continues as governments may still push for more general surveillance measures.
The article discusses concerns about using crates.io, a language-specific repository for Rust code. It argues that having a single point of failure such as this can lead to vulnerabilities and disruptions if the service is compromised or unavailable. The author suggests looking into alternative means of obtaining libraries, like those provided by Linux distributions like Debian. This offers more resilience against possible malicious actions and provides an independent curatorial role that increases security.
Car Dealers Are Stopping Customers From Buying EVs:
A recent article from The Washington Post claims that many U.S. car dealers are uninformed about electric vehicles (EVs) and do not seem enthusiastic about learning more about them. Customers report being redirected to gas cars or receiving incorrect information about EVs. This lack of preparedness by dealerships could pose a significant problem given their role in selling the majority of new cars, with the Biden Administration aiming for two-thirds of new car sales in the U.S. to be electric by 2032.
The Linux kernel scheduler plays a vital role in allocating time slices of a few milliseconds to run applications on single-core or multi-core systems. Over the years, the number of cores increased and reached a state where baseline servers have 128 cores per CPU. However, this system is hardcoded for maximum 8 cores, which can cause performance issues with modern systems. Recently, it was discovered that Linux kernel scheduler has been accidentally hardcoded to eight cores for the past 15 years, causing problems when handling more significant core counts. To improve this, changes may be necessary in the future.
footgun - Wiktionary, the free dictionary:
The term 'footgun' is a programming slang term referring to any feature that, when added to a product, results in the user causing harm or hindrance to themselves. It is commonly used humorously and derogatorily.
Opinion What if climate change meant not doom — but abundance?:
The article suggests a different perspective on climate change, arguing that instead of viewing it as a source of doom and austerity, it could be seen as an opportunity for abundance. It proposes rethinking wealth and what truly matters to us, such as joy, beauty, friendship, community, closeness to nature, good food production, security in our environments and societies, confidence in the future, and time for creative pursuits. The author encourages a shift in perspective from one of helplessness and guilt to one of action and positive change.
Why You Shouldn't Make Friends at Work:
This article highlights the importance of building professional relationships at work rather than forming friendships. It emphasizes that recent studies show relationships with coworkers are not as important for job satisfaction and suggests focusing on contributing value, avoiding drama, and maintaining clear boundaries between friends and co-workers. The author provides three creative strategies to avoid falling into the trap of making work friendships: (1) not getting caught in workplace drama; (2) keeping clear boundaries between real friends and coworkers; and (3) building a network of professional relationships at work. These strategies can help individuals maintain focus on their career goals, increase job satisfaction, and foster positive work environments.
Werbung: Kartellbehörde prüft Pläne zur IP-Verschleierung in Chrome:
Google's plan to hide Chrome users' IP addresses to protect them from tracking has been met with strong disapproval from advertisers. A lobby group of advertisers, Movement for an Open Web (MOW), has filed a complaint with the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Google's plan involved using special proxy servers to protect user IP addresses and provide privacy. Apple is also testing a similar feature called Intelligent Tracking Protection in its Safari browser. MOW previously filed a complaint against Google's plans to phase out third-party cookies, which were delayed due to competition concerns and technical workarounds.
Active Listening, a feature offered by CMG, allows businesses to target their advertising towards specific clients or customers based on the keywords they use in daily conversations. By analyzing past client data and identifying top performing keywords related to a desired customer profile, CMG creates buyer personas and an evergreen audience list for re-targeting purposes across multiple platforms. This technology provides real-time insights into when potential clients are in the market for specific services, giving businesses a competitive advantage.
This inside-out design solves most of the rotary engine’s problems:
LiquidPiston has developed a new rotary engine design aimed at addressing issues like oil-burning apex seals, which have hindered the widespread adoption of traditional rotary engines. Their High Efficiency Hybrid Cycle (HEHC) technology combines features from other cycles and adapts them to improve efficiency and power density. The company has demonstrated their engine in various applications, including uncrewed aerial vehicles for the US military and a portable generator. They are currently working on productionizing their technology for commercial markets with plans to deliver to the Department of Defense in around two years and eventually enter broader commercial markets afterwards.
Sustainability in the tech world often gets overlooked, but true environmental stewardship necessitates considering the lifecycle and energy consumption of devices. The Verge explores how key aspects of our lives, from devices to food, transportation, and housing can be transformed for a more sustainable future. True sustainability requires taking action now, as the planet faces uncertain climate change scenarios.
URL explained - The Fundamentals:
This article discusses the syntax and use of URLs, along with the differences between URI, URL, URN, and URC. A URL is an example of a URI, which identifies anything logical or physical. URLs specify where a resource is available and how to access it. URIs are the superset of URLs, URNs (Uniform Resource Name), and URCs (Uniform Resource Characteristic). The article also covers various aspects such as host, domain, port, path, query, fragment, and differences between absolute and relative URLs, providing examples for each.
Tragedy of Return to Hostile Offices - Benji's Blog:
In summary, this article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of remote or office work, emphasizing that different environments can be more suited to certain teams or individuals. It urges organizations not to impose return-to-office mandates without considering how it might affect a team's effectiveness or culture. Instead, organizations should help their teams discover the best way to work together based on individual preferences and constraints. The article also highlights the importance of continuous improvement and finding ways to enhance collaboration within a team.
To Free The Baltic Grid, Old Technology Is New Again:
The Baltic countries Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are accelerating a plan to cut their electrical connections with Russia. This move is essential as the Baltic states work towards fully synchronizing with Europe's electrical grid by the end of 2025. One crucial component in this process is the installation of synchronous condensers, which act like airbags for the power grid, providing frequency regulation, short circuit power, and voltage support to stabilize system voltage and prevent outages. The European Union has funded the necessary upgrades to enable this separation from Russia's electricity grid. However, challenges include delays in completing a second link with Poland and ensuring that these countries can remain resilient against potential cyberattacks or sabotage attempts by Russia.
Hacking Google Bard - From Prompt Injection to Data Exfiltration · Embrace The Red:
Google Bard recently received updates that added extensions allowing the AI to access various platforms such as YouTube, flight and hotel searches, and personal documents. This feature now enables Bard to analyze untrusted data and makes it susceptible to Indirect Prompt Injection attacks. Researchers have discovered that it is possible to exfiltrate chat history via rendering of images and bypass Google's Content Security Policy. The issue was reported on September 19th, 2023, and fixed shortly after. This vulnerability highlights the potential dangers of Indirect Prompt Injection attacks and stresses the importance of continually monitoring and addressing security concerns in AI-powered applications such as Google Bard.
Tell HN: LinkedIn has one of the worst dark patterns I have seen on the web:
The article discusses LinkedIn's Sign Out button issue, where selecting it results in a modal with two options - „Remember and sign out“ and „Sign out“. The former option keeps your session active while the latter is grayed out and requires further information. This is considered growth hacking gone out of control, leading to an inconvenient user experience.
Ubuntu Pro Shenanigans – IntelTechniques Blog:
This article discusses concerns about Ubuntu's new Pro feature and update restrictions for those who do not subscribe to the service. Despite alarming warnings in Ubuntu's software updater, it is confirmed that regular security updates are still available, and there is no need to use Ubuntu Pro until 2032. The author recommends against attaching Ubuntu Pro to investigative virtual machines and suggests removing unnecessary warnings from the system using a particular command.
principles are products of practice, not the reverse:
The article discusses the debate between practical ergonomics and adhering to platform principles in web development. It highlights that innovations often arise from real-world successes rather than theory-based learning, emphasizing that success should guide the creation of new best practices and standards. The author encourages developers to prioritize ergonomic profits over strict adherence to existing principles and suggests a need for policy makers to remain connected with the constantly evolving market.
80er Jahre Kult - Musik, Mode, TV-Serien und mehr entdecken! - Seite 2 von 2:
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Is capitalism dead? Yanis Varoufakis thinks it is – and he knows who killed it:
Yanis Varoufakis' new book Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism answers his late father's question on whether the internet has made capitalism impossible to overthrow or if it exposes its weaknesses. In this book, he argues that we no longer live in a capitalist society; rather, capitalism has transformed into a form of technologically advanced feudalism. Traditional capitalists have become „vassal capitalists“ as they rely on the new Big Tech companies to generate wealth through digital platforms and new forms of algorithmic capital. Varoufakis suggests that this transformation is fueled by quantitative easing from central banks, which led to an environment where profit became optional and loss-making technology companies focused on building up their cloud capital. This has created a world where markets are being replaced by digital platforms and central bank money displaced private profits as the fuel that drives the global economy's engine.
Diamonds Suck! A Personal Essay on the Virtues of Moissanite and Why You Should NEVER Buy a Diamond:
The article is about an individual's experience in researching diamonds and the diamond industry before deciding to buy a moissanite engagement ring instead of a diamond one. The author shares his findings on the differences between moissanite and diamonds, highlighting that moissanite has superior properties such as cut, color, clarity, durability, fire, brilliance, and cost. The article also discusses the issues with the diamond industry, including its inflated pricing and connection to conflict diamonds. Additionally, the article suggests reasons why moissanite is a better choice for engagement rings compared to diamonds.
Don’t waste money on a math coprocessor they said;:
In this article, the author shares their experience with running old MS-DOS based games on an early version of OS/2, specifically version 6.123 on a PS/2 model 80 computer. The author initially encountered difficulties in running the game „BattleTech“ and suspected that the system was lacking a math coprocessor. After acquiring a math coprocessor (ITT 80387), they found that OS/2 6.123 now runs smoothly without any issues. The author ponders whether the presence of the coprocessor improved signaling and system stability, or if it somehow sidestepped problems with a specific bug in 32-bit math.
The Porsche Design System is an open-source project that offers UXI guidelines and pattern-based web components to develop user-friendly, consistent digital products for Porsche. Marcel Bertram of Porsche's Digital Marketing UI/UX team discusses the decision to release it as an open-source project and their experiences in doing so.