Links für 2023 KW 47
Zusammengefasst von LlongOrca.
OpenAI: Sam Altman Exposes the Charade of AI Accountability:
The article discusses the recent events at OpenAI where co-founder Sam Altman was forced out by the board due to disagreements over AI safety and his outside interests in a new AI hardware venture. However, within a short period of time, Altman and another co-founder Greg Brockman were hired by Microsoft to lead their newly created in-house artificial intelligence division, causing many OpenAI employees to consider following them. The author suggests that this event has exposed the lack of true accountability at OpenAI and highlights how the power dynamics between a trailblazing founder and the board can quickly shift when the founder is highly popular and influential. Microsoft's acquisition of OpenAI without any financial investment or antitrust issues was also mentioned, further solidifying their position in AI technology. The author concludes by stating that while these events have exposed some weaknesses in the accountability structure at OpenAI, they are a mere ripple compared to potential existential risks posed by AI development.
Facial recognition technology is an invasive and dangerous surveillance tool that raises privacy and bias issues. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has pilots using facial recognition to confirm travelers' identities at airports, raising concerns about the potential long-term implications of using our face as our ID. EPIC has previously called for Congress to suspend TSA's use of facial recognition and supports the call by several Senators earlier this year for TSA to halt the technology's use. The risks associated with facial recognition include bias issues that disproportionately impact certain groups, a potential national ID controlled by the government, mission creep, and loss of control over our own identification.
My Free Speech Means You Have To Shut Up:
Elon Musk, CEO of Twitter and Tesla, has faced criticism due to his controversial tweets promoting anti-Semitic theories and bigotry. As a result, many advertisers withdrew their support from Twitter, causing Musk to argue that these actions are threatening free speech. However, it is important to recognize the difference between corporate values and the individual's right to free speech. Legally and philosophically, there is no basis for claims that companies must sponsor all forms of speech or that criticism infringes on free speech rights. Criticism of someone's speech does not equate censorship; rather, it allows for the open exchange of ideas and challenges to existing beliefs. The notion that „cancel culture“ is limiting free speech should be approached with nuance and specificity, focusing on the interests of all involved parties.
earth-2c-warming-threshold-passed-report:
Earth likely briefly passed a critical warming threshold on Friday and Saturday for the first time since the beginning of instrument records, according to data from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). The global average surface temperature was more than 2°C above preindustrial levels when compared with the 1991-2020 average. This indicates how quickly the planet is warming and some of the extremes that are now possible, but it's important to note this refers to a daily rather than an annual or long-term average temperature climb. The year has been record-shattering with the hottest month on record (September), each month since May setting monthly global temperature records, and heat waves scorching large parts of the globe. The issue is expected to be a key topic at the upcoming COP28 climate summit in Dubai.
In Summer 2023, I served as a summer instructor for Carnegie Mellon's functional programming course (15-150), which is typically the second or third course in their computer science undergraduate sequence. Functional programming is often considered a niche topic, but it is of utmost importance due to its safety-first approach and disciplined structure. The course materials are available online for free use and can be transformative for students' perspectives on computer science.
We’ve been fighting poverty all wrong:
Based on the information provided in this article, phase-ins are a feature of certain government assistance programs, such as the child tax credit (CTC) and the earned income tax credit (EITC), which have been widely criticized due to their exclusionary nature. Phase-ins adjust benefit levels based on income and can exclude millions in deep poverty from receiving benefits. The idea behind phase-ins is that giving full benefits to individuals without a job or other income would discourage work, but recent real-world evidence from the 2021 American Rescue Plan's expanded CTC suggests that this may not be the case.
The article explains how removing phase-ins from programs like the CTC resulted in historic child poverty reduction levels and cites statistics that show families using extra funds to cover basic needs rather than being disincentivized to work. Advocates of eliminating phase-ins argue that their removal can lead to significant anti-poverty effects, while opponents caution about potential long-term consequences on labor force participation rates.
The article highlights the success of a temporary, expanded CTC program in 2021 and its implications for discussions around guaranteed income policies. It also proposes extending this success to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) by removing phase-ins from both programs, which would likely further reduce child poverty rates.
The article raises questions about long-term employment effects and policy feedback loops in current welfare systems but stresses that recent evidence supports the case for eliminating phase-ins from government assistance programs.
Former Mozilla exec: Google has sabotaged Firefox for years:
A former high-ranking Mozilla executive, Johnathan Nightingale, has accused Google of intentionally sabotaging Firefox over the past decade to boost Chrome's adoption. The allegations involve introducing small bugs on Google sites that would only manifest for Firefox users, as well as other strategies to undermine Firefox's market position in the browser wars. Nightingale believes this is part of a coordinated plan from Google and not merely accidental occurrences. This accusation comes after another Mozilla Program Manager, Chris Peterson, accused Google of intentionally slowing down YouTube performance on Firefox in 2018.
The Bluffer’s Guide to The Mythical Man-Month:
This article highlights the importance of understanding historical perspectives in software development, specifically focusing on „The Mythical Man-Month“ by Fred Brooks. Key concepts discussed include Brooks' Law (adding more manpower to a late project makes it later), the challenges of software estimation, the trade-offs between quality and time, and the value of iteration in software development. The article emphasizes the need for careful planning, clear communication, setting realistic timelines, and iterative development to ensure successful software projects.
Data-Driven Development is a Lie:
The article discusses the limitations of Data-Driven Development (DDD) in Clojure programming. It highlights that DDD can be useful only in rare cases, not always as beneficial or effective as it may seem to newcomers and experienced developers alike. The author emphasizes maintaining simplicity and avoiding DSLs and complex frameworks like DDD. Instead, the article suggests using standard Clojure facilities such as functions and maps for better control over complexity and easier debugging.
YouTube artificially slows down video load times when using Firefox:
This article appears to be a discussion or conversation thread, with various users commenting and participating in the topic. It seems that the main theme is technology-related discussions. However, it's difficult to provide a short summary of this specific article without more context or information about the particular topic being discussed.
How can you define a 'drug'? Nobody really knows:
A medical drug is a substance used to treat or prevent diseases or improve one's health. Despite its centrality in medicine, it is difficult to define what constitutes a medical drug due to lack of common chemical properties and various ways they function within the human body. Various methods for defining drugs have been proposed but none seem ideal as they either exclude or include substances that aren't typically considered drugs. As a result, our understanding of what drugs are is evolving which may require constant adjustments in regulations and how substances like food should be treated.
The European Court recently ruled that Meta violated privacy regulations between 2018 and 2023 in their data collection practices for Europeans. In response, Meta announced an option for a personalized ad-free version of Facebook and Instagram for a fee. However, critics argue that this is an attempt to commodify the right to privacy, which is a fundamental human right. European users will have the choice to pay or accept personalized ads under these new conditions, but many question whether it's ethically justifiable for Meta to monetize personal data protection rights. Legal experts consider the GDPR as the ultimate authority on privacy regulations and argue that any alternative to personalized ads must be „necessary“ and free of charge.
A map of ATMs designed to scam tourists in Europe:
This is a long list of user comments and responses to various posts in an online discussion forum, with some users discussing the topic of AI language learning. There isn't enough context provided for me to summarize the article effectively. Please provide more information or the main points you'd like me to address.
Dorothy Bishop on the prevalence of scientific fraud:
Dorothy Bishop, a psychology researcher, has identified two main issues concerning scientific fraud: first, it appears to be more prevalent than most scientists recognize; second, the responsibility of investigating and combatting fraud should not solely lie with volunteers.
The article suggests that while fraudulent papers often do get caught, many researchers are unaware of just how extensive this problem is. Moreover, the increasing number of published studies which fail to replicate, as well as the rarity of major scientific discoveries, make it difficult for scientists to determine accurate and reliable findings.
Another issue highlighted in the article concerns the rise of fraudulent researchers to positions of authority. These individuals may manipulate their fraudulent work into high-ranking publications or even professorships, subsequently training a new generation of dishonest scientists while marginalizing those who seek honesty and integrity in scientific practice.
The current response from the scientific community has been seen as insufficient, with little attempt to proactively investigate fraudulent practices. Bishop believes that some researchers should be trained specifically to detect fraud, much like a police force would operate.
Ultimately, the article raises concerns about how extensive scientific publication flaws may interfere with scientific development and highlights the need for increased vigilance against fraudulent practices in order to maintain trustworthiness within the scientific community.
A curated list of engineering-related video games rated Very Positive or higher on Steam has been compiled. These games are divided into categories based on their relation to various types of engineering, such as civil, electrical, computer science, and more. The list includes popular titles like Desynced: Autonomous Colony Simulator, Learning Factory, and Factory Town.
The article discusses the claim „no one wants to work anymore“ and explains that it is not reality, but rather a way for employers to shift blame for poor customer service. It suggests this issue can be attributed to economic conditions and companies holding out on filling vacancies due to high labor costs. The author provides an example of their own experience with purchasing a suit in relation to the supply and demand principle.
The Myth of RAM, part I argues that thinking of a memory access as O(1) is generally a bad idea and should instead be considered taking O(N) time. The author provides a hand-wavy argument based on a benchmark, suggesting that accessing random memory is not an O(1) operation but rather O(N). This concept holds true both in theory and practice, as the time it takes to access random memory varies with the size of the operation.
> htmx ~ Why I Tend Not To Use Content Negotiation:
This article discusses the differences between Hypermedia APIs and Data (JSON) APIs, and why they should be separated instead of using content negotiation. It highlights various reasons such as versioning requirements, regularity and expressiveness in data APIs, token-based authentication, rate limiting, and hypermedia APIs' adaptability to user interface needs. The author suggests that splitting JSON and Hypermedia APIs into different paths or sub-domains enables stability, regularity, low maintenance for data APIs, and flexibility for Hypermedia APIs.
Friends Don't Let Friends Make Bad Graphs:
This article provides advice on good and bad practices in data visualization, emphasizing the importance of choosing appropriate types of visualizations for various data scenarios. Author Chenxin Li lists several types of data visualizations to avoid using and explains why they are not effective. These include bar plots for means separation, violin plots for small sample sizes, bidirectional color scales for unidirectional data, bar plot meadows, heatmaps without reordering rows and columns or checking outliers, forgetting to check data range at each factor level, network graphs without trying different layouts, confusion of position and length-based visualizations, pie charts and concentric donuts. The article also discusses the importance of checking for outliers in heatmaps and proper ordering and labeling of axes in bar plots with broken axis.
Average number of pulls per tower fall - r/dreadrpg:
This article discusses the author's desire to find statistics on Jenga or other Dread games, specifically the average number of pulls before the tower (or game) falls. The author has been following the rule book's recommendation of 3-6 pulls per scene for a good escalation in tension but is seeking more data or an average based on personal experience.
A Jenga Probability Distribution:
The article explains a mathematical approach to describing the game Jenga by calculating the probability distribution and average number of blocks removed per turn. The author formulates an equation for determining the number of free blocks as a function of time, and applies the gamma function to derive a solution that approximates the average number of blocks left to be moved on a row at any given time.
Why is 56k the fastest dialup modem speed?:
The term „56k“ in reference to internet dial-up service is actually not arbitrary but has historical roots. It comes from digitization techniques used for transmitting voice signals over phone networks, which were the basis of early digital communication systems. The engineers who designed these networks had to determine how much bandwidth was required to maintain voice quality and settled on approximately 3.2 kHz.
This was later built upon in 1962 when Ma Bell started using T-1s for connecting switching centers. Each T-1 is a digital communication link that transmits data at a speed of 56 kbit/s, which became the standard for dialup internet connections. However, due to control data and power output restrictions from the FCC, actual connection speeds rarely reach this figure.
This article argues that having more children may be the most important way to improve science, as it directly impacts economic growth. The article highlights the relationship between population growth and GDP per capita over time, citing examples of this correlation both within countries and across them. It also notes the decline in population growth rates globally, especially in wealthier nations. The author suggests that while metascience focuses on improving scientific institutions, addressing the issue of population growth may be a more effective strategy for promoting long-term economic growth and technological progress.
In July, a developer asked an AI chatbot to provide a dangerous spicy recipe for mayonnaise. The chatbot politely declined as it was considered inappropriate and potentially harmful. The growing concern over AI safety has driven companies such as OpenAI to limit their models' capabilities. However, there is now a counter-narrative that believes this push towards restrictions is too far. An ad hoc group of independent programmers has been building uncensored large language models trained not to deflect or refuse questions inappropriately. The tension between AI safety and its creativity potential continues to grow, as democratizing AI becomes increasingly important for its development.
Pythonicity - Composition vs. inheritance:
The article discusses the preference for composition over inheritance and delegation over single inheritance. It points out that Python does not support delegation well due to its lack of embedding or forwarding methods. Despite Python's duck-typing, there are cases where types must be subclassed for substitutability. The article provides examples of code implementing various approaches: one with direct inheritance and another with delegation. It argues that a simpler, more maintainable, and extensible solution could be achieved by using the inherited version and avoiding the complexity of delegation.
The Bond villain compliance strategy:
The article discusses how Binance, a major cryptocurrency exchange, has been fined over $4 billion by U.S. authorities for operating what they describe as the world's largest criminal conspiracy to launder money. This settlement resolves a long-running investigation involving various government agencies such as the Department of Justice, Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), and others. The U.S. government is now requesting that Binance install internal monitors to ensure compliance with laws wherever they operate. This whole situation has raised questions on how Bond villain tactics, which involve maintaining a low-profile presence while simultaneously engaging in illicit activities, have become widespread within the crypto industry.
Darktable : crashing into the wall in slow-motion:
The article is a critique of the Darktable software development process and its impact on usability and performance. It highlights several issues such as overcomplicated features, broken base functionality, and an increase in technical debt due to unstructured development practices.
The author discusses how the team's approach has led to a complex codebase that is difficult to maintain and debug, with many unnecessary options adding confusion for users. The article also touches on the lack of project management, which results in features being developed without proper planning or consideration for long-term maintenance costs.
The author further emphasizes the need for simplifying the software and prioritizing stability over constant feature addition. They express frustration with the team's refusal to address these issues and their decision to fork Ansel as a more focused, user-friendly alternative.
You Won’t Survive As Human Capital:
The article discusses the idea that we operate as human capital within the process of social reproduction, rather than being the masters or goals of this system. It also touches on how talents and abilities are quantified by large organizations like state bureaucracies and private corporations, while our personalities are conditioned in organized ways. The article then goes on to discuss some shortcomings of the underwriting assumptions within the technocratic paradigm and the potential for these institutions to face stagnation and decay due to contradictions.
The author argues that despite this dead end, the technocratic paradigm remains the null hypothesis of all thought and action. They also mention the case study of the Amish, who prioritize their spiritual vision in material terms, resulting in rapid expansion and significant growth. However, when the Amish deviate from the communal family farm model, they experience assimilation into modernity.
The author emphasizes that collective consciousness is the most important thing a community shares and that aligning economic incentives with social and biological ones is crucial for survival. They conclude by stating that our task should not be to preserve modernity or industrial society but to activate latent agency under the right conditions, ultimately shifting from one way of life to another in ways that magnify and increase our best traits.
‘What the heck is going on?’ Extremely high-energy particle detected falling to Earth:
Astronomers have detected a rare high-energy particle, named Amaterasu after the sun goddess in Japanese mythology, that has caused bafflement due to its origin in an apparently empty region of space, known as the Local Void. The particle is one of the highest-energy cosmic rays ever detected and has energies exceeding 240 exa-electron volts (EeV), which is millions of times more than particles produced in the Large Hadron Collider. Cosmic rays, such as Amaterasu and the Oh-My-God particle, are thought to come from violent celestial events, but tracing their origins is proving difficult due to an absence of discernable sources.
awesome-assistants/build/assistants.csv at main · awesome-assistants/awesome-assistants:
This article appears to be a code snippet or an incomplete message related to GitHub and the „awesome-assistants“ repository. It mentions forking and starring the project, but does not provide enough context or information about its content.
In November 2021, former US Representative Bob Barr wrote a column claiming that the $1 trillion infrastructure legislation included a controversial provision which would become effective in five years. This alleged „kill switch“ would mandate automobile manufacturers to install vehicle kill switches into every car, essentially monitoring driver performance and disabling cars if impairment is detected. Many fact-checkers have debunked this claim, but the actual language of the bill suggests that new motor vehicles must have a computer system designed to prevent or limit vehicle operation if the system detects impairment. This raises concerns about privacy and surveillance, as well as potential government overreach into individual freedom.
Snaps. Why? Please stop. - Linux Mint Forums:
This article discusses the pros and cons of using Snaps, Flatpak, and Appimage in Linux. The author highlights that traditional package managers like Apt are perfect for managing installed software and keeping it up to date. However, they express concerns over fragmentation caused by Snaps, which allow easy installation of 3rd party software. They ask for opinions on the matter, wondering if they might be wrong in their assessment.
Programming As a Career Isn’t Right for Me:
The article narrates the journey of a programmer from childhood, where they started programming in their teen years for fun, to adult life where they work as an employee in a large company with various processes and constraints. They discuss how the joy of coding has diminished over time due to corporate structures and requirements like writing maintainable code, documentation, and adhering to guidelines. Despite this, side projects bring back some of that initial enjoyment and excitement. The author concludes by expressing their desire to eventually transition from coding for others to personal fulfillment.
Apple joins Meta, TikTok in fight against Euro regulations:
The Court of Justice of the European Union has received four legal complaints from tech giants, including Apple, Meta, and TikTok, against Europe's decision to treat them as gatekeepers under the Digital Markets Act. These companies argue that they should not be subjected to such strict regulations due to their size or the nature of their operations. The DMA aims to ensure interoperability with competitors, data portability for users, and fairness in business practices. Breaking these rules could result in fines equal to 20% of worldwide turnover and other penalties such as breaking up empires or selling off divisions.
Lieferbetrug: Wie Amazon-Kunden zu Betrugsopfern werden:
The article discusses two cases where Amazon refused to refund customers for products not received, despite instances of counterfeit items being swapped in shipments. In both cases, the customers claimed they had ordered high-value products but instead received low-cost items such as power banks. Both customers complained about receiving the same responses from Amazon regarding their complaints. The article concludes by questioning whether other major online retailers face similar issues, suggesting that Amazon may be the only large platform affected by this type of fraud.
Microsoft-Netzwerke: Das große Security-Desaster in der IT:
The article discusses the security issues faced by Microsoft networks and how they can be mitigated through various tools like Managed Service Accounts (MSA), LAPS tool, and Security Baselines. It also highlights the need for a product liability law for software manufacturers to hold them accountable for their products' vulnerabilities that lead to cyber-attacks or data breaches.
The author argues that Microsoft networks are inherently insecure due to central administration in Active Directory, which makes it easy for attackers to gain access and spread within the network once they have compromised one system. The article mentions several tools like MSA and LAPS tool that can help mitigate these risks but laments that they are not well-known or easily accessible. It also criticizes Microsoft's update strategy, particularly with products like Exchange Server which requires a complete server re-installation for updates rather than incremental patches.
The author concludes by stating that while users share some responsibility in maintaining security on their networks, the ultimate
60 Jahre Doctor Who: Ab in die Tardis:
The summary covers the history of Doctor Who from its inception in 1963 to the present day, highlighting key events such as regenerations, showrunners, companions, and significant storylines throughout each season. It also mentions the upcoming changes with David Tennant returning as the 14th Doctor for a special to celebrate the series's 60th anniversary in November 2023, followed by Ncuti Gatwa taking over as the 15th Doctor. The summary concludes by stating that under new showrunner Russell T. Davies, there are plans to expand the franchise into a shared universe similar to Star Wars or Marvel.
Musikstreaming: Spotify und Deezer kündigen Kunden das Abo ohne Ankündigung:
Deezer and Spotify are currently battling with technical issues that affect their billing systems. These issues lead to subscriptions being terminated, resulting in many customers receiving unannounced cancellations of their accounts. Complaints about the difficulty in reaching customer support for both companies have been voiced by affected users. Both platforms claim that only a small number of subscribers are impacted by the problem. It is unclear how long it will take to resolve these issues, and whether there will be compensation for those affected.
Titanium is the ninth most abundant element in Earth's crust, but its properties have made it difficult to extract and use for practical purposes. Its high reactivity, low thermal conductivity, and strong bonding with oxygen and other elements contribute to this challenge. Despite these difficulties, titanium has been used in various industries such as aerospace, medical implants, and consumer products due to its unique properties. The development of titanium's use in technology was largely driven by the US government's funding and support for early projects in the late 1940s and early 1950s. However, as the technology advanced, it remained a niche, expensive material due to limited process improvements and high production costs. The knowledge from practical experiences on the factory floor has been critical to advancing titanium technology.
Chrome pushes forward with plans to limit ad blockers in the future | Malwarebytes:
Google is set to discontinue Manifest V2 in June 2024 and transition to Manifest V3, the latest version of its Chrome extension specification. This move has sparked criticism as it places limits on ad blockers. The new Manifest V3 allows for more dynamic rule additions, but some argue that this is still insufficient for the best ad blocking capabilities. Google claims that the changes will improve privacy and security while protecting users' data from extension developers; however, critics argue that it creates a conflict of interest due to Google's control over both a dominant web browser and one of the largest advertising networks.
Write libraries instead of services, where possible:
This article suggests that instead of using services, developers should consider using libraries where possible. Services have constant administration costs, which are paid by the service provider, while libraries shift these costs to the users of the library. By writing libraries, developers can provide the same functionality to users at a lower cost and with more flexibility for upgrades. Libraries can contain more functionality compared to services, making it advantageous for both developers and users.
Large amounts of carbon capture as a solution is an 'illusion' – IEA:
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has released a report calling for the oil and gas industry to shift its focus from large-scale carbon capture towards renewable energy investment. The IEA's report, „The Oil and Gas Industry in Net Zero Transitions,“ suggests that global demand for oil and gas will likely peak by 2030, if not sooner, with a decline of over 75% by 2050 to achieve the target of limiting global warming to 1.5C. The report highlights the industry's potential in scaling up crucial clean energy technologies and emphasizes the need for significant reductions in methane emissions. To align with the Paris Agreement, the IEA states that oil and gas companies must invest 50% of their capital expenditures towards clean energy projects by 2030, on top of the needed investment to reduce emissions from operations.
In 1931, Kurt Gdel proved his famous Incompleteness Theorems that shattered the dream of having a solid foundation for mathematics with consistent and complete axioms. His first theorem showed that any set of axioms is incomplete, meaning there will always be true facts about numbers that can't be proven by those axioms. The second theorem proved that no candidate set of axioms can prove its own consistency. These theorems have since led to unanswerable questions and have affected not only mathematics but also reality itself. Gdel's proof involved mapping mathematical statements onto unique numbers called Gdel numbers, allowing a system of axioms to talk about itself. Substitution was a key element in his proof, eventually leading to the undecidability of formulas such as G, which stated that it couldn't be proved. Consequently, no set of axioms can prove its own consistency.
git branches: intuition & reality:
In summary, the article discusses people's intuition of git branches being counterintuitive and compares this with the technical definition of a branch in Git. It explains that while the intuitive notion might not be entirely accurate, it can still match well with some common practices such as merges, rebases, and pull requests on platforms like GitHub. The article also highlights the differences between trunk branches and offshoot branches and how Git's lack of hierarchy between branches can be surprising to users.
The article is about a developer named Viktor Seraleev from Chile, who is the founder of Sarafan Mobile Limited (team ID G5293S9UFX). Their developer account was closed by Apple on September 21, 2023 due to alleged violations of section 3.2(f) of the Apple Developer Program License Agreement. The company's applications were removed from the App Store and they have not been paid $108,878 in revenue for three months.
Seraleev believes that their account has been targeted due to suspicious activities associated with one of their applications, Rolly. These include a stolen Instagram advertisement using their creatives, an identical application created by another developer (NIGII Technologies LTD), and the purchase of fake 5-star reviews for Rolly.
The article also mentions that Apple has not provided any evidence of these violations and has ignored Seralee
The Game Boy Complete Technical Reference document is a comprehensive technical guide for the Game Boy platform. Initially started in 1995, it has recently been updated and maintained in the Markdown format, attracting community contributions and attention. The project is open-source under the CC0 license, allowing everyone to contribute, provide feedback, and suggest improvements. Interested parties can find more information on GitHub or join the gbdev Discord chat. This document version was created from commit 8eb65d5 as of October 27, 2023.
How I discovered caching CDNs were throttling my everyday browsing – Diary of a SysAdmin:
The article discusses a self-hosted VDSL connection facing issues with browsing the Internet due to unpredictable patterns of performance on various websites. The author investigates potential causes for the problem by changing their router and configuring WireGuard tunnels, but still encounters difficulty streaming certain services like Apple TV+ and BBC News.
Hell is other people - Why individualism shrinks the next generation:
Humans evolved to take care of children cooperatively, with multiple individuals assisting mothers in childcare duties. The nuclear family is a relatively recent development in human societies and has led to lower fertility rates and smaller household sizes. It is important to recognize the value of cooperation in raising children for increased well-being and support within communities.
Yes, I understand the article's main point about there being two major camps within the fediverse with different mindsets and goals for its moderation, content control, and overall direction. The first camp consists of instances and users who want a more free speech-oriented platform, while the second camp is made up of those who prefer stricter guidelines and moderation tools. There is also mention of the issue with fragmentation due to instance blocking and blocklists, along with various other features or lack thereof on different software stacks used by these two camps. The article does a good job of explaining the differences between each side of the fediverse and their perspectives on what it should be.
This article discusses the issue of battery life prioritization in Android devices over proper app functionality and introduces a solution for developers to report device-specific issues directly to Google. It also mentions the importance of CTS-D and DKMA, and provides information about an app available on Play Store to measure your phone's performance.
This article discusses the small village of Fenton, which covers only about 20 blocks and has a population of 226 people. The village has collected more money in a single year through fines and forfeitures, primarily traffic tickets, than almost any other municipality in Louisiana. In the year ending June 2022, Fenton brought in $1.3 million from fines.
Fenton operates its court system through a „mayor's court,“ which is a little-known type of small town court found only in Louisiana and Ohio. The main function of this court is processing traffic tickets written annually by a few police officers. The mayor serves as the judge, appointing the prosecutor and deciding guilt or innocence if drivers ask for a trial.
The article highlights concerns over conflicts of interest and potential bias in the mayor's court system. Critics argue that mayors presiding over these courts cannot be impartial due to their financial interests in the collected fines and fees. The town has been accused of being overly reliant on traffic tickets for revenue, raising concerns about police practices and fairness in the judicial process.
Bester 3D-Drucker im Test: Bambu Lab X1 Carbon zum Black Friday günstig wie nie:
The article discusses the Bambu Lab X1 Carbon, a multi-color 3D printer with automatic material and filament exchange, live camera, cloud connection, app control, error detection, and automatic extrusion calibration. The Bambu Lab X1 Carbon has everything that current technology offers in this combination at an affordable price point, making it a competitor to other 3D printing hobbyists and transforming the industry from a hobby into an application. With a reduced price of 1109 euros, the 3D printer may not be a bargain but is worth every cent as demonstrated in the tests.
In addition, the article highlights other top 3D printers, such as the Qidi X-Max 3, which offers fast printing speed and high quality. The Bambu Lab X1 Carbon provides features like automatic material exchange and live camera, making it a competitive choice in the market.
Neues Outlook: Zugangsdatenabfluss alarmiert weitere Datenschützer:
Summary of the article in German: Thringens Landesdatenschutzbeauftragter rt zum Verzicht aufgrund des Abflusses von Zugangsdaten an Microsoft im neuen Outlook. Microsofts „neues“ Outlook fr Windows krallt sich Zugangsdaten und speichert sie in Microsofts Cloud, kam vor rund anderthalb Wochen heraus. Der Bundesdatenschtzuber Ulrich Kelber zeigte sich daraufhin besorgt. Nun melden sich weitere Datenschutz-Experten und -Beauftragte zu Wort. Darunter der Thringer Landesbeauftragte fr den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit Lutz Hasse, der zum Verzicht auf den Einsatz der neuen Outlook-Version rt.
Panne mit Excel-Tabelle: Rogoff und Reinhart haben sich verrechnet:
Star-konom Kenneth Rogoff und seine Kolegin Carmen Reinhart sind in der Kritik geraten, weil ihre Studie über den Einfluss hoher Schulden auf das Wirtschaftswachstum nun von drei US-Forschern aus Massachusetts angezweifelt wird. Die ursprüngliche Studie hatte gezeigt, dass Volkswirtschaften, deren Schuldenquote 90 Prozent überschreitet, ihr Wachstum verlangsamen. Rogoff und Reinhart erklärten in einer Verteidigung dieser Ergebnisse, dass sie nicht alle verfügbaren Daten bercksichtigt hatten und im Excel-Tool Fehler gemacht hätten. Die drei Kritiker fanden jedoch heraus, dass die Ergebnisse von den Herausgebern manipuliert wurden, um das Wachstum der Volkswirtschaften mit einer Schuldenquote von mehr als 90 Prozent zu erhöhen, um sie auf einen unrealistischen Niveau zu bringen.
Polizeidaten: EU-Gremien einigen sich auf EU-weiten Abgleich von Gesichtsbildern:
The enhanced Prümer agreement for exchanging investigation data will include facial images and criminal records via central routers soon. EU Parliament, Council of Ministers, and Commission officials agreed on a regulation about the automatic exchange of police cooperation data. This extends the previously established Prümer agreement from 2005, which limited the sharing of DNA, fingerprint, and vehicle registration data in the European Union to relatively narrow limits. Facial photos or biometric images of suspects and convicted criminals with police databases that support automated facial recognition will now be included, as well as the possibility for targeted search of criminal records.
Furthermore, it was agreed that data could also be exchanged for searching missing persons and identifying human remains if national law allows it. Previously, a manual query of personal information by authorities in the Prümer network was only possible after a hit at a machine search. Germany had insisted on this „Hit/No Hit“ approach to avoid overly limiting data privacy. EU parliamentarians were successful in retaining at least part of it; criminal records can only be exchanged after a positive verification, with relevant information like names and case numbers being exchanged. The requested member state must provide the relevant information within 48 hours if no court approval requires a longer period.
There is also a requirement for human review of data matching. Facial images and police records can only be exchanged to investigate crimes punishable by at least one year in prison. A clause was added to ensure that the data matching respects fundamental rights in full, and a proportionality check will be mandatory.
The new Prümer II regulation initiated by the Commission in 2021 will also modernize the technical infrastructure supporting the information exchange. This includes setting up a central router by EU-Lisa, responsible for large IT systems in the security sector. The router will facilitate connections between member states and Europol, consisting of a search tool and a secure communication channel. The law enforcement body searching after a verification submits its data like a fingerprint to the router. This routes the query for checking against databases of all other EU countries and Europol.
Concerns have been raised over live facial recognition. For automated searches in police registers, access will be given to the European Police Records Index System (EPRIS). Europol will be allowed to search national databases as well. The agreement must still be approved by the Parliament in a plenary session and the Council. „In order to create an EU without internal borders, we need to provide law enforcement agencies with appropriate tools to combat cross-border crime,“ said parliamentary rapporteur Paulo Rangel from the conservative European People's Party (EVP). Privacy advocates and the EU data protection commissioner Wojciech Wiewiorowski had previously warned that this plan could make everyone a suspect. With a British accession to the expanded agreement, there would be widespread live facial recognition.
This article discusses the use of analytics from YouTube videos and the experience at Edinburgh Fringe, comparing both situations with walkouts as an indicator of how well a performance is going. The author emphasizes the importance of knowing what resonates with audiences to improve content while also expressing discomfort with the invasive nature of some data collection techniques. Additionally, the article explores the idea of having no analytics and the possibility of finding a middle ground between gathering valuable information and privacy concerns.
This article discusses how research in the hardware, systems, and algorithms communities has historically been separated due to different incentive structures and motivations to engage with each other explicitly. It introduces a term called „hardware lottery“ to describe when a research idea wins because it is suited to available software and hardware rather than being universally superior to alternative research directions. The article highlights that hardware lotteries can obfuscate research progress by casting successful ideas as failures, making it difficult to signal which research directions are more promising.
As we move into a new era of closer collaboration between the hardware, software, and machine learning research communities, the article points out that domain-specific wave hardware is optimized for commercial use cases of deep neural networks. While this efficiency gain occurs at the cost of straying off the mainstream of research ideas, the article raises questions about whether future innovations will require an entirely new combination of algorithm, hardware, and software. It also highlights that overcoming the „stickyness“ of existing paradigms depends on a confluence of factors that allow scientists to explore different hardware-software-algorithm combinations.
Overall, this article emphasizes the importance of understanding the interactions between hardware, software, and algorithms in research progress and future breakthroughs in artificial intelligence.
Ubuntu Linux Squeezes ~20% More Performance Than Windows 11 On New AMD Zen 4 Threadripper Review:
This article compares the performance of Microsoft Windows 11 and Ubuntu 23.10 with a clean install of the Linux kernel on an HP Z6 G5 A workstation powered by the new AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7995WX Zen 4 processor. The goal was to assess how well HP's tuned Microsoft Windows 11 compares to that of Linux. In benchmark tests, it was found that Linux performed better than Windows on this high-core count processor system.
Microsoft’s Windows Hello fingerprint authentication has been bypassed:
Microsoft's Windows Hello fingerprint authentication has been compromised in laptops from Dell, Lenovo, and Microsoft by security researchers at Blackwing Intelligence. The vulnerabilities were discovered in popular fingerprint sensors from Goodix, Synaptics, and ELAN. With a man-in-the-middle (MitM) attack, access could be provided to a stolen laptop or an „evil maid“ attack on an unattended device. Microsoft's Secure Device Connection Protocol (SDCP) was not enabled in two of the three targeted devices, and Blackwing Intelligence recommends OEMs enable SDCP and audit fingerprint sensor implementations by a qualified expert.
Project managers, ducks, and dogs marking territory:
The story describes a video game called Battle Chess where players could make the chess pieces fight one another, with animations involving characters eating each other. During the review stage of the project, an artist added a duck to follow the queen around the board as a harmless detail. The project manager asked for it to be removed, but the sacrifice of the duck served as a way for the artist to protect the more important aspects of their work from the manager's interference. The article then discusses how this „duck“ analogy can apply to situations where people want to claim credit or make changes to projects, even if they are not significantly impacting the overall outcome.
Why does the moon change size when you snipe it?:
In this article, the artist gives a texture for the moon in their game. The game designer decided to make the moon size adjustable based on player input, ultimately not receiving a definite answer from the artists. Consequently, they left the moon as an adjustable feature in their game.
Is it legal to mix cash in a jar?:
Chris Blec discusses whether it is legal or illegal to mix cash with strangers. He explains that if the motivation for mixing is quirky and not harmful, then it can be legal. However, if the motivation is to conceal the source of money obtained from unlawful activities, it could lead to money laundering charges. To avoid such charges, participants must act in a knowing manner and not engage in transactions designed to conceal or disguise their illegal income sources. Mixing cash with strangers can be legal but could also carry consequences if done for the wrong reasons.
Bypass Paywalls Clean combines all soft paywall hacks into one neat package:
This article discusses the frustration faced by users when encountering soft paywalls that block content on websites. It explains the difference between hard and soft paywalls and how they impact user experience and publishers. The article then introduces Bypass Paywalls Clean, an extension that aids in bypassing soft paywalls on various websites, making it easier for users to access content without signing up for subscriptions or creating accounts.
Bacteria Store Memories and Pass Them on for Generations:
Scientists have found that bacteria can create „memories“ based on iron levels in their environment, which influence their behavior, such as resistance to antibiotics and swarming movements when millions of bacteria gather on a surface. The discovery has potential applications in preventing and combating bacterial infections and addressing antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin discovered that E. coli bacteria use iron levels as a method for storing information about different behaviors, which can then be activated in response to specific stimuli. These memories persist for several generations and disappear by the seventh generation. By understanding bacterial behavior, researchers hope to combat them more effectively. The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
How large pull requests slow down development:
This article discusses the challenge of managing complexity in software engineering, specifically in terms of change amplification. Change amplification is the phenomenon where more complex codebases make simple changes difficult to implement. By limiting the number of files changed in a pull request (PR) to three or fewer, teams can increase efficiency and maintain high-quality code. Tools like Graphite can help facilitate this through stacking source control workflows.
Exploring Dagger: Streamlining CI/CD Pipelines with Code – A Developer's Guide:
This article discusses Dagger, an open-source tool for defining the entire lifecycle of an application, including building, testing, packaging, and deployment. It compares traditional tools like Docker and Docker-Compose with Dagger in a CI workflow for a Java-Gradle service. The author argues that using Dagger results in a more declarative and programmatic approach to defining the lifecycle of an application. Additionally, they highlight how Dagger's native support for running services can make it easier to create consistent development environments across different machines. In conclusion, the article suggests that as Dagger continues to mature and gain popularity, its ecosystem will only become more powerful, providing a promising tool for developers managing application pipelines.
Aerobic exercise is good for the brain:
The article discusses the benefits of regular aerobic exercise on cognition, memory, and mood in various age groups. Aerobic exercise has been found to increase brain volume, particularly in areas associated with executive functions, visuo-spatial factors, reaction time tasks, and boosting memory performance. Additionally, it is suggested that the effects of exercise are more pronounced in older participants.
The latest version of Claude (2.1) offers an API over Console, which powers the chat experience. This model presents advancements in key capabilities, particularly a leading 200K token context window. There's also a reduction in rates of model hallucination, system prompts, and a new feature called tool use. Pricing has been updated to improve cost efficiency for users across models.
Seven Signs of Ethical Collapse:
This article discusses ethical collapse in companies like General Electric, Merrill Lynch, AT&T, Arthur Andersen, and United Health Group. Professor Marianne Jennings presents common characteristics that contribute to these moral meltdowns, such as pressure to maintain numbers, fear and silence, young uns and a bigger-than-life CEO, weak board of directors, conflicts of interest, culture of conflicts, innovation like no other company, and goodness in some areas atoning for evil in others. She provides solutions to prevent these issues, including open dialogue, addressing fear and silence, balancing age gaps between employees and CEOs, avoiding conflicts of interests, focusing on basic business principles, and promoting individual character and virtue ethics. Jennings believes that despite recurring examples of corporate corruption, it remains fixable with strong leadership and the power of individuals to make a difference.