Links für 2024 KW 42
Zusammengefasst von LlongOrca.
Discontinuing syncthing-android:
The article discusses the challenges faced by the 'calmh' app, created by Jakob Borg. One issue is the inability to perform releases through common channels, which demotivates developers. To continue or revive the app, someone needs to invest long-term effort into it as it has been on life support for some time.
Microsoft asking us to buy new Windows 11 PCs is wasteful:
The article discusses that despite Microsoft's efforts to get people to upgrade to Windows 11, many have stayed with Windows 10 due to its hardware requirements. However, the newer release of Windows 11, version 24H2, has made older hardware run better than ever before. The issue was not about processing power but rather the TPM 2.0 requirement that caused users to throw out perfectly good hardware for new ones. Microsoft's focus on upgrading hardware could potentially be driven by sales of their Copilot+ devices, which have AI features locked behind a monthly subscription.
Mehr als 70.000 potenziell neue RNA-Viren mit KI entdeckt:
Experts agree that the majority of existing viruses are still unknown to us. Recently, researchers have discovered thousands of previously undescribed virus species. Viruses are known for causing dangerous diseases like Ebola, Corona, and HIV, but they also play a crucial role in evolution and even human genetics contain fragments of viral genes. When viruses reproduce, they constantly undergo small mutations, resulting in new strains appearing every year. Researchers use enzymes to search for viruses, as the majority of the virosphere, or all known viruses, remains unknown. An international research team has discovered nearly 70,500 potential RNA viruses using AI. RNA viruses do not have double-stranded DNA like humans and animals; they store genetic information on a single strand of RNA. Known RNA viruses include coronaviruses or HIV. To reproduce, these viruses must duplicate their RNA, requiring a specific enzyme called RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. A team led by Xin Hou from the State Laboratory for Biological Control in Shenzhen, China, has developed an AI tool called „LucaProt“ that identifies viral RNA sequences. The tool scans publicly available data from around 1,600 sites worldwide representing various ecosystems. The study highlights the diversity of viruses and emphasizes that further research is needed to understand their roles in evolution and disease transmission.
Pulver im Kraftsport: Die Gefahr von reinem Koffein:
Reines Koffein ist im Kraftsport ein Trend, der den Stoffwechsel anregen soll. Jedoch kann eine zu hohe Dosierung zu extremen Herzrhythmusstörungen und sogar zum Tod führen. Die genaue Dosierung ist schwierig. Ein Student in München starb nach einer Überdosis von Koffeinpulver, das er für sein Fitness-Training einnahm. Reines Koffein kann ohne Altersbeschränkung frei verkauft werden, da es als Nahrungsergänzungsmittel gilt und unterliegt nicht der Zulassungspflicht. Es ist jedoch verantwortung der Hersteller sicher zu machen, dass alle Lebensmittel sicher sind. In akut hohen Dosen kann reines Koffein zu extremen Herzrhythmusstörungen und letztendlich zum Tod führen. Experten bezweifeln die Wirksamkeit von Koffein im Kraftsport und betonen, dass viele andere Faktoren wie Alter, Schlaf und Ernährung eine Rolle spielen.
Evolutionärer Betrug: Wie Ihr Körper Sie dick hält:
Neueren Studien zufolge arbeitet unser Körper aktiv gegen Gewichtsverlust und verhindert es, weil er uns dick halten will. Der menschliche Körper hat ein festes Kalorienbudget pro Tag für Muskelmasse, und der Stoffwechsel passt sich an und reduziert den Kalorienverbrauch, um dieses Budget wieder zu erreichen. Um abzunehmen, muss man mehr Kalorien verbrennen als sie zu sich nimmt, damit Fett in Energie umgewandelt wird. Der Körper ist darauf programmiert, sein Gewicht hartnäckig zu verteidigen, weshalb dauerhafter Gewichtsverlust nur durch eine gesündere Ernährung erreicht werden kann.
Take Our Word For It, page four, Sez You...:
The term „daemon“ in computing originated from the Greek word daimones, which inspired an imaginative use by a group led by Fernando J. Corbato. His team began using the term „daemon“ around the same time period and were inspired by Maxwell's daemon of physics and thermodynamics. The acronym explanation is new to Corbato, who did not originate it. Daemons are background processes that work tirelessly to perform system chores.
Regarding our Cease and Desist letter to Automattic | WP Fusion:
In October 2024, a cease and desist letter was sent to Automattic due to unauthorized use of the WP Fusion trademark on WordPress.com's private mirror of the WordPress plugin repository. Automattic agreed to take down the listing and has since removed it from their site. The situation highlighted potential conflicts of interest surrounding Matt Mullenweg, founder and CEO of both Automattic and the non-profit WordPress Foundation, which holds trademarks for the WordPress name, logo, and other associated terms.
This paper examines the role of reciprocity and directionality in friendship ties on social influence, using data from a fitness and physical activity experimental intervention. It also investigates individuals' ability to perceive the directionality of their friendship ties and suggests strategies for overcoming this limitation based on topological characteristics of the perceived friendship network. The findings suggest that misperception of friendships can lead to ineffective cooperative arrangements and interventions designed to harness social influence for collective action could benefit from considering these factors.
The author discusses the transition from IPv4 to IPv6 in the internet's architecture and its implications for service delivery networks, naming systems, and network economics. The transition began with a focus on dual stack environments but has been slow due to various factors including the use of NATs and the shift towards an abundance of basic inputs like processing, storage, and transmission capacity. The author also raises questions about the role of unique global end-point addressing in a world where network transactions are localised and the importance of referential frameworks for communication in networks.
This article discusses the author's personal approach to using Git and GitHub for version control in their software development projects, based on 12 years of experience working with small engineering teams. The author emphasizes the importance of having all projects in a Git repository, using Git aliases for frequent commands, committing often and early, and focusing on the merged pull requests rather than individual commits. They also provide some examples of how they use Git in various situations, such as handling merges, rebasing, and working with branches.
Dan Davies argues that organizations form „accountability sinks,“ structures that absorb or obscure the consequences of a decision such that no one can be held directly accountable for it. These sinks are created by breaking a link between the person affected by the decision and the people making the decisions, preventing feedback from reaching them. Davies proposes that to be accountable for something, one must have the power to change it and understand what they are trying to accomplish when using that power. The use of AI in decision-making can exacerbate this problem, as organizations can avoid accountability by delegating decisions to algorithms.
In German folklore, a Drude is a nocturnal spirit that sits on the chest of sleeping people and causes nightmares, unease, and shortness of breath. Known as pressure spirits or Druckgeister in various parts of Europe, they are often portrayed as women cursed to search for victims each night. The soul of these individuals can leave their body and enter through small openings or keyholes, appearing in different forms such as a cat, straw, or feather. In some regions, they are called Schrättele or Walriderske. To break the curse, a woman needs to possess a tame animal that ultimately dies in her possession. Various methods and tools have been used to ward off and expose these spirits, including Drudenfuß (also known as Drudenkreuz), which is believed to protect against them, and Drudensteine or Hühnergott, which are stones with a natural hole that can be hung in the attic. The Drudenmesser, featuring nine crescent moons and crosses, was thought to cause Windsbraut (a female wind spirit) to fall by throwing it into the air during sudden gusts of wind. To expose a Drud, one must order them to return the next morning for something they took, compelling them to appear at the door as the first person to knock and request an item. The belief that every seventh daughter is a Drude or every seventh son is a werewolf has also persisted in some areas. The term „Drude“ originates from Middle High German Trute and Gothic Trudan, which means „to press“ or „to push.“
Woman, 82, still rides same bike she was given at 13:
An 82-year-old Dutch woman, Jo Goosens, has been riding the same bicycle since she was given it at age 13 in the 1950s. The black Gazelle remains a cherished possession and is still used to cycle daily from her home in Liessel to secondary school in Deurne. Despite many of her peers opting for electric bikes, Goosens has no intention of replacing hers due to its sentimental value. She has made some repairs over the years but has never considered buying a new bike. The bicycle was once stolen and recovered after 14 days.
Why Use React for Game Development?:
React.js is primarily used for front-end web development, but its application extends beyond that domain. It can be viewed as two components: React and React-DOM, the latter responsible for rendering the UI in your browser. React Native enables the usage of React for making mobile apps by using native UI elements on iOS and Android instead of HTML elements. This article discusses using React for game development, comparing options such as using React to render game graphics or using React as a UI layer on top of an existing HTML canvas game. It recommends utilizing React for its strengths in managing UI states and offering reusable components with libraries like Framer Motion, rather than focusing on game-specific features that other frameworks already provide.
ANGEBOTE - Sven & Jörn Heuschele Immobilien GbR:
The article features various residential properties, such as new build houses, existing homes, rental properties, commercial real estate, and land plots for sale in the area. Properties include single-family homes, multi-family houses, apartments, and duplexes. Some properties have amenities like guest toilets, elevators, washrooms/drying rooms, and barrier-free accessibility.
Digitaler Nachlass: Online-Accounts erben und vererben:
The digital inheritance should be regulated as early as possible, as people accumulate numerous accounts for web services, social networks, online shops or messenger throughout their lives. With the person's death, these accounts remain in existence, and family members must decide what to do with them. It is important to have an overview of the most important accounts and have a plan for managing digital assets after death, just as one would plan for physical assets. This involves assigning power of attorney or guardianship over digital assets, creating a comprehensive list of account access data, and communicating this information with trusted individuals or family members.
Committee reviewing euthanasia in Canada finds some deaths driven by homelessness fears, isolation:
An expert committee in Canada's Ontario province has identified several cases where patients asked for euthanasia based on social reasons such as isolation and fears of homelessness, raising concerns over the approvals for vulnerable people in the country's assisted dying system. The committee's reports are based on an analysis of anonymous cases chosen for their implications for future euthanasia requests. Canada's legal criteria require a medical reason for euthanasia, such as fatal diagnosis or unmanageable pain, but the committee found instances where people were euthanized due to other factors, including „unmet social need.“ The expert committee has made recommendations, such as assigning patient advocates and providing more guidance to doctors assessing requests from nonterminal patients.
Strep A bacteria kill half a million a year. Why don’t we have a vaccine?:
The article discusses the efforts to develop a vaccine for rheumatic heart disease caused by streptococcus A bacteria (strep A). These bacteria can cause various illnesses, including strep throat and rheumatic fever, which eventually leads to rheumatic heart disease if not treated. In low-income countries, strep A infections are still a major health problem due to the lack of screening programs and distribution of penicillin injections for treatment. The article highlights that while there have been advances in understanding the bacteria's diversity and potential vaccine candidates, such as StreptAnova, significant funding is needed to develop a safe and globally effective strep A vaccine.
Team develops promising new form of antibiotic that makes bacterial cells self-destruct:
Scientists from the University of Toronto have developed a novel form of antibiotic that targets and self-destructs bacterial cells by triggering their natural enzyme, caseinolytic protease proteolytic subunit (ClpP), into overdrive. This innovative approach aims to overcome antibiotic resistance and is promising for treating bacterial infections such as meningitis and gonorrhea. The new antibiotic's structural differences between human and bacterial enzymes help target harmful bacteria without damaging human cells.
‘They refused to let me go’: Japanese workers turn to resignation agencies to quit jobs:
This article discusses the growing trend of proxy resignations in Japan, where workers who cannot bring themselves to hand in their notice directly seek help from companies offering such services. Tokyo-based agency Momuri reports a surge in demand for these services since starting two-and-a-half years ago. The firm, one of an estimated 100 across the country, has received 350,000 online consultations and completed 20,000 resignations. This trend is attributed to a generational shift in attitudes towards work, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and Japan's chronic labor shortage.
Knocker uppers: Waking up the workers in industrial Britain:
Before alarm clocks were widely used, people in Britain relied on „knocker uppers“ to wake them up for work. Knocker uppers would tap on bedroom windows with long sticks, soft hammers, or rattles, ensuring workers only got woken up if they had paid for the service. The tradition started in industrial towns and spread across the country, with some people continuing to work as knocker uppers until the 1970s. Knocker ups were referenced in Charles Dickens' „Great Expectations“ and even played a role in the Jack the Ripper investigation.
🍓 Ichigo: Local real-time voice AI (Formerly llama3-s).:
This article discusses a project called „Ichigo“, an open research experiment to develop a local real-time voice AI model. Ichigo utilizes an early fusion technique inspired by Meta's Chameleon paper. The model has improved multiturn capabilities and can refuse to process inaudible queries. The article outlines the progress and research behind Ichigo, and it mentions collaboration opportunities and quickstart guides for interested parties.
Expanding Our Code of Conduct to Protect Private Conversations:
The article emphasizes the importance of maintaining a harassment-free, welcoming, and inclusive environment in their community by adding publishing private messages without consent as an unacceptable behavior to their Community Code of Conduct. This ensures that personal conversations remain confidential unless explicit permission is granted. Sharing private communications without permission violates professional integrity and trust within the community. The new addition will take effect immediately, with violations handled according to existing enforcement guidelines.
Focus on decisions, not tasks:
The article discusses how technical communication often focuses on task support rather than decision support. It emphasizes the importance of providing context, informing users about necessary decisions, and guiding them towards resources for making informed choices in order to complete tasks effectively.
Access raspberry pi remotely to control iot devices - Pinggy:
This blog post discusses how to securely connect to a Raspberry Pi or an IoT device remotely over the internet without port forwarding. It presents three main ways: SSH, VNC, and RDP. The article then introduces Pinggy.io as a tunneling tool that provides a public address to access a local host even when behind NAT or firewall. By using Pinggy, it becomes possible to establish an SSH connection to your IoT devices from anywhere in the world without port forwarding. Furthermore, the post explains how to use tools like htop for monitoring system resources remotely.
Datenschutz: X wird Kundendaten an Dritte verkaufen:
Die Onlineplattform X hat ihre Geschäftsbedingungen angepasst, um den Verkauf von Kundendaten zuzulassen. Unternehmen können dann diese Daten verwenden, um sie weiterzuverarbeiten oder für KI-Trainings einzusetzen. Eine entsprechende Klausel wird hinzugefügt. Die Funktion ist derzeit noch nicht aktiv und soll ab dem 15. November 2024 gelten. Offenbar kann das Datensammeln und Weiterverkauf von Informationen jedoch individuell abgeschaltet werden, wobei die genauen Optionen in den Kontoeinstellungen nicht erklärt wurden. Das Unternehmen will auch Strafen verhängen für Drittparteien, die mit externen Tools Daten von der Plattform sammeln.
Karriere: Vom Entwickler zur Führungskraft - und zurück:
In dem Artikel „Gute Vorsätze, steile Lernkurven, großer Frust - und eine Entscheidung: Wie ich Chef wurde und warum ich es nicht geblieben bin.“ berichtet Frank Heckel von seinen Erfahrungen als Führungskraft in einer Softwareentwicklungsgruppe. Er erklärt, wie die Rolle ihn herausforderte und wie sie seine Perspektive auf das Management veränderte. Frank Heckel entschied sich schließlich, diese Rolle aufzugeben, um wieder mehr Zeit für sein Fachgebiet zu haben, und ist heute Professor an einer Hochschule.
#9: Unit Tests As Documentation:
This article discusses the importance of unit tests as documentation, highlighting that they provide a clear explanation of code behavior and are always up-to-date due to their direct connection with the tested code. The author emphasizes the value of following best practices when writing unit tests for maximum effectiveness as documentation.
Rethinking School Design: How Education Architecture Reflects Changing Views on Childhood:
The article discusses the evolution of school design, focusing on how educational spaces are becoming more child-centered and inclusive of creativity, exploration, and a holistic approach to education. It highlights various innovative designs in schools such as scaled environments for young children, familiar home-like settings, flexible and personalized spaces, incorporating playful design elements, integrating nature and learning, engaging multiple senses in the learning process, and valuing time and space for unstructured learning. These principles aim to create more nurturing, welcoming, and adaptable environments that support the diverse needs of students throughout their educational journey.
There are exactly 8 bits in a byte:
The article discusses the proposal that C++ formally mandate a byte to be 8 bits, as modern hardware has overwhelmingly converged on this assumption. Mainstream compilers already support this reality, and C++20 has only supported two's complement storage since P0907r4, with C23 following suit. The article explores whether C++ is relevant to architectures where bytes are not 8 bits and whether these architectures are relevant to C++, considering that nearly every general-purpose and embedded system adheres to the 8-bit byte model.
Your life is not a story: why narrative thinking holds you back | Psyche Ideas:
The article discusses the role of narratives in our lives, how they help us make sense of a chaotic world, but can also be harmful and restrictive. It explores Alasdair MacIntyre's belief that we understand actions only as part of a narrative life, Peter Goldie arguing that lives have narrative structure, and Jean-Paul Sartre's warning about the dangers of living our lives as if telling a story. The article also mentions research by Carol Fox on how stories shape us from childhood and the rise of narrative therapy in the 1970s. It suggests that instead of focusing solely on changing our narratives, we should understand the perspectives that shape them and expand our own perspectives to open up new possibilities. The article concludes by stating that we are not bound by stories but rather by our ability to perceive and engage with the world through various perspectives.
The article discusses the ongoing debate about tax justice and the taxation of billionaires, highlighting that their accumulated wealth is a crucial issue for public debate. In France, the combined wealth of the 500 largest fortunes has grown by €1 trillion since 2010. Imposing a one-time tax on this increase could generate significant revenue. Critics argue that private fortunes are theoretical and governments are too weak to impose anything on billionaires, but the author disputes these claims. Governments still have room to maneuver in imposing taxes on wealthy individuals, and there is nothing in the Constitution that prevents an exceptional tax on the wealth of billionaires. The article concludes by stating that addressing social and climate challenges requires taxing the wealthiest in a clear and significant way.
Diabetes Breakthrough: New Treatment Eliminates Insulin for 86% of Patients:
A new treatment combining ReCET and semaglutide has shown promise for eliminating insulin use in 86% of type 2 diabetes patients. This innovative approach improves natural insulin sensitivity and reduces the need for insulin therapy. The treatment has been found safe and well-tolerated, and further trials are planned to confirm these results.
Why Does Everyone Run Ancient Postgres Versions? - Neon:
The article discusses the reasons why most Postgres users do not upgrade to newer versions like Postgres 17. Two main issues prevent them from upgrading: 1) Postgres already works well, and 2) upgrades can be tedious and time-consuming, especially for large production databases. Despite these challenges, the article encourages users to consider upgrading due to performance improvements, new functionalities, and compatibility with newer frameworks and tools.
The SOFA hacker/art collective is focused on starting many projects without necessarily finishing them. The aim is to gain diverse experiences and side effects like entertainment and increased skill. To get started with SOFA, individuals can read books, start new code or art projects, learn languages, and more. The key is to finish a project when it no longer interests you, serves its purpose, or you've learned enough from it. Embracing change by trying new things without committing your entire life to any one thing is the SOFA way. Ending a project does not diminish its value; it can be done with gratitude and appreciation for the experience gained.
‘Horrifying’ mistake to take organs from a living person was averted, witnesses say:
Natasha Miller, an employee at Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA), witnessed a donor seeming to be alive while being prepared for organ retrieval in Richmond, Ky., in 2021. The incident alarmed everyone present and led to the cancellation of the organ procurement. Miller's account of the incident was included in a letter sent by Nyckoletta Martin to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which held a hearing on organ procurement organizations. KODA and the federal Health Resources and Services Administration are investigating the allegations.
Gesetzesänderung zu Geheimpreisen zugunsten von US-Pharmakonzern?:
The US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly has been accused of using a billion-dollar investment in Rheinland-Pfalz to pressure the German government into changing legislation. However, the company denies the allegations. Internal documents from the Ministry of Health seem to confirm the suspicions. The issue concerns German price regulation for the pharmaceutical industry, which is vital for all Europe. Until now, pharmaceutical companies can initially choose their own prices when a new drug enters the German market. A panel assesses the value of the new medicine after one year, and if they determine that it has no proven additional benefit over existing treatments, the company must grant a discount often exceeding 50%. This German discount price is publicly visible and affects other European countries. Eli Lilly now wants to keep these future discount prices confidential. Critics argue that this could lead to higher prices in other European countries and in Germany due to doctors not knowing the exact cost of certain medications. The Bundestag and Bundesrat have approved the secret prices as part of the Medical Research Act, which is expected to come into force soon.
Deutsch-russische Treffen - Die rätselhafte Baku-Connection:
The German-Russian „Petersburger Dialog“ has reportedly ended officially for years, but high-ranking Kremlin representatives continue to hold talks with influential Germans from politics and society. A group of influential Russians and Germans is scheduled to meet on October 20th at the Four Seasons hotel in Baku, Azerbaijan, for dinner. The following day, discussions about German-Russian cooperation are planned. However, none of the non-Russian participants listed in the program have confirmed their attendance to Die Zeit or Kontraste magazine.
The „Petersburger Dialog“ was launched by then German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2001 to bring the German and Russian civil societies closer together. The dialogue was officially ended by Germany after Russia labeled participating organizations as „unwanted“ in 2021 and after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, also dissolving related associations.
Former participants listed in the program include Matthias Platzeck, a former SPD leader and Brandenburg Minister President, Ronald Pofalla (CDU), former head of the Chancellery, and Martin Hoffmann, former CEO of the „Petersburger Dialog“. Swiss representatives Tim Guldimann, former Berlin ambassador, and Thomas Greminger, former OSCE secretary-general and current director of the Geneva Center for Security Policy are also mentioned.
An aide to Bundestag member and foreign policy expert Armin Laschet denied his participation in any such talks during that time period. Swiss Thomas Greminger referred to private initiatives as the likely source of all existing contacts, including events like this one. Martin Hoffmann, similarly declined to comment on specific private contacts or meetings.
Russian participants include Viktor Zubkov, former Prime Minister and long-time Putin associate; Mikhail Evdokimov, Russian Ambassador to Azerbaijan; and Walery Fadeyev, head of the Russian Presidential Council for Human Rights and advisor to Putin.
Even though the meeting in Baku is said to be purely private, doubts about its exclusively private nature are understandable, considering the use of official „Petersburger Dialog“ logo in the Russian program and the presence of high-ranking state representatives from Russia. Additionally, a public tender for conducting events within the framework of the „Petersburg Dialogue Forum“ at St. Petersburg State University has been discovered by reporters.
The April meeting held six months prior to the reported October meeting is confirmed by Mikhail Shvydkoi, Putin's special envoy for cultural cooperation with foreign countries. The agenda covered current and potential future relations between Russia and Germany. However, the identities of the German participants at that gathering remain unclear.
Bundestag beschließt Krankenhausreform:
The German Bundestag has approved the controversial hospital reform plan proposed by Health Minister Lauterbach, aiming to reduce financial pressure on hospitals and promote specialization in treatments. After two years of preparation, 660 votes were cast with 374 voting yes. Smaller hospitals are expected to offer fewer services and focus on procedures they excel at, while the current payment system for hospital cases will be changed. Instead of receiving a flat fee per case, hospitals will receive 60% of their compensation for simply offering specific services. This change is intended to reduce pressure to treat as many cases as possible.
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach argued that the healthcare sector in Germany is in crisis, with many hospitals facing financial difficulties and a third of the country's 480,000 beds unoccupied. The current system is too costly for low-quality service and suffers from over-, under-, and misdiagnosis. Lauterbach advocated for hospitals to focus on what is medically appropriate instead of concentrating on the most profitable areas.
Germany has the highest hospital and bed density in Europe, with around 1,700 hospitals, according to Germany's Health Ministry. The reform aims to improve quality while protecting smaller hospitals in rural areas. Some critics argue that the reform could lead to worsened care in rural regions, but supporters of the reform include professional associations like the German Cancer Society and health insurance companies, which favor more specialization for better overall care quality.
Die besten Ausflugsziele für Familien in und um Stuttgart:
The article discusses the discovery of a wonderful place to enjoy fresh air, called the Wood Climate Path in Neuhausen. It is an exciting experience trail that allows people to breathe in fresh air.
Gesetz zum Schutz von Geschäftsgeheimnissen:
The article discusses a law, titled „Gesetz zum Schutz von Geschäftsgeheimnissen,“ which was enacted on April 18, 2019. This legislation is designed to implement the provisions of EU Directive (EU) 2016/943, adopted by the European Parliament and the Council on June 8, 2016. The law aims to protect confidential business information and trade secrets against illegal acquisition, use, or disclosure. The legislation also addresses criminal liabilities for those who violate these provisions.
The article then explains that the law applies to any person involved in businesses, whether as employees or contractors, and covers all forms of confidential information that are not generally known or accessible by people usually dealing with such information. It further states that the law does not affect existing labor laws and rights related to trade secrets and workplace matters.
The article also outlines the legal procedures in cases involving business secret disputes, including the jurisdiction of local courts, geographical scope, and confidentiality protection during the litigation process. The article concludes with an explanation of penalties for violating this law, which can range from imprisonment to fines, depending on the severity and nature of the offense.
Possible futures for the Ethereum protocol, part 2: The Surge:
This article is a detailed breakdown of the scaling strategies for Ethereum, focusing on layer 2 protocols and data availability sampling (DAS). The author discusses the challenges and tradeoffs associated with each strategy, as well as how they interact with other parts of the roadmap. Here's a summary:
1. Layer 2 Protocols: These are networks that sit on top of Ethereum to scale its functionality. The rollup-centric roadmap proposes division of labor where L1 focuses on base layer security and L2s handle scaling needs. This includes state channels, Plasma, and rollups.
2. Data Availability Sampling (DAS): DAS is a technique used to verify that data is available at scale without requiring each node to store all of it. It involves breaking down data into smaller chunks and using cryptographic commitments to prove their existence. The author discusses PeerDAS, SubnetDAS, and 2D sampling as different approaches to implementing DAS.
3. Data Compression: To further increase scalability, the article explores techniques for compressing transaction data on L2s. This includes zero-byte compression, replacement of addresses with pointers, custom serialization for transaction values, and validity-proof-based rollups posting state diffs instead of transactions.
4. Generalized Plasma: Plasma is a scaling solution that involves publishing blocks off-chain and putting Merkle roots on-chain. The article discusses how incorporating SNARKs can make Plasma more powerful and secure, allowing it to handle a wider array of use cases.
5. Maturing L2 Proof Systems: To achieve trustless rollups, the article suggests formal verification of proof systems using mathematical and computational techniques or multi-provers where multiple proof systems work together with a security council.
6. Cross-L2 Interoperability Improvements: The article identifies various areas for improvement in cross-L2 interoperability such as chain-specific addresses, payment requests, standardized protocols for cross-chain swaps and gas payment, light clients, keystore wallets, shared sequencing, and synchronous composability.
7. Scaling Execution on L1: The article discusses the need to continue scaling L1 itself by increasing the gas limit, improving efficiency of client software, and implementing specific features that can be made cheaper without affecting decentralization or security properties. This includes EOF (EVM Object Format), multidimensional gas pricing, reducing gas costs for specific opcodes, and native rollups.
8. The Splurge: The author mentions a future post on the Splurge which will delve into more details of scaling L1 strategies.
In conclusion, the article provides an in-depth analysis of Ethereum's scaling strategies, outlining the challenges and tradeoffs associated with each approach, and how they interplay within the broader roadmap for Ethereum's development.
This article is about PC Gamer, a gaming magazine owned by Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. It provides information about the company's corporate site and its location in Bath, England, along with details of its registration number as a business entity.
Magnet-free induction motor aims to nearly halve carbon emissions:
German automotive supplier, Mahle, and French automotive supplier, Valeo, have joined forces to create an Inner Brushless Electrical Excitation (iBEE) system, a permanent-magnet-free motor design that eliminates the need for rare earths, promises powerful performance, and reduces lifecycle carbon emissions. The iBEE axle will offer an output range of 220 to 350 kW. Mahle and Valeo also plan to work on a motor cooling system aimed at achieving a superior continuous-to-peak power ratio. The two companies aim to reduce the overall carbon footprint by more than 40% as compared to a permanent-magnet e-motor with equivalent power. Initial prototype testing is set for completion by the end of 2024.
I Went from Reading 40 Books a Year to Reading 0:
In this article, the author discusses their journey from reading 40 books a year to reading significantly less. They share their reasons for choosing to focus on fewer books and emphasize the importance of taking the time to study and implement the knowledge gained from each book. The author advocates for a more focused approach to reading, rather than constantly searching for new topics to explore. They ultimately encourage readers to prioritize understanding a single topic deeply rather than consuming an endless number of books in search of new insights.
Not remotely cool: The science of “Zoom fatigue”:
The article discusses „Zoom fatigue,“ which became a common issue during lockdowns due to the increased use of video conferences and meetings. It highlights that virtual meetings require extra emotional effort compared to face-to-face conversations, leading to exhaustion. The cognitive load of online meetings consumes the capacity to think as it forces people to work harder to understand nonverbal cues, which takes up a considerable amount of energy. Zoom users may experience „mirror anxiety“ and „Zoom dysmorphia“ due to concerns about their appearance on camera. The article suggests that making some meetings audio-only could help reduce the psychological costs associated with videoconferencing.
Kommentar – Digitale Erpressung: Der unaufhaltsame Vormarsch des App-Zwangs:
This article discusses the increasing trend of apps being the exclusive way to access various services such as banking and bonus programs. While this may initially seem convenient and modern, it raises concerns about data protection and consumer freedom. Apps often require 2FA authentication, which can only be done using an app, making smartphones vital for accessing accounts. This trend extends to other areas like shopping discounts and customer loyalty programs.
The article also highlights privacy issues when using apps as they may involve data collection from Apple or Google. Users must download the app through official stores like Play Store or App Store, which are monopolistic platforms with limited alternatives. This limits user choice and increases reliance on major corporations for access to essential services.
The article argues that this trend should be critically examined and alternative solutions encouraged that don't rely on Apple and Google. It is crucial to protect digital autonomy and avoid forcing users to compromise their data for everyday services.
The Cybersecurity Association of China (CSAC) has accused Intel's chips of being riddled with vulnerabilities and having major defects in product quality and security management, showing an irresponsible attitude towards customers. CSAC also claimed that Intel embedded a backdoor in almost all CPUs since 2008 as part of a „next-generation security defense system“ developed by the US National Security Agency (NSA). This would allow the NSA to build an ideal monitoring environment, posing a huge security threat to countries' critical information infrastructure. The credibility of this claim is unclear, but it raises questions about Intel's product quality and potential security issues.
Warum der Butterpreis auf ein Rekordhoch gestiegen ist:
The inflation rate has reached its lowest point since over three years, but the price of butter is almost reaching luxury levels. Several factors contribute to the high prices, including a lower fat content in milk and a decrease in the overall production of milk cows in Germany. Inflation is generally decreasing, but butter prices have set a record: a 250-gram pack of butter costs at least €2.39 in supermarkets and discount stores. Milk producers are struggling due to high investment costs and increased animal welfare requirements, causing many farms to shut down or change their production focus. The supply of milk is expected to decrease this year, leading to possible shortages and price increases for butter and other dairy products during the holiday season.
Armin Laschet gerät in Grenzkontrolle und spricht von »Symbolpolitik«:
The Union has called for stricter asylum policy, implementing additional controls at all German border crossings since mid-September. This is intended to facilitate more deportations of illegal immigrants. Former CDU leader Armin Laschet experienced a recent encounter with the police during his travels from Aachen through the Ardennes and into Rhineland-Palatinate, where he was stopped for an inspection. Laschet used this opportunity to ask the police if these controls were helpful. The officers did not find them useful and said they would prefer to be stationed at train stations and airports instead. According to the GdP, the new border controls have had little impact on curbing irregular migration. Furthermore, it has been stated that smuggling routes continue to bypass checkpoints and main streets.
Using Cloudflare on your website could be blocking RSS users:
Many users prefer using an RSS feed reader to stay up-to-date on websites they visit, but when Cloudflare is enabled on a website, it may block these RSS users from accessing content without realizing it. In the Cloudflare dashboard, there are tools designed to block bot traffic, which can inadvertently block legitimate RSS readers. To resolve this issue, an individual must contact the website owner for custom rule unblocking or whitelist the RSS reader's IP address or user agent string. Cloudflare needs to ensure that people using RSS tools aren't blocked from accessing content and make it easier to resolve when they are.
Ireland’s big school secret: how a year off-curriculum changes teenage lives:
The transition year (TY) program in Irish education offers students an opportunity to explore different subjects and interests outside of their usual curriculum during their final year of secondary school before entering the senior cycle. The program is not graded, but students are required to participate in various activities such as work experience, career guidance, social, personal, and health education. The TY concept was created by Richard Burke in 1974 with the intention to create a space for kids to appreciate finer arts, literature, and other subjects. Currently, almost 80% of Irish students choose this program, which has been linked to higher Leaving Certificate scores. However, there are concerns about equitable access to TY programs in schools across Ireland due to admission issues, financial constraints, and inconsistencies in implementation.
The sound of the dialup, pictured:
This article discusses the mysterious sounds made by modems before the 2000s as they connected to the Internet. These sounds are often called a handshake, representing a telephone conversation between two modems. The process includes dialing, exchanging data, echo suppression, finding suitable modulation modes, and eventually sending scrambled data. The audible nature of this connection was due to the fact that telephone lines were primarily used for human audio conversations at the time, and modems would default to exposing users to handshake sounds.
How we Outsmarted CSGO Cheaters with IdentityLogger:
This article discusses the challenges and strategies involved in managing a CSGO server community called Invex Gaming, which operated from 2014 to 2019. The author provides an in-depth look at the responsibilities of maintaining such a server, including infrastructure maintenance, cost management, content addition, and dealing with cheaters. The article highlights the ongoing battle against cheating and how it evolves over time, using the example of the Invex Gaming community. It also outlines an innovative solution called „IdentityLogger“ that helped catch cheaters by fingerprinting players based on their IP address, Steam ID, and Tracking ID, ultimately making it more difficult for them to evade bans. The system was open-sourced on GitHub, and the author remains proud of its effectiveness in combating cheating within the server community.
Employee creates Bitcoin botnet to exploit ESEA's 500,000-member gaming community:
The ESEA gaming network was exploited by a rogue employee who used users' powerful graphics cards to mine Bitcoins without their knowledge. The mining began on April 13th and affected thousands of gamers, resulting in over $3,700 worth of the currency being mined. The employee distributed the code surreptitiously after ESEA had considered but ultimately decided against implementing a Bitcoin mining option for its client. ESEA stopped the behavior after it was exposed by a user on their forums and is donating the mined bitcoins to the American Cancer Society, along with an equal donation from their own account.
How Israel’s bulky pager fooled Hezbollah:
In 2023, weaponized pagers containing plastic explosive and invisible X-ray detonators were sent to Lebanon as part of an Israeli plot to decimate Hezbollah. The agents designed the battery packs to conceal a small charge of explosives and a novel detonator that could not be detected by X-ray. To create a backstory for these new products, they created fake online stores, pages, and posts to deceive Hezbollah's due diligence process. In September 2023, the pagers exploded simultaneously in southern Beirut and other Hezbollah strongholds, killing 39 people and wounding over 3,400. This operation was spearheaded by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, which is responsible for the pager and walkie-talkie attacks that took place.
Why Don’t We Use Awnings Anymore - The Craftsman Blog:
Awnings were once a ubiquitous feature on buildings to block solar heat gain through windows before air conditioning became widespread, providing passive heating and cooling in winter and summer respectively. However, as air conditioning adoption increased, awnings began to disappear from buildings. Today, awnings are mainly used for signage or as retractable coverings for decks and patios. With rising energy prices, there is hope that the use of awnings may become popular again as a simple method to maintain moderate temperatures throughout the year.
Eye Contact Correction by Sieve — Run with an API:
The Sieve's Eye Contact Correction API is a fast and high-quality tool for developers to correct eye contact in videos. It redirects gaze in videos to simulate eye contact with the camera, supports various customization options, preserves original blinking and head movements, and enables natural looking away from the camera. The API has limitations regarding extreme head poses or gaze directions, very low-resolution videos, and split screens. The function is billed at $0.10 per minute of video.
Rebooting The Arsenal of Democracy:
The article discusses the need for individuals to actively work towards building advanced technology for defense purposes instead of relying on a secret government silo. It emphasizes the importance of caring about the future of collective defense and collaborating to ensure a safe, prosperous, and free society.
Can't trust any VPN these days - Orhun's Blog:
In October 2024, Discord was banned in Turkey due to criminal allegations and refusal to share user data. The author discusses their experience trying to find a way around the ban by learning about DNS and VPNs. They discovered that DNS leaks were causing their VPN connection to fail, leading them to configure up and down scripts for managing DNS updates. This enabled them to use Discord again, despite the ongoing ban in Turkey.
The article discusses the challenges faced by the author and their partner when they moved to a new state with an unlisted address on Google Maps. They encountered difficulties in updating their address, as it was not recognized by various institutions such as the credit union, phone service provider, and DMV. After dealing with these issues and talking to local authorities who knew of their existence, they realized that nothing beats interacting with real people for assistance in situations like this. The article also highlights the potential dangers of relying solely on technology, such as AI, for address validation and other essential processes.
Invisible text that AI chatbots understand and humans can’t? Yep, it’s a thing.:
Microsoft 365 Copilot has started removing hidden characters from input, while still writing hidden characters. A Microsoft representative declined to discuss plans for Copilot interaction with invisible characters but mentioned that the company is making changes to protect customers against attacks using ASCII smuggling. Google Gemini can read and write hidden characters but does not reliably interpret them as ASCII text. The behavior of various language models differs in their ability to handle hidden Unicode tags, leading to security concerns and complications for users.
Pumpkin is a Minecraft server built in Rust, prioritizing performance and player enjoyment while adhering to the core game mechanics. It aims to provide a fast and customizable experience with multi-threading and compatibility with the latest Minecraft server version. It is highly configurable and prioritizes security against known exploits. However, it is not compatible with plugins or mods for other servers and is not a framework for building a server from scratch. Pumpkin is currently under heavy development with ongoing feature enhancements and updates.
Hiding Images in Plain Sight: The Physics Of Magic Windows:
The article discusses the creation of a square acrylic object that forms an image when illuminated by a flashlight or produces a 3D hologram in sunlight. This physical phenomenon, known as a caustic, occurs due to even small variations in the surface flatness and is dependent on the refracted light forming a specific pattern. The article goes through the mathematical concepts behind this creation process, including using Poisson's Equation and Snell's Law to manipulate the height of lens cells in order to create the desired image or hologram.
How to fork: Best practices and guide:
This article discusses the challenges of maintaining a fork in an open-source project and provides best practices to ensure that fork remains in sync with the original project. The author suggests using atomic commits, identifying fixes and non-fixes, rebase early and often, contribute changes back upstream, keep a good relationship with the upstream team, straighten the git history, minimize downstream changes by squashing them together, maintain any upstreameable commits at the beginning, effectively rebase on the new version, and consider introducing a plugin system to avoid complex forks. The article emphasizes that these best practices may not cover every unique project scenario but can be useful for many developers.
MynaUI Icons - MynaUI - Made with TailwindCSS, shadcn/ui, Radix UI and Figma:
This article is about MynaUI Icons, which are a set of beautifully crafted open source icons created for your next project using TailwindCSS, shadcn/ui, Radix UI and Figma. These icons can be used to enhance the overall design and provide a polished look to your projects.
Life expectancy rise in rich countries slows down: why discovery took 30 years to prove:
A recent study suggests that the increase in human life expectancy might be slowing down, contrary to popular beliefs about living up to 100 years or more. The research analyzed mortality data from ten countries or regions over the past three decades, finding that the rate of improvement in life expectancy had decreased in most populations. Co-author S. Jay Olshansky argues that this is due to biological limits, and the era of radical life extension has come to an end. Some researchers disagree, however, believing that medical science could still extend age limits in the future. The study found that children born since 2010 have a relatively small chance of living to 100.
Home:
The Mothbox is a low-cost, high-performance insect monitor designed to help field biologists study insect biodiversity in various environments. Its lightweight and power-efficient design allows it to be deployed in remote areas such as jungles. It attracts nocturnal insects using UV lights, takes ultra-high resolution photos of the visitors, and uses open-source AI scripts to automatically identify and group the insects by taxonomic levels. The Mothbox is an open-source project that includes all physical designs, electronics schematics, Pi Scripts, and insect-IDing Artificial Intelligence, making it easy for users to build, share, and improve the design themselves.
The article discusses a standalone offline HTML5 QR code generator, qr.15c.me, which has received 108 stars and 34 forks. It highlights the need to be signed in to change notification settings.
Bike Manufacturers Are Making Bikes Less Repairable:
This article discusses how bicycles are becoming increasingly proprietary in nature, with bike manufacturers using non-standard parts that make repairs and maintenance more difficult. As a result, cheap bikes are getting worse in quality and designed to fail or not last long. The use of proprietary parts guarantees the need to return to the manufacturer for spare parts, potentially increasing sales. Additionally, e-bike batteries lack standardization, making it hard to find replacements or repair them without using unreliable sources. This trend goes against the sustainability and efficiency of bicycles as a mode of transportation.
Routine dental X-rays are not backed by evidence—experts want it to stop:
The article discusses an essential discussion led by oral medicine expert Yehuda Zadik, who supports Feit's point regarding the overuse of routine dental radiography. Zadik highlights that dentistry is among the few healthcare professions where all aspects of care are performed in-house, often by a single practitioner, leading to a lack of external oversight. He notes that while digital X-rays have replaced film ones, which emit more radiation, advancements in dentistry suggest using them less frequently and only based on clinical suspicion. Zadik emphasizes the importance of reducing patient exposure to diagnostic radiation and advocates for considering alternative technologies like electronic apex locators for root canal procedures.
The article discusses Tesla's progress towards achieving Level 5 autonomous driving, which Elon Musk announced eight years ago. Instead of delivering on the promise, Tesla has been relying on hype and spectacle to build confidence in its self-driving capabilities. This approach is contrasted with companies like Waymo, who have been providing real driverless rides on public streets. The article questions whether Musk's retreat into a fantasy world will affect Tesla's credibility and performance in the future. Additionally, it highlights how this situation is linked to Musk's political aspirations and his desire for impunity from legal consequences.
Wirtschaftsnobelpreis für ein besseres Verständnis der Wohlstandunterschiede:
The Alfred Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences has been awarded to Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James A. Robinson for their research on why some nations have more prosperity than others. They have shown that societies with weak rule of law and institutions that exploit the population do not grow economically, especially as a result of European colonialization. The prize is given to these researchers for explaining the differences in wealth between countries during colonization and their long-lasting impact on current prosperity levels.
Smart-TV: LG und Samsung dokumentieren TV-Sehgewohnheiten:
Smart-TV Hersteller verwenden die Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) Technik, um die Sehgewohnheiten der Nutzer zu sammeln und zu analysieren. ACR erfasst den Bildschirminhalt und gibt diesen als digitalen Code, den Fingerprint, an einen Server weiter. Der größte Smart-TV Hersteller nutzt ACR und wird oft von Drittanbietern interessiert. In der Untersuchung wurde der Traffic zwischen Smart-TVs und ACR-Servern analysiert und festgestellt, dass der höchste Traffic auftritt, wenn lineares Programm gesehen oder ein Laptop oder eine Spielekonsole angeschlossen wird. Samsung erklärte sich, dass ACR zur Verbesserung des Fernseherlebnisses eingesetzt wird und es bedarf der Zustimmung der Nutzer.
Geheimdienstchefs im Bundestag: "Es brennt quasi überall":
The President of the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), Bruno Kahl, warns that Russia is likely to be able to launch an attack on NATO by the end of this decade. He also states that Russia will use all available hybrid measures to undermine state and society in Germany and Europe, with cyberattacks being a significant part of these efforts. The President of the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, Thomas Haldenwang, says that Russia has evolved from a storm into a full-blown hurricane and highlights issues such as influence operations, spy drone flights over military facilities, and the threat of explosive packages being sent via DHL. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly important for these agencies, with Kahl stating that his department now uses AI tools but needs more people who can do so effectively.
Avoiding a Geopolitical Open Source Apocalypse:
The article discusses the increasing involvement of China in the open-source world and the potential for a bifurcation of open-source communities into East and West ecosystems. Chinese companies are well represented in major open-source foundations such as OpenInfra and CNCF, raising concerns about whether Western companies will adopt Chinese software. Open-source software has its own security issues; however, establishing a public commons for open source is essential to avoid a potential „Open Source Apocalypse.“ Independent institutions that represent all geographies and provide best practices for securing open-source supply chains are needed to bridge the divide.
American schools spend around $900 billion a year on education, and the debate arises whether the federal government should provide more funding for meals. The first national school lunch programs started in the 1930s to address food supply issues during the Great Depression, with millions of poor Americans unable to afford food while children starved. Over time, the system has evolved and expanded based on political whims, but the model remains: the federal government reimburses local school districts for lunches. As of 2023, roughly half of America's public school students are eligible for free or reduced lunch based on their family's income being at or below 185% of the federal poverty level. Advocates for universal free lunch argue that it can help schools and stimulate the economy in various ways, such as increased efficiency and more consistent budgets.
The Hottest Startups in Berlin in 2024:
This article discusses various German startups contributing to innovation and technology, such as Alpha Alpha (AI startup), Helsing (AI for Europe's militaries), BlueLayer (carbon credit market software), Cambrium (AI protein design), Jina AI (search foundation models), Endel (generative AI music app), Slay (virtual pet app), Ovom Care (fertility technology), Dryad (wildfire detection network), UltiHash (data storage algorithm for AI), and Qdrant (vector database company). These startups have raised significant investments and are making a difference in their respective fields.
Smart homes may be a good idea, just not for the idiots:
The article criticizes smart homes as being simultaneously sinister and stupid, arguing that they steal what they want and deny what consumers need. It highlights issues with smart light bulbs, such as the need to download an app from a company and provide Wi-Fi passwords, while also discussing the privacy concerns associated with smart TVs. The author suggests using Bluetooth to configure stuff locally and proposes that there should be connectivity rules requiring disclosure and control for consumer smart appliances.
Why does FM sound better than AM?:
The original radio broadcast method was Amplitude Modulation (AM), where the changes in carrier wave amplitude carry the desired signal. Frequency Modulation (FM) followed as an improvement, with changes to the carrier wave frequency carrying the signal. FM radio offered significant noise reduction advantages over AM radio due to its ability to filter out unwanted amplitude modulations more effectively than AM systems could. Edwin Howard Armstrong predicted this benefit and demonstrated that FM radio transmissions would suffer less interference from random noise.
Training Diffusion Transformers Is Easier Than You Think:
The article discusses the use of generative models based on denoising, such as diffusion models and flow-based models, for generating high-dimensional visual data. It highlights that recent works have started exploring diffusion models as representation learners. However, a main challenge in training these models lies in learning an efficient internal representation. The article introduces REPresentation Alignment (REPA), a simple regularization technique built on diffusion transformer architectures, which distills the pretrained self-supervised visual representation into the diffusion model's representation of a noisy input. This method improves model training efficiency and effectiveness by achieving faster convergence than vanilla models. The approach also leads to state-of-the-art generation quality results with FID=1.42 using classifier-free guidance and additional scheduling.
You can stop using user-scalable=no and maximum-scale=1 in viewport me:
The article discusses the use of viewport meta tags on websites and their impact on accessibility. It suggests removing maximum-scale or user-scalable properties from the viewport meta tag as they can hinder users, especially those with impaired vision, from being able to zoom in and view content properly on mobile devices. The article highlights that some of these practices became widespread due to browser bugs which are now irrelevant or best addressed with other fixes. It also mentions alternative solutions for controlling how zooming gestures work for certain components on the page.
Die Opfer der BILD-Zeitung (Video):
This Transcript eines Youtube Videos discusses the unethical practices of the Bild-Zeitung newspaper, specifically focusing on how it exploits people's personal tragedies for profit. The video starts with a story from a former Bild reporter, Kurt Molzer, who was asked to deliver news of a fatal car accident to a mother and convince her to provide a family photo for publication in the next day's issue.
The video goes on to explain that this practice is known as „Witwenschütteln“ or shaking widows, where reporters pressure grieving individuals into providing quotes or photos. The Bild-Zeitung often uses manipulative tactics such as lying about the purpose of their visit, exploiting people's grief for sensationalism, and pressuring them to give interviews or photos.
The video also highlights how the Bild-Zeitung frequently misrepresents or exaggerates details about victims or perpetrators. For instance, they might invent characteristics about a murder victim that are not true, or they may falsely identify individuals as perpetrators based on misleading evidence. In some cases, they have even published false information about people who had nothing to do with a tragedy, causing distress and embarrassment.
The Bild-Zeitung has been known to invade the privacy of victims and their families by searching through social media profiles, private Facebook groups, and personal documents for information and photos. They have also published sensitive details about individuals' personal lives and health status without their consent. In one extreme case, a family was notified that they had lost their son in a school shooting only to find out later that it was a misidentification caused by Bild's careless reporting.
The video also discusses the psychological impact of such reporting on both victims and their families. Many have expressed feelings of violation, distress, and trauma due to the intrusive nature of Bild's reporting. In some cases, individuals have taken their own lives following Bild coverage. The phenomenon known as the „Werter-Effekt“ suggests that detailed media coverage of suicides can lead to an increase in copycat suicides, further highlighting the potential harm caused by such reporting.
The video concludes with a discussion about targeted attacks on individuals who have spoken out against Bild or refused to cooperate with them. Examples include television host Peter Lustig and comedian Oliver Pocher, both of whom were smeared by Bild after criticizing their practices. Charlotte Roche also shares her experience of being pressured by a Bild reporter while she was grieving the loss of her brothers in an accident.
In summary, this video exposes the unethical methods used by the Bild-Zeitung to exploit people's personal tragedies for profit and discusses the psychological and societal impacts of such reporting practices.
Kaffee und Klo zu Luxuspreisen an der Autobahn 😡💸 ｜ Echt？ WDR (Video):
The video discusses the high prices at German rest areas and examines the business model of Tank und Rast, a company that operates most rest areas in Germany. Key points include:
1. The high prices are a result of the monopoly on rest area operations by Tank und Rast, which drives up costs for customers, franchisees, employees, and public institutions alike. The company has accumulated over 4 billion euros in debt, leading to constant losses. 2. Tank und Rast argues that the business model is focused on profitability through continuous investment in infrastructure and quality improvement. However, critics argue that the model leads to excessive prices for services such as parking, fueling, food and drinks, and use of restroom facilities. 3. The company's profits mainly come from selling concessions to private parties who run franchise operations at its locations. These franchises, such as Surway GmbH & Co. KG, have been criticized for their high prices in comparison to independent gas stations and restaurants. 4. Alternatives like Autohöfe (gas stations with attached food service areas) may be more affordable options for consumers on the road; however, it is mentioned that Tank und Rast has acquired many of these businesses, potentially stifling competition and increasing costs further. 5. Critics also argue that Tank und Rast uses its political influence to maintain an uneven playing field in negotiations with contractors, suppliers, and employees. 6. Despite the company's insistence on the profitability of their model, economic experts have questioned the long-term sustainability of their high debt levels and lack of income generation beyond concession sales. 7. The video highlights consumer dissatisfaction with the high prices at rest stops, suggesting that a more cost-effective solution would be for people to bring food from home or plan their trips around better options like gas stations with restaurants attached.
Slappklagen： Rechtsextreme klagen Gegner mundtot ｜ DW Nachrichten (Video):
Thomas Meyer-Ross, a father, faced legal action from the owner of a holiday village after he raised concerns about his daughter's school class visiting the site. The holiday village owner sued Meyer-Ross for defamation and sought approximately 50,000 Euros in damages. In another case, Schakela Stark, a Green Party politician, faced a lawsuit from a right-wing sponsor of her local sports club after she criticized them for supporting right-wing demonstrations.
Both cases are examples of what is known as „SLAP“ (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) suits, intended to intimidate and silence critics through the threat of legal action and financial penalties. The number of SLAP suits in Germany has increased in recent years, with right-wing political parties such as AfD being behind many of these cases.
Legal aid organizations like Open Knowledge Foundation support individuals who are targeted by SLAP suits from the right-wing spectrum. One of the most prominent supporters of SLAP actions is Hans-Georg Maaßen, a former president of the Verfassungsschutz (the domestic security agency). Maaßen has been accused of using lawsuits as part of an intimidation strategy to silence critics, as he publicly shares templates for such legal threats.
A European Union directive aims to tackle SLAP suits by allowing courts to dismiss these cases more quickly, but implementation into national legislation is still pending in Germany. Organizations like the Institute for Democracy and Civil Society are researching strategies to combat this phenomenon, including creating support networks and legal assistance programs for individuals targeted with SLAP actions.
Windows 11： Recall doch aktiv (Video):
This video discusses the controversy surrounding the Recall feature in Windows 11. The topic is mainly about how this function takes screenshots of users' desktops and sends them to Microsoft, raising privacy concerns. The video also demonstrates the activation of the Recall feature by default in Windows 11 version 24H2 and shares a method on disabling it using local group policy editor (gpedit.msc) in Windows 11 Pro edition. The speaker speculates that Microsoft may address this issue, but for now users should wait for their response or follow the instructions provided to prevent automatic updates with Recall feature enabled.
What happens if Iran gets nuclear weapons？ (Video):
In the transcript of a YouTube video, Iran's potential nuclear test is discussed. Key points include unusual seismic activity detected by the US Geological Survey and Iranian state-run media reporting an extraordinary announcement regarding Iran's nuclear program. The earthquake, timing, and location add complexity to the region. It is uncertain whether Iran has conducted a nuclear detonation, but there is a possibility that the Iranian plateau is prone to earthquakes and the detected seismic activity could be misinterpreted.
Iran's nuclear program raises questions about what would happen if Iran gets its hands on nuclear weapons. The Israeli-Iranian conflict has global ripple effects, such as oil prices reacting to potential threats to Iran's supply. With low prices in the art market and an opportunity for new investors to enter the market through Masterworks (an art investment platform), there is potential risk involved.
Iran and the West have a long history of conflict with events such as the US backing Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war, collaboration between Israel and the United States in a cyber attack on Iranian enrichment infrastructure, and the elimination of key individuals in the region. As a result, Iran has developed proxy forces in various locations to establish deterrence.
Iran's nuclear program has recently been accelerated with reports of uranium production at 84% purity and top US officials testifying about Iranian capability to manufacture a nuclear bomb within a short period. There are different postures Iran could adopt regarding its nuclear weapons, such as India or Pakistan's doctrines, which will determine their foreign policy approach.
A nuclear-armed Iran would have various effects on the Persian Gulf, the United States, and Saudi Arabia. The conflict between Iran and Israel may escalate to a point of no return due to nuclear weapons involved. Moreover, Iran's rivalry with countries like Turkey, Egypt, and the UAE could lead to regional arms races as they explore options for their own nuclear deterrents. The situation remains uncertain and potentially dangerous.
Der Krieg in der Ukraine - ein Abnützungskrieg (Video):
In this Youtube video, the speaker discusses the current state of the war in Ukraine and the strategies being employed by both sides. The Russian forces have demonstrated adaptability and are using a range of tactics including adjusting their fighting techniques, exploiting electromagnetic fields to interfere with Western weaponry, and making significant advances into Ukrainian territory. The video highlights several key battlefronts such as Kharkiv, Kupiansk, Chasif-Yar, Pokrovsk, Kursk, Bakhmut, and Vuhledar.
The speaker also addresses the issue of support from Western countries for Ukraine, stating that while there are pledges to provide more advanced weapon systems, it seems as if these promises lack commitment and delivery. Finally, the video delves into the changing global security landscape, with increased tensions between Iran and Israel, and pressure on the United States to maintain a strong presence worldwide. Overall, this video underscores that while the war in Ukraine is not yet over, both sides continue to face challenges and adapt their tactics to gain advantage on the battlefield.
Why the Summit of the Great Pyramid is Missing (Video):
This video discusses the missing summit of the Great Pyramid in Egypt, focusing on how and why it was damaged throughout history. The presenter explores various theories about the destruction, including the possibility that the summit was removed to create a more stable platform for tourists or because of personal discontent with previous rulers' accomplishments. The video also analyzes measurements taken by different visitors and researchers over time, which helps determine when specific damage occurred.
Some key points include:
1. The missing summit of the Great Pyramid is a mystery that has long been ignored by Egyptology. 2. Early accounts from ancient authors Diodorus Siculus and Pliny the Elder describe the pyramid with a flat summit, suggesting its damage occurred as early as 200 BC. 3. The discrepancies in height measurements over time indicate that the pyramid's original structure has been gradually reduced due to human actions and natural processes. 4. The removal of casing stones by Romans or Egyptians in the late first millennium AD contributed significantly to the pyramid's damage. 5. In 1765, Nathaniel Davison took the most accurate measurements at that time, providing a baseline for comparing other testimonies and establishing when particular courses of stones were removed. 6. The Great Pyramid summit saw its worst destruction between 1798 and 1800, with five complete courses and a sixth large stone missing, leading to the appearance of the summit as seen today.
Bitnet.CPP - Run 100B Models on CPU - Easy Install on Windows, Linux, Mac (Video):
1. Microsoft has open-sourced bitnet.cpp, allowing users to run large LLM models on CPU without GPU or NPU support.
2. Bitnet.cpp is a one-bit LLM inference framework that can run on local devices with up to six times speed ups and 82.2% less energy usage.
3. The technology opens the door for designing hardware optimized for one-bit LLMs, enabling high-performance and cost-effective solutions.
4. In this video tutorial, viewers are guided through installing bitnet.cpp on Ubuntu Linux, Windows, or Mac OS, with instructions remaining consistent across all platforms.
5. The main takeaway is that open-sourcing bitnet.cpp by Microsoft paves the way for a new era of one-bit LLMs and highlights the efficiency of running such models on CPU.
How Ultra-Processed Baby Food Became A $17.9B Industry ｜ Ultra-Processed Life ｜ Business Insider (Video):
This video discusses the growing issue of ultra-processed baby and toddler foods, their health impacts, and how parents can navigate the complex industry. Key points include:
1. Baby and toddler foods are becoming sweeter with longer term health implications like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer due to added sugars.
2. The first baby food emerged in the 1920s as an ultra-processed product that catered to babies' nutritional needs when breastfeeding was difficult.
3. Gerber reinvented the baby food market by making it accessible and affordable, which led to a significant global growth in the last decade.
4. The baby food industry is currently facing criticism for marketing products as healthy but adding unnecessary sugars and preservatives, which have short-term and long-term adverse effects on children's health.
5. Experts advise parents to choose products with natural ingredients, few added sugars, colors, or preservatives, and to focus on providing whole foods when possible. The responsibility also lies with manufacturers and regulators to make it easier for parents to provide healthier options.
How You Know You're in Indonesia! (Video):
In this YouTube video, the speaker provides a comprehensive overview of Indonesia, covering topics such as its geography, population, biodiversity, languages, and cultural diversity. Key points include:
1. Indonesia is the world's fourth largest population country with over 275 million people, situated in Southeast Asia between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. 2. The equatorial position makes Indonesia hotter due to its proximity to the ring of fire, a region with numerous volcanoes and earthquakes. 3. Indonesia has the world's second-highest biodiversity and is home to unique species such as the Komodo dragon and orangutan. 4. The archipelago consists of over 17,000 islands, with Java being the most populated island. 5. There are over 700 languages and dialects in Indonesia, with Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) being the official language. Dutch is also spoken by some communities due to historical reasons. 6. The national motto „Unity in Diversity“ represents the coexistence of various ethnic groups across the islands. 7. To recognize your location in Indonesia, look for the flag, traffic rules, domain names ending with .id, license plates with black and white sections, mosques, or smaller areas known as Ka-bu-pa-tens. 8. The speaker encourages viewers to try GeoGuessr, a free game testing their Indonesian geography knowledge using images of different locations in the country.
Tabu Wochenbett – Von Babyglück zu Babyblues zu postnataler Depression ｜ Puls ｜ SRF Wissen (Video):
This video transcript discusses various topics related to postpartum depression, motherhood and the challenges faced by new parents. Key points include:
1. The importance of understanding and recognizing postpartum depression (PPD) and its symptoms, as it affects 10-20% of mothers and 10% of fathers. It is crucial for individuals to seek help if they feel that something is not right after the birth of their child.
2. The physical and emotional challenges faced by new parents during the postpartum period, such as adjusting to a baby's needs, sleepless nights, hormonal changes and anxiety about taking care of the child. It is essential for families to communicate openly and offer support to each other.
3. The significance of seeking professional help during PPD episodes to ensure proper recovery and healing for both mothers and fathers. This might include psychotherapeutic methods, medication or counseling, depending on the individual's needs.
4. Overcoming feelings of guilt and shame associated with PPD by recognizing that seeking professional help is a sign of strength rather than weakness. It is crucial to educate society about these challenges and reduce the stigma attached to postpartum depression.
5. The importance of screening new mothers and fathers for depressive symptoms, especially since not everyone experiences or recognizes PPD as a problem. Promoting awareness, offering help and support are essential in ensuring healthy family relationships after childbirth.
6. Postpartum Depression Switzerland is an organization working towards reducing the stigma of PPD by raising awareness through events such as conferences, seminars and workshops. They aim to encourage open dialogue on mental health and help parents recover from postpartum depression by offering resources, support groups and self-tests to identify early symptoms.
In conclusion, this video transcript emphasizes the significance of understanding and addressing postpartum depression as a part of new parenthood. It is crucial for society to recognize these challenges, provide support, and promote open dialogue surrounding mental health after childbirth.