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2023-04-27

Automakers are starting to admit that drivers hate touchscreens​

News​

  • Automakers are starting to acknowledge that many drivers prefer buttons and knobs over touchscreens on their vehicles' dashboards.
  • The trend towards touchscreens is the result of cost-cutting measures and a perceived sense of tech-infused modernity, rather than any concern for safety.
  • Though touchscreens may seem fancy, they can distract drivers and make driving more dangerous, leading some automakers to move towards more tactile controls.

Industry Reactions​

  • Properly designed touch screen interfaces could be just as safe as physical buttons
  • UI design of physical buttons and touchscreen controls in cars needs improvement for ease of use and safety concerns

Netflix loses 1M users in Spain over password policing​

News​

  • No meaningful content to summarize as the text only provides an error message and a reference ID for support inquiries.

Industry Reactions​

  • The crackdown on password sharing limits accounts to one household, causing frustration among those who share with friends and family outside of their home. However, some believe it will ultimately lead to fair pricing and more accurate metrics.
  • The conversation revolves around what constitutes a household, with some arguing that the definition allows for more flexibility, while others insist it pertains only to those living in one location. Additionally, some users are turning to torrenting and paid subscription services for quicker access to new content.

UK Blocks Microsoft's $69B Activision Deal​

News​

  • UK has blocked Microsoft's proposed $69B deal to acquire Activision Blizzard citing national security reasons.
  • Microsoft plans to appeal the decision and is committed to finding a way to complete the deal.
  • Some experts speculate that this decision highlights the growing concern over the impact of tech giants on national security and competition.

Industry Reactions​

  • Mixed reactions to the decision, with some applauding it and others questioning the logic behind it
  • Concerns about the impact on consumer choice, innovation, and competition in the gaming industry with the merger

Linen.dev: A 500 kb Slack alternative​

News​

  • Linen.dev is an open-source Slack/Discord alternative that aims to merge the advantages of a forum with the real-time interaction of chat.
  • The Linen team reduced the bundle size of their app to ~2MB parsed and ~500KB gzipped from ~1MB gzipped by using optimization strategies.
  • The reduced bundle size means faster initial page load speed, better user experience, and improved SEO performance.

Industry Reactions​

  • There are discussions regarding UI design, dependency optimization tools, including and excluding certain source files, and other messaging applications such as Zulip and Mattermost.
  • Linen offers threaded conversations and search capabilities, supports two-way syncing with Slack and Discord, and has potential to solve issues faced by OSS communities due to Slack's proprietary communication protocols.

Lessons by 3blue1brown​

News​

  • 3Blue1Brown offers free, animated math lessons covering topics such as calculus, linear algebra, neural networks, and more.
  • Users can become contributing members to receive benefits such as early access to new videos and having their name included in video credits.
  • The lessons remain free from brand integrations and sponsor messages through the support of contributing members.

Industry Reactions​

  • Discussion on the effectiveness of visual aids in learning Fourier analysis and the importance of understanding mappings from time domain to frequency domain.
  • Some praise 3blue1brown for conveying complex concepts, while others express the need for exercises and interactive learning, and emphasize the importance of time management and prioritizing learning that directly impacts their goals.

Why is OAuth still hard in 2023?​

News​

  • OAuth protocol has inconsistencies and non-standard behaviors, making implementing an API challenging.
  • Debugging OAuth flow is complex due to implementation quirks, non-standard behaviors, and standardized error messages.
  • Many APIs have proprietary and inconsistent behaviors, leading to debugging issues.

Industry Reactions​

  • OAuth's framework permit varied scenarios and security needs but can make implementation more complex
  • The OAuth and OIDC protocols have documentation issues with confusing and conflicting terminology and abstract nomenclature

Why did Google Brain exist?​

News​

  • Google Brain recently merged with DeepMind and has been rebranded as Google DeepMind.
  • Former Google Brain employee Brian Kihoon Lee ponders why the lab existed and discusses topics including research freedom, industry prestige, breakthrough discoveries, and employee retention.
  • Google's transition to wartime mode may lead to more focus on LLMs, potential project cancellations, and a shift towards hiring fresh PhDs, but there is still value in open-ended ML research.

Industry Reactions​

  • Understanding the fundamental tenets of a field is crucial for applying ML successfully, although applying off-the-shelf models to specific problems may be sufficient.
  • TensorFlow and PyTorch are both discussed, with some users arguing that the ecosystem in their specific field leans more towards PyTorch. Some people in the ML community deny Jürgen Schmidhuber credit for inventing LSTMs and GANs.

Colorado becomes first to pass 'right to repair' for farmers​

News​

Colorado has become the first state in the United States to pass a "right to repair" bill for farm equipment. The bill requires manufacturers of agricultural equipment to provide repair manuals, tools, and software to farmers and independent repair shops. The move is expected to save farmers time and money by allowing them to repair their own equipment or have it fixed by a local repair shop.

Industry Reactions​

  • Manufacturers concerned it could allow illegal modifications
  • Lobbyists argue protecting intellectual property is necessary to fund future research and development in agricultural equipment manufacturing

Google Authenticator cloud sync: Google can see the secrets, even while stored​

News​

  • DEFCON.social is a decentralized social network powered by Mastodon, with a focus on technology and society.
  • It is for people interested in hacking, policy, research, activism, art, law, infosec, natsec, academics, government officials, and cyberpunks.
  • The server has over 2,200 active users and is administered by @support@defcon.social@support.

Industry Reactions​

  • Lack of end-to-end encryption for stored secrets in Google Authenticator's cloud backup means users may be susceptible to data breaches or court orders.
  • There are potential alternatives to Google Authenticator, such as 2fas.com or offline TOTP, as well as concerns about Chrome password security and the use of SMS codes for 2FA.

Why do prime numbers make these spirals? (2019)​

News​

  • Prime numbers are difficult to understand but play a fundamental role in problem-solving.
  • Plotting primes in polar coordinates creates spirals and rays with patterns explained through residue classes mod a particular number.
  • Prime numbers are distributed in residue classes mod 744 and mod 710 in spiral patterns, which relate to Dirichlet's theorem.

Industry Reactions​

  • Emphasis on the importance of prime numbers in cryptography and optimization of sieve algorithms
  • Brief mention of other mathematical concepts related to prime numbers and their patterns