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2023-05-03

Eye Candy​

  • The post features a compilation of different creative techniques used in animation such as Lens Wipe, POV, Low-Angle, Dolly Zoom, Scribble Animation, Stable Diffusion, Match Cut, and tilt.
  • It showcases the works by well-known brands such as Nike and Ashahi, and a short film from the NBA, applying different techniques like Kinetic typography, crash zoom, glitch effect, morphing, fixed object, and object portal.
  • The post also includes a spotlight on the renowned director, Edgar Wright, showcasing his meticulous sound design and unique editing style featured in his popular genre films like Baby Driver, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Last Night in Soho.

Industry Reactions​

  • The website provides a compilation of the best techniques categorized by type, and users can suggest new techniques.
  • Users can click on a video to see examples of cinematographic techniques and choices used in the industry, and some examples include "fourth wall," "dolly zoom," and "object portal."

Film studios lose bid to unmask Reddit users who wrote comments on piracy​

  • A judge in the US District Court for the Northern District of California has ruled in favor of Reddit, stating that it does not have to identify eight anonymous users who wrote comments in piracy-related threads.
  • The film studios lost their bid to unmask Reddit users who commented on piracy as the judge quashed a subpoena, stating that the comments were irrelevant to the studios' underlying case and that they could obtain relevant information from other sources.
  • Reddit argued that the First Amendment protects users' right to speak anonymously online, and this record shows that the First Amendment bars discovery.

Industry Reactions​

  • Reddit only doxxed one commenter to the plaintiff, not all of them
  • Reddit's defense of anonymous speech has been called into question

Mojo – a new programming language for AI developers​

  • Mojo is a new programming language designed specifically for artificial intelligence (AI) developers, with features that streamline the AI development process and make it easier to read and write code.
  • Developed by University of Washington researchers, Mojo is optimized for running on graphics processing units (GPUs) and other specialized hardware commonly used for AI research and development.
  • Mojo's creators hope that it will help democratize AI development, making it more accessible and easier for programmers of all levels to create sophisticated AI applications.

Industry Reactions​

  • Mojo's technical advancements such as ownership and no garbage collection give it an edge over competitors while still supporting current Python ecosystems
  • Mojo faces competition from Triton, TVM, OpenXLA, and ONNX Runtime, but offers a new option for machine learning and AI developers

Fakespot Is Acquired by Mozilla​

  • This website is best experienced by visiting the website directly.
  • Please visit the website to read the article.

Industry Reactions​

  • Firefox is considered as a privacy- focused browser although it is behind in terms of features, performance, and market share compared to Chrome and Safari.

  • Mozilla's decision to invest in technology to combat low- quality AI- generated content, rather than adding more engineers to the browser project, is wise.

The Linux Kernel Module Programming Guide​

  • The Linux Kernel Module Programming Guide is a free book that teaches readers how to write kernel modules, which extend the functionality of the kernel without needing to reboot the system.
  • The book covers a variety of topics, including headers, device drivers, file systems, system calls, interrupt handlers, and scheduling tasks.
  • The author recommends extracting, compiling, and loading all the examples from a console. The book introduces new ways to handle kernel module settings, including the use of macros module_init and module_exit, and explains licensing options for kernel modules. Additionally, modules can take command line arguments using global variables and the module_param() macro.

Industry Reactions​

  • eBPF is a newer and slightly easier/safer alternative to some kernel module tasks.
  • The guide is a good starting point for learning about kernel modules, but may fall short when it comes to writing more complex drivers.

Microsoft broke a Chrome feature to promote Edge​

  • Microsoft issued a Windows update that broke a Chrome feature, making it harder to change your default browser and annoying Chrome users with popups, Gizmodo has learned.
  • The update affected Chrome's one-click "Make Default" button, and for enterprise users, the Windows default settings page would pop up every time they opened Chrome.
  • This move is part of Microsoft's pattern of behavior as it wages war on non-Windows web browsers and the people who use them.

Industry Reactions​

  • Google is developing a privacy sandbox, but the proposal is rejected due to tradeoffs between serving a diverse population and protecting user identities.
  • Windows users on enterprise versions experienced default system settings opening every time they opened Chrome due to an API issue, leading to concerns over user privacy and potential anti-trust behavior.

PornHub blocks users in Utah, cites state's age verification law​

  • PornHub has implemented a block on users in Utah who wish to access their site due to the state's new age verification law.
  • The law requires pornographic sites to verify that a user in Utah is at least 18 years old, and non-compliant sites can be held liable for damages resulting from a minor accessing the material.
  • PornHub argues that requiring ID isn't effective in protecting users and instead puts children and privacy at risk, suggesting that identifying users by their devices is a better solution.

Industry Reactions​

  • There are debates about whether age verification initiatives are in good faith and about their effectiveness, as it requires a significant burden on porn providers and raises concerns about privacy violations and the creation of records.
  • The discussions in the comments covers topics such as diversity and culture, government-mandated age restriction, parental control, and legislation on adult material labeling and categorization.

Let's make sure GitHub doesn't become the only option​

  • GitHub's dominant position in software development creates a risk to the industry, as it gives one company too much control and limits the use of alternative tools.
  • The reliance on Pull Requests (PRs) as the default collaboration tool creates a culture of low-trust and restricts collaboration styles.
  • Homogenization around a single platform is a risk, and developers should explore and invest in alternative tools to ensure a diversity of options and the resiliency of the software industry.

Industry Reactions​

  • Various alternatives to Git and GitHub are discussed, including GitLab, Sourcehut, and Codeberg.
  • The success of an alternative platform will depend on its ability to compete with GitHub's comprehensive search, reliable tracker, issue tracker integration, and basic documentation expectations.

faulTPM: Exposing AMD fTPMs' Deepest Secrets​

  • Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute discovered a vulnerability in AMD's fTPM (firmware-based TPM) which they named faulTPM.
  • By exploiting this vulnerability, an attacker could read sensitive information from the TPM, including secrets such as encryption keys and passwords.
  • AMD has already released a firmware update to mitigate this issue, and users are advised to update their systems as soon as possible.

Industry Reactions​

  • Comments section discusses various tech topics, including the limitations of tech, Windows 11 arbitrary hardware support cut-off, and the feasibility of switching to a Linux distro from Windows.
  • Researchers disclose a vulnerability in AMD's fTPM implementation that could be exploited in a $3 chip attack to exfiltrate data, highlighting the importance of evaluating one's threat model and implementing additional security measures beyond relying on fTPM or TPM-only protectors.

Jsonformer: Generate structured output from LLMs​

  • Jsonformer is a new approach to generate structured JSON from language models to ensure that the generated JSON is always syntactically correct and conforms to the specified schema.
  • Jsonformer fills in the fixed tokens during the generation process and only delegates the generation of content tokens to the language model, making it more efficient and bulletproof than existing approaches.
  • Jsonformer is built on top of the HuggingFace transformers library and supports a subset of JSON schema while being flexible and extendable.

Industry Reactions​

  • Other similar JSON schema generators like Clownfish and Guardrails require a more complex approach for complex schemas
  • Zod can be used for defining expected type and validating response, matching inferred static types like Typescript after 'transmogrify'