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2023-07-28

Tesla created secret team to suppress thousands of driving range complaints

  • Tesla has been accused of manipulating the dashboard readouts in their electric cars to show exaggerated driving range projections.
  • The company received complaints from owners about the actual driving range not meeting expectations.
  • Tesla created a secret team, known as the "diversion team," to cancel service appointments for range-related issues.
  • A study found that Tesla's range estimates overstate the distance the car can travel compared to other automakers.
  • Tesla has faced fines for falsely advertising driving ranges, as they are accused of exploiting loopholes to generate more favorable estimates.
  • Recently, Tesla has shifted the handling of range complaints to virtual service advisors.
  • Customers have expressed frustration with the way their range complaints have been handled by Tesla.

Reactions

  • There are allegations that Tesla is suppressing complaints about driving range issues.
  • Drivers have reported getting stranded due to inaccurate battery range indicators.
  • Users are not satisfied with Tesla's response to the issue.
  • The efficiency of electric engines compared to internal combustion engines is a topic of discussion.
  • The need for a neutral mode in electric vehicles is also being debated.
  • Potential solutions for extending range and improving range estimates are being discussed.
  • Users are sharing their experiences with Tesla vehicles.
  • The challenges with EV charging infrastructure are being discussed.
  • Overall satisfaction with Tesla cars is also a topic of conversation.

BlazingMQ: High-performance open source message queuing system

  • BlazingMQ is an open-source message queuing system written in C++ without any external dependencies.
  • It prioritizes efficiency, reliability, and modern workflows.
  • The system offers low latency and utilizes a unique multi-hop network topology to reduce network bandwidth and latency for high fan-out workflows.
  • BlazingMQ provides clustering, replication, and message routing strategies for complex processing pipelines.

Reactions

  • BlazingMQ, an open-source messaging platform, has been released by Bloomberg.
  • It offers high-performance message queuing with features like fan-out functionality and distributed messaging capabilities.
  • The system is designed for heavy computations and includes a multi-hop network topology to reduce WAN traffic and improve cost efficiency.
  • Discussions about BlazingMQ cover topics such as animation tools, security considerations, and performance comparisons.
  • Users praise BlazingMQ's documentation and express interest in additional features and clients.

Wavy walls use fewer bricks than a straight wall (2020)

  • Wavy walls, popularized in England, are an architectural design that uses fewer bricks than straight walls.
  • These walls offer stability and resistance to lateral forces, making them more resistant to wind.
  • Examples of wavy walls can be found in Suffolk and at the University of Virginia.
  • The design is not unique to Thomas Jefferson; it is an adaptation of an established English construction style.
  • The undulating waves in the walls can make it difficult for lawnmowers to navigate.

Reactions

  • The forum discussion focuses on the use of wavy walls or zigzag fences.
  • Wavy walls require fewer materials and are more stable compared to straight walls.
  • They are easier to construct and maintain, especially in cold climates.
  • Commenters discuss the advantages of wavy walls, including cost savings, aesthetic appeal, and potential for creating a warmer microclimate.
  • The discussion also explores the origins and different names for this type of fencing.
  • There is a discussion about serpentine walls, which are wavy walls made of bricks and offer better resistance to lateral forces.
  • The conversation debates the practicality and aesthetics of wavy walls compared to traditional straight walls.

Tarsnap outage postmortem

  • The Tarsnap service experienced a significant outage from July 2 to July 3, 2023.
  • The outage was caused by a failed system status check on the central server hosted in Amazon's EC2 us-east-1 region.
  • The server was restarted on a new EC2 instance, but filesystem corruption was discovered.
  • To recover, metadata headers were read from Amazon S3 and operations were replayed locally, but issues arose due to code written in 2014 that didn't account for machine re-ownership.
  • The state reconstruction process was slower than expected due to disk throughput limitations.
  • The server was brought back online after approximately 26 hours and 16 minutes.
  • To compensate for the outage, users' Tarsnap accounts were credited with 50% of a month's storage costs.

Reactions

  • Users discuss the recent outage on Tarsnap, a backup service.
  • The founder of Tarsnap is praised for their technical skills.
  • Concerns about backup plans and the importance of data backups are raised.
  • Discussions revolve around SLAs (Service Level Agreements) and testing for disaster recovery.
  • Users debate the pricing and value of Tarsnap compared to other backup services.
  • Features like encryption, deduplication, and compatibility with different systems are mentioned.
  • Tarsnap is compared to other backup services and cloud storage solutions like S3.
  • Discussions also touch on the use of different storage systems like Postgres, MySQL, and S3 in relation to Tarsnap.

Building and operating a pretty big storage system called S3

  • Andy Warfield, a VP and distinguished engineer at S3, shares insights into the building and operation of Amazon's storage system, S3.
  • The article emphasizes the significance of considering software, hardware, and people in managing a global storage service.
  • Challenges in managing heat and load distribution are discussed.
  • Replication and erasure coding are used to ensure data placement and durability.
  • The implementation of a new storage layer called ShardStore is highlighted.
  • The importance of ownership in software development is underscored.
  • The author shares their experience at Amazon in understanding systems, operations, and organizational challenges.

Reactions

  • The discussion focuses on the challenges and considerations of building and operating a large-scale storage system like Amazon S3.
  • Issues with open source libraries, checksumming, and potential collisions are addressed in the conversation.
  • The benefits of cloud storage and the importance of parallelism are highlighted.
  • Trade-offs between remote storage systems and local SSDs are discussed.
  • Early data storage devices and data sovereignty solutions are mentioned.
  • Speculation about the storage medium used in Amazon Glacier is presented.
  • The technical design of Amazon S3, including the use of Blueray disks, load distribution, and ownership in managing services, is explored.
  • Amazon S3 is praised for its impressive performance and the use of microservices in its architecture.

No one wants to talk to your chatbot

  • The article discusses the transition from websites to search engines as the primary interface for users.
  • There is a rise in mobile apps and virtual personal assistants as preferred tools for accessing information.
  • Language skills are crucial for improving virtual personal assistants.
  • Personal assistants may become the go-to starting point for users, eliminating the need for interacting with various chatbots and online assistants.
  • The article concludes that humans are not interested in conversing with chatbots and suggests designing chatbots specifically for personal virtual assistants.

Reactions

  • Chatbots are being considered as potential replacements for confusing and ad-filled user interfaces on websites.
  • Some users are concerned about chatbots being used as ad platforms and manipulating user choices.
  • Others argue that chatbots could provide a more streamlined and personalized user experience.
  • There is a discussion about integrating advertising into chatbots' responses and the issues of trust and transparency.
  • Monetization of free information on the web is also a topic of discussion.
  • Opinions on chatbots vary, with some finding them helpful and others preferring human interaction.
  • The idea of integrating chatbots into a centralized app is mentioned.
  • Commenters share both positive experiences and skepticism regarding the use of chatbots.

Bootstrapping to €600k MRR and getting killed by Shopify: Checkout X

  • Checkout X is a company that created a one-page Shopify checkout with post-purchase upsells.
  • They faced challenges with payment providers and encountered difficulties due to Shopify's control over the checkout function.
  • The company acquired customers through partnerships, virality, and an effective affiliate program.
  • The author considered alternatives such as migrating to WooCommerce, fundraising, acquisition, or suing Shopify.
  • No purchase offer was received from Shopify.
  • Despite the challenges, the author plans to continue sharing their startup experiences in the future.

Reactions

  • The discussion focuses on the challenges and risks of building a business on a third-party platform, using the case of Checkout X and its relationship with Shopify as an example.
  • Participants have different opinions on the situation, with some considering it a success and others considering it a failure.
  • Antitrust concerns and power dynamics between small businesses and larger platforms are addressed in the conversation.
  • It is emphasized that entrepreneurs should have an exit strategy and consider alternative platforms to minimize the risk of relying solely on one platform.
  • The potential for legal action and the consequences of not adhering to a platform's terms and conditions are also discussed.

Room temperature, ambient pressure superconductivity – this time for real?

  • Researchers in Korea have reportedly created a material called LK-99 that shows superconductivity at room temperature and ambient pressure.
  • The material has a critical temperature of 400 K (127°C) and exhibits properties like zero-resistance.
  • The superconductivity is attributed to a structural distortion resulting from volume shrinkage.
  • Although the results have not been published, patent filings related to the research have been discovered.
  • If validated, this discovery could have significant technological impacts in areas such as power transmission and quantum computing.
  • However, skepticism exists due to previous instances of false claims in the field.

Reactions

  • The collection of discussion threads explores various topics related to superconductivity, including a recent claim of achieving room-temperature superconductivity.
  • Skepticism is evident in the discussions, with participants emphasizing the importance of replication and thorough review.
  • Potential applications of room-temperature superconductivity are discussed, generating anticipation for potential breakthroughs in the field.
  • Concerns are raised regarding the validity of the claim, highlighting the need for skepticism and rigorous scrutiny.
  • The threads offer a mix of opinions, speculation, and excitement surrounding advancements in superconductivity.

LLaMA2 Chat 70B outperformed ChatGPT

  • AlpacaEvalLeaderboard is an automatic evaluator that assesses instruction-following language models.
  • It compares different models' performance in following instructions and generates rankings based on win rates.
  • The evaluation is conducted using the AlpacaFarm evaluation set and utilizes auto-annotators like GPT-4, Claude, or ChatGPT.
  • However, AlpacaEval has limitations, including a bias towards longer outputs and simple instructions.
  • It does not evaluate the safety of models.
  • The community is encouraged to contribute new models, evaluators, and more complex evaluation sets.

Reactions

  • Participants discuss the performance, limitations, and potential applications of AI models like LLaMA2 and ChatGPT.
  • Importance of including human preferences in evaluating model quality is mentioned.
  • Challenges of capturing complex philosophical concepts in AI models are highlighted.
  • Different natural language processing models and coding tasks are discussed.
  • Concerns about potential contamination of training data are raised.
  • Advantages and capabilities of GPT-4 and LLaMA2 are mentioned.
  • Concerns about data security and model stability are discussed.
  • Other AI models and their features are also discussed.
  • Language availability and hardware requirements are considered.

Brave is a fork, not a Chromium reskin

  • Brendan Eich, founder of the browser Brave, clarified that the browser is a fork of Google's Chromium, not just a reskinned version.
  • Brave will not be implementing WEI (WebExtensions API) support.
  • The browser will also disable other unwanted features that are present in Google's Chromium.

Reactions

  • The discussions focus on the Brave browser, its use of Chromium, and its ability to deviate from the upstream.
  • Alternative browser engines, privacy concerns, and commercial interests are topics of discussion.
  • Users share their opinions on Brave's performance, customization options, and trustworthiness.
  • Trust, privacy, and ethical practices in the tech industry are important themes in the conversations.
  • Views are divided on Brave's features, monetization model, and the trustworthiness of Brave and Google.
  • The discussions provide a wide range of opinions and concerns regarding Brave and its ongoing development.