In 2003, during the assembly and testing phase of NASA's Spirit Mars Rover, a surge of electricity destroyed the motors of the Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT) attached to the rover's robotic arm, resulting in a $500 million loss.
The incident emphasizes the significance of learning from failures and the importance of support from colleagues, as the connection was eventually restored and testing continued.
The author, Chris Lewicki, now encourages others to share their own failure stories to foster collective wisdom and promote innovation in the space industry.
The collection of discussions and anecdotes explores a diverse range of topics, including costly mistakes in different industries, the consequences of downtime on online services, and the challenges of database management and mistakes.
It emphasizes the significance of learning from failures and addresses the importance of responsibility and accountability in high-stakes industries.
Other topics covered include challenges in space missions, the use of brushed motors, staffing and fatigue issues in critical jobs, and the use of graduate students as inexpensive labor.
MeshGPT is a novel technique that utilizes transformer models to generate triangle meshes by training on a learned geometric vocabulary.
This method produces high-quality meshes with sharp edges, coherence, and compactness, outperforming other mesh generation methods in shape coverage and fidelity.
MeshGPT has applications in shape completion, 3D asset generation for scenes, and can generate meshes as sequences using an encoder-decoder network and vector quantization.
This open-access course is ideal for individuals who have a solid understanding of C and object-oriented programming and want to enhance their skills in C++.
The course offers a comprehensive curriculum that includes fundamental C++ programming as well as more advanced topics and concepts.
It provides practical and up-to-date information, incorporating the latest language standards, features, and real-world software engineering experience from the instructor.
The conversation covers a range of topics in C++ programming, including learning resources, best practices, challenges, and comparisons with other languages like Rust.
Participants discuss the use of specific language features, the suitability of C++ for different industries and applications, and the importance of understanding concepts like pointers and references.
Automation tools, language enforcement, and code quality are also discussed, along with Microsoft's stance on security and their recent announcement about switching to Rust.
The summary provides an overview of the development of the video game Half-Life.
It covers various aspects such as the use of the source code for Quake, challenges in creating scripted sequences, emphasis on interactivity and player actions, and implementing character models and enemy encounters.
Additionally, it discusses the process of level building, creating cohesive visuals, and the involvement of a small team for level design.
The summary also touches on sound and dialogue creation, the use of trains as interactive elements, the importance of visual cohesion and small details, and the involvement of various individuals in the game's production.
Users are engaging in a discussion thread to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the video game Half-Life, sharing their experiences and memories of the game and its developers.
The thread also delves into topics such as game development, indie studios, and the success of Valve, while exploring the importance of fun gameplay and discussing the evolving landscape of the industry.
Other games and future releases are speculated upon, and concerns like motion sickness in games are also addressed.
Ikea has launched three affordable smart home sensors for detecting opening doors and windows, motion, and leaking water.
The sensors are priced at less than $10 each and will be available globally in the first half of 2024.
The sensors include the Parasoll sensor, which can be paired with an Ikea light bulb without a smart hub, the Vallhorn motion sensor for indoor and outdoor use, and the Badring water sensor with a built-in siren and mobile notification capabilities.
The discussion revolves around smart home devices using Zigbee technology, with users comparing brands, sharing battery life experiences, discussing data security concerns, and evaluating sensor and hub functionality and reliability.
The benefits of Zigbee for home automation are mentioned, along with suggestions for enhancing device compatibility.
Other topics include water leak detection, laundry room drainage, and the cost and availability of home automation technology, providing a comprehensive insight into the preferences, concerns, and experiences of smart home enthusiasts.
The article explores the concept of creating technical documentation for one's house, inspired by software documentation practices.
The author advocates for using a framework called Diátaxis to organize the documentation and suggests implementing it with Material for Mkdocs.
The article provides a sample Mkdocs configuration and a Justfile for local previews and emphasizes the benefits of having documentation for the house and passing it on to future owners.
The discussion focuses on the significance of organizing and documenting information about homes and properties, including renovation details, appliance manuals, and maintenance records.
Some homeowners share positive experiences with home inspections and comprehensive reports, while others express frustration when new owners ignore the documentation of their smart homes.
Various methods of documentation, such as physical binders, digital tools, and DIY software, are mentioned, along with the use of technology like QR codes and augmented reality glasses. Cultural differences and generational attachments to homes are also discussed.
Microsoft has made the embedded real-time operating system (RTOS) ThreadX open source, indicating a shift away from their roadmap for Azure RTOS.
The acquisition of FreeRTOS by Amazon led Microsoft to acquire ThreadX, but it seems they are now focusing on other areas.
The article discusses the significance of safety certifications for RTOS, the challenges of releasing GPU firmware and drivers, and the shortage of embedded development workers.
Biotech company Loyal has received FDA acceptance to develop and approve their drug LOY-001 for extending the lifespan of large breed dogs.
LOY-001 works by reducing levels of the IGF-1 hormone which is thought to contribute to accelerated aging in larger dogs.
Loyal still needs to fulfill safety and manufacturing requirements and conduct a confirmatory study, but veterinarians can already prescribe LOY-001 thanks to the FDA's conditional approval process.
SDXL Turbo is a real-time text-to-image generation model that uses a new distillation technology to achieve high-quality image generation.
With a single-step image generation process, SDXL Turbo reduces the necessary steps from 50 to only one, making it more efficient.
The model incorporates Adversarial Diffusion Distillation (ADD), a distillation technique that maintains high sampling fidelity and addresses common issues found in other distillation methods.
The article explores the SDXL Turbo, a text-to-image generation model, and raises concerns about its noncommercial use and OpenAI's avoidance of certain markets like pornography.
It discusses the use of paid and free AI text-generation services and the high computational requirements for fine-tuning the model.
The article delves into topics such as the potential monetization of locally run AI models, the profitability of OpenAI, AI-generated porn, Google's dominance, legal issues surrounding AI-generated content, the uses and limitations of AI-generated images, the copyright status of AI-generated works, and the role of AI engineers and artists in the creative process.
Keras 3.0 is the latest version of the machine learning library that offers compatibility with multiple frameworks such as JAX, TensorFlow, and PyTorch.
It provides performance optimization, model parallelism, and support for large-scale data parallelism.
Keras 3 maintains backwards compatibility with Keras 2 and offers a migration guide for necessary code changes. Additionally, it supports distribution strategies in TensorFlow, PyTorch, and JAX.
The discussion centers on the release of Keras 3.0, its features, and its competition with PyTorch.
Users examine the advantages and considerations of adopting Keras, including its compatibility with other frameworks and its position in the market.
The conversation also acknowledges the popularity and strengths of PyTorch, highlighting the challenges faced by open-source developers and the importance of respectful and constructive dialogue.
Apple is terminating its credit-card partnership with Goldman Sachs, marking the end of the bank's foray into consumer lending.
The contract will be terminated within the next year to 15 months, resulting in the discontinuation of Apple's credit card and savings account offerings.
This move highlights Apple's shift away from financial services and its desire to focus on its core business of technology and consumer electronics.
Apple has terminated its credit-card partnership with Goldman Sachs, sparking discussions about potential new partners like American Express.
The acceptance of American Express by merchants, especially outside the US, is a subject of debate due to differing views on support, acceptance rates, and fees.
There are speculations about Apple switching to a new bank for its Apple Card and expanding its financial offerings, prompting discussions on investment options, savings accounts, customer service, and credit card fees.
A hacking group believed to have ties to China, known as "Chimera" or "G0114," infiltrated the corporate network of Dutch chipmaker NXP for over two years.
The group accessed employee mailboxes and network drives to steal chip designs and intellectual property.
NXP did not disclose the breach to its customers, raising concerns about potential vulnerabilities in their products, as the stolen data could be used to exploit flaws in NXP chips embedded in various devices.
Hackers successfully stole secrets from chipmaker NXP for two years before being discovered, raising concerns about the security of NXP's products and the potential for intellectual property theft.
The hackers used cloud storage to avoid detection and it is speculated that there may have been pre-existing backdoors in NXP's chips that allowed them access.
The article suggests that ransomware attacks could have been a more effective method to force NXP to address their security vulnerabilities, and also explores the possibility of nation-state involvement and the potential for future similar incidents.