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2023-12-17

"The New Essential Guide to Electronics in Shenzhen": Updated Book Reveals Digital Etiquette and Cultural Changes

  • Naomi Wu is launching a crowdfunding campaign for a revised edition of her book "The Essential Guide to Electronics in Shenzhen," called "The New Essential Guide to Electronics in Shenzhen."
  • The updated version will feature additional content on digital etiquette in China, updated maps, and insights into cultural and business changes.
  • Interested readers can reserve a copy of the book through the crowdfunding campaign.

Reactions

  • "The New Essential Guide to Electronics in Shenzhen" provides insights into navigating the electronics markets in Shenzhen, China, including the abundance of electronic parts and the recycling ecosystem.
  • The book highlights the challenges faced by Western open-source projects in Shenzhen, such as legal concerns and language barriers.
  • It discusses the enforcement of GPL licenses and the experiences of individuals with the Shenzhen SEZ Visa.
  • The conversation explores obstacles in doing business in China, like the language barrier and the decline of foreign companies in the Chinese auto market.
  • It briefly mentions limitations faced by DIY electronics creators and the growth and development of Shenzhen's infrastructure.
  • The discussion also includes topics like public transportation, safety regulations, traveling to China, and tourist attractions in different countries.
  • Lastly, it mentions an account being banned on a website for violating guidelines related to nationalistic, political, or ideological battles.

Introducing SSH3: A Faster and More Secure Shell Experience with HTTP/3 and QUIC

  • SSH3 is a revised version of the SSH protocol that uses HTTP mechanisms to offer a faster and more secure shell experience.
  • It employs QUIC+TLS1.3 for secure channel establishment and HTTP Authorization for user authentication.
  • SSH3 provides faster session establishment, improved authentication methods (OAuth2.0, OpenID Connect), robustness to port scanning attacks, UDP port forwarding, and features of the modern QUIC protocol.
  • It allows for hiding the SSH server and supports X.509 certificates for authentication.
  • SSH3 is currently experimental and can be installed by downloading the binaries or compiling the code from source.
  • An SSH3 server needs to be deployed to use SSH3, and the SSH3 client supports various authentication methods.

Reactions

  • The comment thread covers a range of topics related to SSH, such as compatibility with protocols like HTTP/3 and QUIC, the use of certificates for authentication, and the potential for a new version of SSH.
  • Alternative protocols like Mosh are also discussed.
  • The discussion includes various perspectives and concerns regarding security, efficiency, implementation, network censorship, protocol hiding, and device management.
  • Multiple security vulnerabilities have been identified in different versions of MongoDB and its associated components.
  • These vulnerabilities include data exposure, denial of service attacks, and privilege escalation.
  • It is highly advised to update to the latest versions to minimize the risks associated with these vulnerabilities.

Reactions

  • MongoDB Atlas has been a subject of discussions and debates, with criticisms about its security vulnerability in SMS two-factor authentication and MongoDB's response to a breach.
  • There are concerns about data loss and criticisms about the advantages and drawbacks of using MongoDB as a database.
  • MongoDB's compatibility with Realm for mobile applications, the current status of Jepsen and its analysis of databases, and licensing issues with MongoDB have also been discussed.

Moving from Relational Data to Events: A Guide for Transition and the Importance of Event Sourcing

  • The article discusses the transition from relational data to events and provides a guide for making this shift.
  • It highlights the benefits of event sourcing, storing events after each operation, for understanding business processes.
  • The guide advises examining status and date columns, as well as column optionality, when migrating to event sourcing, and suggests introducing explicit events for data import.

Reactions

  • The author delves into the challenges and advantages of event sourcing in software development, including handling schema changes and the implications for historical event data.
  • The potential limitations of relying exclusively on audit logs are also explored, along with the usage of message queuing systems like RabbitMQ and SQS.
  • The suitability of SQL databases for contemporary software development practices is discussed, as well as various techniques and tools for event-driven design and data storage systems.

The Declining Nutritional Value of Crops: Causes and Solutions

  • The nutritional value of crops like wheat and rice has decreased over the past sixty years due to factors like the Green Revolution, climate change, and the use of hybrid crops.
  • These factors have resulted in larger crops with lower mineral content, leading to "micronutrient malnutrition" in many people, especially in low-income countries.
  • To compensate for the decrease in nutritional value, it is recommended to follow dietary guidelines and consume a higher proportion of fruits and vegetables. However, as CO₂ levels rise, even greater amounts of these foods may be necessary to obtain adequate minerals.

Reactions

  • There is concern about the decreasing nutritional value of crops and its potential impact on human health.
  • Potential solutions discussed include organic farming, regenerative agriculture, and the use of human waste as fertilizer.
  • The debate also touches on the impact of monoculture farming, changes in consumption patterns, and the importance of macronutrients and micronutrients in maintaining a balanced diet. Further research and the complexity of the food system are highlighted.

Sydney Actuary 'Annihilator' Takes Home Excel World Championship

  • Andrew Ngai, also known as the "Annihilator," emerged as the winner of the Microsoft Excel world championship, securing a prize of $15,000.
  • Ngai, an actuary from Sydney, triumphed over participants from various countries in a competition focused on processing data using Excel formulas and subsets within a specified timeframe.
  • Initially, doubts were raised about Ngai's victory due to a scoring error, but it was later verified, solidifying his championship. The event occurred at the HyperX esports arena in Las Vegas and was broadcasted live on ESPN.

Reactions

  • A man from Sydney, known as the "Annihilator," has won the spreadsheet world championship, showcasing his problem-solving and Excel skills.
  • The competition offers unique prizes and encourages participants to sign up for future competitions.
  • The discussions revolve around the use of real data from a video game, the involvement of professional gamers, cultural observations, and comparisons between Australian and American attitudes.
  • The comment thread debates the legitimacy of the Excel world championship, questioning if it is a marketing advertisement for the software.
  • The passage highlights the importance of recognizing the valuable skills gained through participating in the olympiad.

Apter Trees: Simplifying Tree Structures with Efficient Vector Operations

  • Apter Trees are a simplified representation of trees using two vectors, implemented in C++17 for faster and easier tree manipulation.
  • The implementation offers operations such as adding items, finding parent nodes, retrieving node values, and more.
  • Apter Trees have advantages such as adaptability, low memory usage, linear access time, and support for GPU utilization. Other tree implementations are also discussed in the repository, which is still a work in progress.

Reactions

  • The article explores the implementation and efficiency of tree data structures, focusing on Atree, a pointer-free tree implementation.
  • Discussions revolve around topics such as suitability for GPU programming, ordered traversals, cache-friendliness, scalability, and performance in software development.
  • Participants debate the benefits and drawbacks of different implementations and data structures, including using indices instead of pointers, and highlight the importance of choosing appropriate data structures and algorithms for efficient searching.

Intel, Samsung, and TSMC Showcase 3D-Stacked Transistors at IEEE Meeting

  • Intel, Samsung, and TSMC have successfully developed 3D-Stacked Transistors called CFETs, which are essential for advancing CMOS chips.
  • This achievement is a major milestone in the progression of Moore's Law, which predicts the exponential growth of transistor density and performance in computer chips.
  • TSMC demonstrated their implementation of CFETs at the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting, showcasing the potential for future advancements in chip technology.

Reactions

  • Experts are divided on the future of Moore's Law, with some believing it has reached its limits, while others suggest potential improvements like layering lattices in 3D stacked transistors.
  • There is ongoing debate about whether to prioritize increasing cache size or utilizing larger CPU registers, with potential solutions including register windows or special renaming.
  • The concept of using 3D cache chips is mentioned as a way to enhance capacity, while challenges related to reducing development costs and the importance of transistor density and size are also discussed.

Rethinking Education: Active Reading, Memory, and Innovative Approaches

  • The article features a conversation with researcher and designer Andy Matuschak on education, learning, memorization, and product creation.
  • Active reading, memory, and hands-on experience are emphasized as crucial elements in education.
  • The conversation covers the limitations of traditional schooling, the need for innovative approaches, and the impact of tutors and teachers.

Reactions

  • The article and discussion explore various learning methods, such as self-teaching and spaced repetition, and their effectiveness in learning complex subjects like coding and mathematics.
  • Understanding, practice, and personal interest are highlighted as crucial aspects of the learning process.
  • The conversation delves into the use of spaced repetition tools like Anki and the potential impact of artificial intelligence on learning. A Python learning platform incorporating spaced repetition is also introduced.

Chimera: A New Linux OS that Simplifies Setup and Customization

  • Chimera is a new operating system designed as an alternative to existing Linux distributions.
  • It aims to offer a straightforward and practical system without the need for extensive setup and customization.
  • Chimera combines the convenience of complex distributions with conceptual simplicity using innovative tools and approaches.

Reactions

  • The discussion revolves around Chimera Linux, a non-GNU Linux distribution, and its suitability for longstanding GNU users.
  • There is a debate about the use of different C libraries like musl and glibc, as well as the associated performance and compatibility issues.
  • Users share their opinions on the builds and performance of Chimera Linux and its potential as an alternative to BSD.

Study reveals varying performance and user perceptions of modern CAPTCHAs

  • The study examines the effectiveness and user experience of modern CAPTCHAs, which are used to prevent bots.
  • Researchers evaluated the solving time and user perceptions of popular CAPTCHAs through manual inspection and user studies.
  • The study found significant differences in the performance and perception of different types of CAPTCHAs, as well as the impact of the experimental context on CAPTCHA-solving tasks.

Reactions

  • The effectiveness and challenges posed by CAPTCHAs in different situations are under discussion.
  • AI bots are becoming increasingly better at solving CAPTCHAs, prompting the search for alternative user validation methods.
  • The potential disappearance of CAPTCHAs raises concerns about online security, with suggestions for alternatives such as device attestation or payment systems. Privacy concerns and frustrations with CAPTCHAs are also brought up, along with the possibility of using proof of personhood as an alternative to proof of work. Other topics include text recognition in images, Apple's text copying feature, and the inconvenience of cookie verification modals for international users.

Samsung and ASML Partner to Develop 2nm Chips

  • Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong is pleased with his trip to the Netherlands, where he finalized a deal with ASML to establish a research facility in Korea for advanced EUV technology.
  • The partnership aims to help Samsung acquire high-numerical aperture EUV lithography scanner equipment for the production of DRAM memory chips and logic chips.
  • The collaboration will involve joint research and cooperation between Samsung and ASML engineers, focusing on the development of 2nm-node chips using the high-NA EUV equipment, which is anticipated to be available in the industry in the near future.

Reactions

  • ASML and Samsung have partnered to collaborate on producing 2nm chips, showcasing advancements and constraints in chip production.
  • The discussion explores potential enhancements through new instructions, specialized hardware, and process improvements, while also considering the future of chip design and the possible need for alternative materials.
  • Samsung has secured a $762 million deal for priority access to 2nm machines, which offer advantages in power consumption due to smaller transistors. The challenges of producing chips on a leading-edge node, Intel's foundry services, and the role of ASML are also explored, alongside the debate over using integers or ångstroms for measurement.

Preparing for Remote Missions: Essential Tips for Developers

  • The post emphasizes the importance of being prepared and having backups when traveling to challenging and remote locations as a developer.
  • Thorough planning, essential items, and offline software and documentation are highlighted as crucial for success in these environments.
  • Backing up devices and information, as well as using software that works offline, is stressed as essential.
  • The article concludes by encouraging readers to subscribe and providing a link to a related post on preparing for missions in difficult locations.

Reactions

  • The article focuses on the author's experiences working in challenging and remote locations using technology for data gathering and training.
  • It provides advice on record-keeping, backups, storage, and hardware solutions in these environments.
  • The article also discusses the challenges and opportunities of working in emergency response situations and the physical and mental toll of humanitarian work, with suggestions for coping mechanisms and necessary items to pack.