Niklaus Wirth, a renowned figure in programming languages, software engineering, and hardware design, passed away on January 1.
Bertrand Meyer mourns the loss of Wirth and acknowledges his contributions as a pioneer and mentor.
Wirth's legacy includes his work on programming languages like Pascal and Modula, as well as his influence in software methodology and hardware design.
Computer scientist Niklaus Wirth, known for his influential contributions to language design, has died.
Wirth's impact and influence in computer science, notably in the development of languages such as Pascal and Oberon, are remembered and praised.
His emphasis on simplicity and clarity in programming is acknowledged and appreciated by users, who express gratitude for his impact on their education and careers.
The study examines the occurrence of the Meissner effect at room temperature in copper-substituted lead apatite.
Diamagnetic dc magnetization is observed under a magnetic field, and hysteresis loops are detected, indicating superconductivity below 250 K.
The findings suggest that the Meissner effect may be present in this material at room temperature, offering insights into potential applications of superconductivity at higher temperatures.
Chinese research teams have found a potential Meissner effect near room temperature in copper-substituted lead apatite, especially at 250 K. Uncertainty remains about the effect at 300 K.
The discovery has significant implications, but questions arise regarding experiment reproducibility and the validity of the findings.
The discussion includes challenges in simulating material behavior, the possibility of breakthroughs in superconductivity, and debate about the impact on global trade and US-China competition. The development of superconductivity technology may usher in a new era of research and international competition.
FrameOS is an operating system specifically designed for single-function smart frames like smart home calendars and public advertisement screens.
It can run on a Raspberry Pi and supports both e-ink and traditional displays.
Some notable features of FrameOS include centralized deployment, efficient compilation, a drag-and-drop diagram editor, GPT4 support, and hardware guides. However, it is important to note that FrameOS is still in early development and does not have a stable release yet.
The discussion encompasses a wide range of topics surrounding software and hardware for displaying information.
It includes the use of FrameOS for smart frames, concerns about privacy policies, and the integration of natural language input in applications.
Other topics include alternative devices for displaying information, the use of Amazon Fire Tablets for audio drivers, challenges and options for using e-ink displays, and the potential applications of MotionEYE OS.
The text provides a thorough explanation of the transformer model, its components, and its implementation through code examples.
It covers tokenization, embedding, positional encoding, attention mechanisms, residual connections, and layer normalization.
The importance of masked self-attention and encoder-decoder attention in training is emphasized, along with the generation of output sequences using the transformer model.
Participants in the discussion explore various topics related to transformers in AI development, including the mathematics behind transformers and issues such as NaNs and the uniqueness of transformers in data analysis.
The need to make the compute graph a learnable parameter for progress in AI is debated, as well as the efficiency and effectiveness of Language Learning Models in information compression and problem-solving.
Limitations of binary weights, analog computing, gradient descent, and the use of genetic algorithms are discussed, along with topics such as vector encoding, handling unknown words or subwords, positional embedding, and the nature of neurons and token weighting in neural networks. Some users suggest alternative ways of understanding transformers, while others emphasize the importance of investing time in understanding the field.
The article explores the benefits and enjoyment of creating small games that can be completed within 10 minutes and played on browsers.
The author shares their experience of creating over 350 small games and highlights the short development time required for such games.
It emphasizes the charm and unique qualities of small games and provides twelve thoughts on creating good small games, including fulfilling promises, reducing scope, and adding personal style.
Creating small games is not only a way to improve game development skills but also a rewarding and enjoyable experience.
The discussion focuses on game design and development, covering topics like paper prototyping, mechanics-first design, belief structure in game design, and the value of completing game projects.
Various individuals involved in game development share their personal experiences and recommendations.
Some users speculate on whether the article was generated by AI due to its writing style.
The individual is seeking advice and opportunities to reenter the tech/startup industry after facing difficulties finding employment due to a felony conviction for assault.
They are looking for companies that are willing to give them a chance, despite their record not being related to computer/finance/fraud/selling drugs/physical violence.
They have provided a LinkedIn profile for further information about their background and qualifications.
The Hacker News discussion focuses on individuals with criminal records seeking employment in the tech industry.
Participants discuss their challenges in finding work and offer advice and resources to each other.
The conversation covers topics such as the morality of past actions, the importance of trustworthiness, background checks, and the potential impact of criminal records on job prospects.
A vulnerability in Bitwarden's Windows Hello implementation allowed remote stealing of credentials, but it has been fixed.
The article explains how the vulnerability was exploited using DPAPI backup keys and decrypting Bitwarden data files and credentials.
Microsoft was involved, and Bitwarden made changes to address the issue, including changes in the current version and the use of Impacket for vulnerability testing.
The conversation covers various computer security topics, including vulnerabilities in password vaults, Windows registry issues, securing user data, and implementing encryption and two-factor authentication.
It emphasizes the challenges of managing passwords, risks of storing sensitive information, and concerns about the security of biometric authentication.
The discussion underscores the need for better security practices, user education, and awareness in the ongoing effort to enhance computer security.
The National Labor Relations Board has accused SpaceX of unlawfully terminating eight employees for criticizing Elon Musk.
The employees had shared a letter urging the company to distance itself from Musk's controversial social media comments and to clarify and enforce its harassment policies.
The labor board complaint alleges that SpaceX's president and other executives restricted the circulation of the letter, violating labor regulations.
The case will be presented to an administrative judge in March, unless a settlement is reached.
The labor board seeks remedies such as reinstatement and back pay for the affected employees.
This accusation adds to a series of labor and discrimination-related legal issues faced by both SpaceX and other companies led by Musk.
Discussions surrounding SpaceX and its CEO Elon Musk have touched upon several topics including allegations of illegal firing of workers critical of Musk, power dynamics within the company, and debates on corporate leadership and employee rights.
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has been mentioned in connection with potential legal actions.
Controversies surrounding Musk's public statements and his companies' government contracts have also been a topic of discussion. These discussions highlight issues of accountability, worker protections, freedom of speech, and the role of CEOs in managing employee dissent.
Users discuss their experiences and concerns regarding different cloud storage providers and backup options, such as Backblaze, Rclone, and Cloudflare.
Various topics are covered, including encryption methods, server reliability, and alternative backup tools.
Users also discuss the costs and benefits of building custom servers versus using commercially available options, as well as data center relocations, drive failure rates, and recommendations for cost-effective external storage options.
Linux's desktop user share reached almost 4% in December 2023, indicating a significant upward trend in recent years.
When considering ChromeOS, which is built on Linux, the overall Linux user share amounts to 6.24%.
macOS experienced a 5% decline in users, while Windows saw a 3% increase. Efforts are being made to enable compatibility between ChromeOS and other Linux distributions, including plans to bring Steam and Steam games to ChromeOS. These findings highlight the increasing popularity of Linux as a desktop operating system.
The discussion explores the increasing popularity of Linux as a desktop OS and frustrations with Windows 11, including limitations and restrictions imposed by Microsoft.
It compares the ease of use between Windows and Linux, addresses concerns about hardware support and customization in Linux, and touches on the impact of different operating systems on gaming.
The conversation also mentions the dominance of Windows in specific industries, the rise of mobile devices, and the competition between Microsoft, Apple, and Linux. It emphasizes privacy concerns, user preferences, and the importance of competition in the tech industry.
Genetic testing company 23andMe blames customers for a data breach that exposed the genetic and ancestry data of 6.9 million users, stating that customers were at fault for not updating and recycling passwords.
Legal representatives for the victims argue that 23andMe should have implemented stronger security measures to protect customer data.
23andMe faces over 30 lawsuits from affected users and has changed its terms of service to make it more difficult for victims to file legal claims against the company.
A data breach at genetic testing company 23andMe compromised personal information of 14,000 users, prompting criticism of the company's security measures.
Critics argue that 23andMe should have implemented stronger security measures, including multi-factor authentication and proactive warning systems for compromised passwords.
The breach raises concerns about determining user location from breached data, the use of botnets in breaches, and the responsibility of websites in securing personal information. It also highlights the need for stronger security measures in protecting DNA data and the importance of password security.
Container2wasm is an experimental software that converts container images into WebAssembly (WASM) images for running on WASI runtimes or in a browser.
It supports x86_64 and riscv64 containers and provides emulation for other platforms, with networking capabilities and access to directories mapped from the host machine.
Another project, Container2Wasi, focuses on emulating RISC-V CPUs on WASM and provides directory mapping, networking, and security features.
Container2wasm is a project that allows containers to be converted into WebAssembly (WASM) blobs for running in web browsers.
The discussion includes other projects and GUI frameworks related to container conversion and highlights the pros and cons of different frameworks for building user interfaces, with a focus on immediate mode GUIs.
The conversation also touches on the lack of a community-elected leader and the potential future of WebAssembly, as well as opinions on the benefits and use cases of container2wasm, such as cost savings and educational environments. Additionally, the productivity and accessibility of WebAssembly are emphasized.
Cities in the United States are eliminating off-street parking minimums to promote alternative transportation and increase housing affordability.
Over 50 cities and towns have already removed parking requirements, citing arbitrary rules and the negative impact of parking on housing costs and congestion.
The move towards eliminating parking mandates aims to encourage transit and reduce sprawl, with more cities considering following suit, including New York, Milwaukee, and Dallas.
The summary examines the connection between parking requirements in US cities and high housing costs, as well as the role of immigration in the housing crisis.
It explores the impact of car-centric cities and the importance of reducing car usage in favor of alternative transportation to address the housing crisis.
The discussion considers the advantages and disadvantages of living in high-density areas and the challenges of living without a car, highlighting the costs of car ownership and the significance of public transportation.
The summary explains how to use TinyGPT-V, a large language model, by providing detailed instructions on code preparation, weight downloading, and model checkpoint launching.
It includes information on weight adjustment, training, and evaluation, allowing users to customize and improve the model.
The source code is freely available under the BSD 3-Clause License for users to access and utilize.
TinyGPT-V is a multimodal language model designed for efficient training and inference with minimal computational power.
It incorporates pre-trained vision modules and utilizes a small backbone model called Phi-2.
The model has been quantized to enable deployment on devices with limited memory, promoting local deployment and reducing dependence on cloud-based APIs.
Similar models like UForm-Gen and MobileVLM have also been mentioned in the discussion.
Concerns have been raised about potential data contamination in models like Phi-2, which could impact their performance on benchmarks.