Skip to main content

2024-09-18

Apple mobile processors are now made in America by TSMC

Reactions

  • Apple mobile processors are now manufactured in the US by TSMC, marking a significant win for US manufacturing and national security.
  • This move transfers valuable knowledge from TSMC to the US workforce, despite debates on the effectiveness of government interventions like the CHIPS Act.
  • Critics argue that while US manufacturing has grown, its share of GDP and workforce has declined due to automation and higher value items, questioning the long-term impact of tariffs and subsidies.

Why wordfreq will not be updated

  • The wordfreq data, a snapshot of language from various online sources up to 2021, will not be updated due to several key reasons.
  • Post-2021 language data is unreliable because of the influx of AI-generated content, which skews word frequencies, such as ChatGPT's overuse of certain words.
  • Access to previously free sources like Twitter and Reddit now incurs high costs, and the field of natural language processing (NLP) has shifted focus to generative AI, raising ethical concerns and diminishing interest in traditional text data collection.

Reactions

  • Wordfreq will no longer be updated because AI-generated content has polluted the web, making it unreliable for analyzing human language.
  • The issue of AI-generated content exacerbates existing problems caused by SEO practices, affecting the quality of training data for language models and leading to biased word frequencies.
  • The discussion underscores the challenges of distinguishing human-written content from AI-generated text and its broader implications for language and communication.

Independent directors of 23andMe resign from board

Reactions

  • Independent directors of 23andMe resigned following the presentation of positive phase 2 clinical results for two anti-cancer drugs.
  • CEO Anne Wojcicki's attempt to take the company private at $0.40 a share, a steep decline from its deSPAC price, raises concerns about her management and corporate governance.
  • The market cap of 23andMe is $172 million, in stark contrast to competitor Ancestry.com, which was acquired for $4.7 billion.

macOS Sequoia 15 may bypass DNS encryption

  • Little Snitch 6.1 had a DNS encryption issue where some DNS requests bypassed the encrypted proxy and were sent unencrypted, affecting low-level legacy APIs.
  • The issue was specific to macOS 15 Sequoia and impacted browsers like Firefox, but not Safari or Chrome; it has been fixed in Little Snitch version 6.1.1.
  • The bug has been present since at least macOS 14.5 Sonoma, and users can reproduce it by enabling DNS encryption in Little Snitch and capturing port 53 traffic with Wireshark.

Reactions

  • Initial concerns about macOS Sequoia 15 bypassing DNS encryption were found to be specific to Little Snitch 6.1, not a general macOS issue.
  • The problem will be addressed in an update to Little Snitch, highlighting the importance of software-specific troubleshooting.
  • The discussion underscores the complexity of DNS resolution APIs and Apple's preference for higher-level frameworks over traditional POSIX functions like getaddrinfo().

Swift 6

  • Swift 6 has been released, expanding its use to more platforms and domains, including libraries, internet-scale services, and performance-critical code.
  • Key features include new concurrency tools, typed throws, support for non-copyable types, enhanced C++ interoperability, and a preview of Embedded Swift for microcontrollers.
  • Platform support has been broadened with static SDKs for Linux, official support for new Linux distributions, and improved build performance for Windows.

Reactions

  • Swift is experiencing tension between the Swift Working Group™ open-source community and Apple, resulting in technical debt and incomplete features like result builders.
  • The language's complexity and version-specific issues are deterring new users, despite its strengths like cross-platform capabilities and upcoming improvements in Swift 6.
  • Mixed opinions exist about Swift's evolution, with some praising its features and others criticizing its increasing complexity and governance challenges.

Scramble: Open-Source Alternative to Grammarly

  • Scramble is an open-source Chrome extension that serves as a privacy-respecting alternative to Grammarly, using AI to enhance writing directly in the browser.
  • Users need to clone/download the source code and manually load it into Chrome as it is pending review on the Chrome Web Store.
  • The extension requires an OpenAI API key and offers various text enhancement options, with future plans for more features and support for additional language models.

Reactions

  • Scramble is an open-source Chrome extension designed as a privacy-respecting alternative to Grammarly, utilizing an OpenAI API key for writing enhancements.
  • The author plans to add support for local AI models to address privacy concerns, as current implementation sends keystrokes to OpenAI.
  • Key features include pre-defined prompts, text highlighting for suggestions, and future plans for customizable prompts and LLM (Large Language Model) provider choices.

Krazam: High Agency Individual Contributor [video]

Reactions

  • Krazam has released a new video titled "High Agency Individual Contributor," which has garnered significant attention and discussion within the tech community.
  • The video is praised for its detailed production, including a mural on a whiteboard that took hours to create, and its humorous and relatable content for tech professionals.
  • Viewers have shared various favorite moments and references from the video, indicating its broad appeal and the depth of its content, which resonates with many in the industry.

A Friendly Introduction to Assembly for High-Level Programmers

  • The article introduces high-level programmers to assembly language, aiming to demystify it and make it approachable.
  • It provides a "Hello World" example in x86-64 assembly using Intel syntax, explaining key concepts like instructions, registers, and syscalls.
  • The content is designed to help experienced programmers understand and write simple assembly programs, with promises of more complex examples in future articles.

Reactions

  • The post introduces assembly language to high-level programmers, providing a beginner-friendly tutorial.
  • The discussion highlights various assembly languages like MIPS, 6502, ARM, and RISC-V, with users sharing their learning experiences and preferences.
  • The tutorial's accessibility and clarity are praised, with suggestions for improvements and additional resources for learning modern instruction sets.

The Double Irish Dutch Sandwich: End of a Tax Evasion Strategy

  • The Double Irish Dutch Sandwich, a tax evasion strategy, has largely faded due to changes in tax agreements and reforms.
  • Irish tax reforms in 2015 and the US Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 made this strategy ineffective, leading to a significant increase in royalty payments from Irish companies to American parent companies.
  • The shift in royalty payments highlights the ongoing evolution of tax strategies and underscores the costs, including loss of government revenue and diversion of talent to tax evasion.

Reactions

  • The "Double Irish Dutch Sandwich," a tax evasion strategy, is being phased out, impacting corporate tax planning and government revenue.
  • U.S. citizens owning foreign corporations face complex tax reporting requirements, including forms with intricate questions and potential double taxation issues.
  • Renouncing U.S. citizenship to avoid taxes involves significant challenges, such as exit taxes and potential permanent inadmissibility to the U.S.

CUNY paid Oracle $600M for its HR software (2013)

  • CUNYFirst was designed to unify all university business processes into one system, aiming to save costs and improve information access.
  • The primary goal of CUNY Central was to gain control over college activities, including curriculum and discretionary funds, rather than focusing on efficiency.
  • Due to underfunding, Oracle-PeopleSoft only configured the system, leading to inefficiencies, increased costs, additional workload for staff, an outdated interface, and inadequate security.

Reactions

  • CUNY's $600M purchase of Oracle HR software in 2013 has sparked debate over the cost and effectiveness of adapting business processes to fit off-the-shelf tools versus customizing software.
  • Critics argue that Oracle's "configure-only" limitation led to a loss of capabilities and forced staff, faculty, and students to adjust, raising concerns about efficiency and adaptability.
  • The high cost and potential inefficiency of large-scale software deals, particularly in academic settings, remain contentious and highlight the ongoing debate between customization and standardization.

26-Year-Old EY Employee Succumbs to 'Work Stress' Four Months After Joining

Reactions

  • A 26-year-old EY employee died from 'work stress' just four months after joining, underscoring the intense pressure and toxic work culture in many Indian companies.
  • The competitive nature of the Indian education system, which starts at a young age, extends into professional life, leading to severe stress and sometimes tragic outcomes.
  • Similar issues are observed in other countries like the U.S. and Japan, where hyper-competitive environments and poor management practices also contribute to high stress levels among employees.

Gentle Guide to Self-Hosting

  • The article encourages revisiting self-hosting software as a form of rebellion against monopolies and for intellectual satisfaction, contrasting with the convenience of cloud computing.
  • It recommends Uberspace for shared web hosting, providing SSH access, 10GB storage, and 1.5GB RAM, but notes Docker is unsupported due to memory constraints.
  • Suggested self-hosted software includes Actual Budget for finance management and Miniflux for RSS feed reading, with additional advice on acquiring a personal domain for showcasing services.

Reactions

  • A Hacker News discussion explores the evolving definition of "self-hosting" and its implications, debating whether shared hosting or managed services qualify.
  • Key points include the benefits of self-hosting, such as data ownership and avoiding vendor lock-in, and the technical aspects like setting up home servers and security concerns.
  • Tools like Tailscale and WireGuard are mentioned for secure access, with users sharing personal setups and experiences, highlighting the joy and learning from self-hosting.

Reports of the death of dental cavities are greatly exaggerated

  • Lumina, a genetically engineered bacterium designed to prevent dental caries, has not been thoroughly tested for safety and effectiveness.
  • Dental caries are caused by an imbalance of oral bacteria, not just Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans).
  • Proven methods to prevent cavities include reducing sugar intake and using fluoride toothpaste.

Reactions

  • Lumina, a product designed to reduce dental cavities, cannot guarantee complete prevention but may significantly lower cavity rates.
  • Critics acknowledge that even a 50% reduction in cavities would be a substantial improvement, though concerns about harmful mono-cultures and the need for more research remain.
  • The debate highlights a broader trend of dismissing new solutions for not being perfect, despite their potential benefits, and notes that FDA regulations have hindered testing and development.

AI tool cuts unexpected deaths in hospital by 26%, Canadian study finds

Reactions

  • A Canadian study revealed that an AI tool reduced unexpected hospital deaths by 26%, but the absolute risk reduction was only 0.69%, benefiting 1 in 156 patients.
  • The AI tool had a high false alarm rate, which could lead to unnecessary interventions, sparking debate on its overall effectiveness.
  • Proponents argue that the AI's early warnings can help nurses prioritize critical cases, highlighting its potential utility in healthcare.

Hezbollah hand-held radios explode, killing three, one day after pager blasts

Reactions

  • Hezbollah hand-held radios exploded, resulting in the deaths of three individuals, following a similar incident with pager blasts the previous day.
  • The incident has ignited a debate on whether it qualifies as terrorism, with differing views on whether it targets legitimate military objectives or is indiscriminate and harmful to civilians.
  • The discussion extends to the broader implications of such tactics and the definitions of terrorism.