The Rijksmuseum has created a record-setting ultra high-resolution image of The Night Watch, achieving a 717-gigapixel resolution and a file size of 5.6 TB.
The image was captured using a 100-megapixel Hasselblad H6D 400 MS camera in a grid of 97 rows and 87 columns, with precise alignment facilitated by a laser-guided five-axis camera positioning system.
This high-resolution image enables researchers to examine the painting's physical state in unprecedented detail, aiding in conservation efforts and providing deeper insights into Rembrandt's technique.
The Rijksmuseum has released an ultra high-resolution image of Rembrandt's "The Night Watch," allowing viewers to zoom in and explore the painting in unprecedented detail.
This new tool offers a more immersive experience, enabling users to see fine details such as tiny cracks and brush strokes that are not visible to the naked eye.
The release has generated significant interest among art enthusiasts and tech-savvy individuals, highlighting the intersection of technology and art preservation.
Makefiles, despite the emergence of new build tools, remain a popular choice for project automation due to their simplicity and standardized commands.
They are particularly useful for setting up and managing projects with commands like make dev, make build, and make install, which streamline development processes.
Makefiles are versatile, requiring fewer dependencies and can be used to orchestrate various tools like Docker and gulp, making them ideal for restricted environments and diverse project setups.
The discussion revolves around the use of Makefiles, a build automation tool, highlighting its simplicity and flexibility for small projects but also its potential complexity for larger ones.
Key points of contention include the necessity of .PHONY for non-output generating rules, portability issues, and the challenges of maintaining Makefiles across different environments.
The debate underscores the balance between using Make for its ubiquity and simplicity versus adopting more complex or modern build systems for larger or more intricate projects.
Researchers are increasingly running small AI models on their laptops, moving away from web-based tools like ChatGPT.
This trend is fueled by the availability of open-weight models and scaled-down versions that can operate on consumer hardware, offering benefits like cost savings, privacy, and reproducibility.
Major tech firms and research institutes, including Google DeepMind, Meta, and Microsoft, have released small models with billions of parameters, enabling diverse applications in fields such as bioinformatics and healthcare.
Researchers are increasingly running small AI models locally on their laptops, highlighting the ease and privacy benefits of local models like Llamafile and Whisper for tasks such as voice transcription and code autocomplete.
Local models offer significant advantages, including privacy, offline functionality, and the ability to run on various hardware architectures, making them accessible to a broader audience.
The discussion includes practical tips for setting up local AI environments, such as using open-source tools like VS Codium and bypassing restrictions to manually install extensions, emphasizing the community's collaborative efforts to optimize local AI usage.
A critical zero-click vulnerability (CVE-2024-20017) with a CVSS score of 9.8 has been identified in MediaTek Wi-Fi chipsets, affecting products from Ubiquiti, Xiaomi, and Netgear.
The flaw allows remote code execution without user interaction due to an out-of-bounds write issue, and MediaTek has released patches; users should update their devices immediately.
SonicWall has released specific intrusion prevention system (IPS) signatures to protect against this vulnerability, and a public proof of concept (PoC) has increased the likelihood of exploitation.
A critical zero-click vulnerability has been found in MediaTek Wi-Fi chipsets, specifically in the 'wappd' service of MediaTek's SDK, affecting OpenWrt 19.07 and 21.02.
Official OpenWrt builds are not impacted as they use the mt76 driver instead of the vulnerable SDK.
The discovery highlights the competitive consumer electronics market's tendency to release rushed firmware, raising concerns about security.
Apple has released repair manuals for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, outlining steps and tools needed for repairs, such as battery replacement.
The repair process involves using a 9-volt battery to remove adhesive, raising concerns about the complexity and cost of required tools.
Discussions highlight the EU's upcoming regulations on removable batteries and the balance between repairability and device durability, with mixed reactions from users.
The author reflects on the contrast between intrinsic and market value, highlighting how external validation can overshadow personal worth.
The relentless datafication and gamification of life have made it challenging to find intrinsic value, pushing artists to monetize their private experiences.
Despite external pressures, the advice to keep creating is emphasized as a way to manage and reinflate one's inner sense of worth.
The article explores how self-worth is increasingly tied to online metrics such as followers and likes, leading to a decline in personal value.
It discusses the impact of digital platforms on social comparisons and self-esteem, including perspectives from autistic individuals who may not naturally link self and worth.
The piece examines the broader implications of commodifying personal attributes and the psychological effects of seeking constant online validation.
Qualcomm is considering acquiring Intel, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, though no official offer has been made and the deal is uncertain.
If successful, this acquisition would significantly impact the chip industry, with Qualcomm reentering the desktop processor market, aligning with Microsoft's AI PC strategy.
Intel is currently in a weakened state, facing substantial financial losses, layoffs, and competition from AMD and Nvidia, with regulatory scrutiny expected to be a major challenge for the deal.
Qualcomm is reportedly interested in acquiring parts of Intel, not the entire company, which has sparked significant discussion in the tech community.
The potential acquisition is seen as a strategic move for Qualcomm to leverage Intel's manufacturing capabilities and reduce reliance on TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company).
Concerns have been raised about the compatibility and integration of Qualcomm's ARM-based technology with Intel's x86 architecture, as well as the potential impact on open-source development and market competition.
Kamal Proxy is a lightweight HTTP proxy designed for zero-downtime deployments, allowing web applications to update without interrupting ongoing traffic.
It can be used standalone or as part of Kamal, which includes container packaging and provisioning for a complete deployment experience.
Key features include customizable run options, host-based routing, automatic TLS certificates, and environment variable configuration.
Kamal Proxy is a minimal HTTP proxy designed for zero-downtime deployments, part of Basecamp's Kamal deployment tool, which aims to simplify deployments compared to Kubernetes.
It supports features like auto-SSL and running multiple apps on one server, with users discussing strategies for handling database migrations during zero-downtime deployments.
The discussion includes why Basecamp built their own proxy instead of using existing solutions and the broader trend of companies moving away from cloud services due to high costs and performance issues.
A PwC report challenges the belief that a full-time office presence is essential for building company culture, contrary to mandates from companies like Amazon, JPMorgan, and Goldman Sachs.
The research, involving over 20,000 business leaders and workers, indicates that hybrid workers feel more included, productive, and engaged than those working in the office full-time.
Forcing employees back to the office can reduce their sense of autonomy and potentially harm company culture, as it may feel like surveillance.
A PwC report challenges the notion that working in the office 5 days a week is essential for building company culture, sparking debate on the effectiveness of remote versus in-office work.
Opinions on the report's legitimacy vary, with some suggesting bias and others defending its findings, highlighting the subjective nature of the remote work debate.
The discussion includes perspectives on hybrid work as a balanced approach, the potential for higher productivity and better work-life balance with remote work, and the role of management in preventing abuse and maintaining productivity.
Porsche's six-stroke internal combustion engine concept has initiated discussions on reimagining traditional engine designs.
The design features two pairs of compression-power cycles, which could enhance combustion efficiency.
While electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming more popular, internal combustion engines (ICEs) may still have niche applications and ongoing innovations, with debates also considering the environmental impact of EVs.
The article compares archival packaging methods in Canada and the UK, highlighting differences in how physical documents are stored for long-term preservation.
North American archivists typically use vertical packaging with file folders and boxes like the Hollinger Box, while UK archivists prefer horizontal packaging with folders and shallow boxes.
Each method has its pros and cons: vertical packaging offers easy retrieval and good air circulation but risks curvature, while horizontal packaging provides even weight distribution but requires more handling.
Archivists use various methods to package items, often drawing parallels to software systems, such as comparing physical library index cards to software databases.
Practical storage solutions include modular shelves, clear plastic boxes, and materials like polyester sleeves, which can be more efficient than traditional cardboard.
Proper storage conditions for paper and metal involve using mylar, controlled temperature, and humidity, with transparent packing aiding in quick identification.
Jen Easterly, head of CISA, criticized software suppliers for shipping insecure code, labeling them as key contributors to cybercrime.
Speaking at Mandiant's mWise conference, she urged vendors to improve code quality and suggested renaming "software vulnerabilities" to "product defects" to emphasize responsibility.
Despite a multi-billion-dollar cybersecurity industry, software quality issues persist; Easterly has been advocating for secure code, with nearly 200 vendors signing CISA's Secure by Design pledge.
The head of CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) has labeled makers of insecure software as the primary culprits in cybersecurity issues.
The discussion highlights the complexity of creating secure software and suggests that economic incentives and liability for software vendors could drive improvements in software quality.
The debate includes comparisons to other industries, such as structural engineering, where professionals are held liable for their designs, and suggests that similar accountability could be applied to software developers.
Omega-3 intake has been shown to counteract symptoms of anxiety and depression in mice, but the term "Omega-3" is broad and includes specific compounds like EPA and DHA.
The effectiveness of Omega-3 supplements is debated, with some studies indicating benefits for conditions such as traumatic brain injury and depression, while others show minimal impact.
Nutrient levels of Omega-3 can vary in different foods, making it challenging to determine precise intake from whole foods compared to processed products or supplements.
PDLP is a new first-order method-based solver for large-scale linear programming (LP), addressing scalability issues faced by traditional LP solvers like the simplex and interior-point methods.
PDLP uses matrix-vector multiplication, requiring less memory and being more compatible with modern computational technologies such as GPUs and distributed systems, and is open-sourced in Google’s OR-Tools.
PDLP includes enhancements like presolving, preconditioning, infeasibility detection, adaptive restarts, and adaptive step-size, making it efficient for applications in data center network traffic engineering, container shipping optimization, and solving large-scale Traveling Salesman Problems.
Google Research's PDLP (Primal-Dual Hybrid Gradient for Linear Programming) aims to handle large-scale linear programming instances that exceed memory capacity, using GPUs instead of RAM.
PDLP is slower and less accurate than top commercial solvers for smaller problems but is notable for its ability to manage very large instances without memory storage.
The discussion includes various resources for learning linear programming and operations research, such as textbooks, blogs, and academic papers.
In early September, the entire staff of Annapurna Interactive resigned due to internal disagreements, chaotic leadership changes, and communication breakdowns.
Key figures like Nathan Gary and James Masi were abruptly let go, leading to confusion and further resignations, and a proposed spin-off company, Verset, fell through, worsening tensions.
By the end of August, all 25 employees, including key leaders, resigned, leaving Annapurna Interactive scrambling to manage ongoing projects, though they are working to stabilize operations and fulfill commitments.
Annapurna Interactive, known for unique games like "Outer Wilds" and "Stray," faced a mass staff resignation due to management issues with Megan Ellison.
Despite Annapurna's reputation, the independent developers behind its games may seek new publishers, underscoring the challenges indie developers face in funding and marketing.
The situation brings attention to the difficulties within the indie game development community, even when associated with a well-known publisher.