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2024-10-21

Egypt declared malaria-free after 100-year effort

  • The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared Egypt malaria-free after nearly a century of eradication efforts, marking a significant public health achievement.
  • Egypt is the third country in the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region to achieve this status, following the United Arab Emirates and Morocco.
  • The certification requires evidence of interrupted malaria transmission for at least three consecutive years, and WHO emphasizes the importance of ongoing vigilance to sustain this status.

Reactions

  • Egypt has been certified malaria-free by the World Health Organization (WHO) after a century-long effort, emphasizing the significance of understanding disease transmission and ecology.
  • The achievement involved strategies such as monitoring, testing, and collaboration with neighboring countries, along with techniques like insecticides and biological controls targeting mosquito larvae.
  • WHO certification necessitates evidence of interrupted malaria transmission for three years and measures to prevent its re-establishment, with Egypt's strong surveillance system playing a crucial role.

Microsoft said it lost weeks of security logs for its customers' cloud products

  • Microsoft experienced a bug in its internal monitoring agents, resulting in over two weeks of missing security logs for certain cloud products from September 2 to September 19.
  • The affected products include Microsoft Entra, Sentinel, Defender for Cloud, and Purview, impacting network defenders' ability to detect intrusions.
  • Microsoft has resolved the issue and informed affected customers, amidst previous criticism for withholding security logs from U.S. government departments.

Reactions

  • Microsoft experienced a loss of weeks' worth of security logs for its cloud products, sparking concerns about the reliability of Azure, Microsoft's cloud computing service.
  • Users have criticized Azure for its interface, security, login issues, and inconsistent performance, suggesting that Microsoft's cloud services may be poorly integrated.
  • The incident raises broader concerns about Microsoft's focus on sales over product quality and its ability to provide secure and reliable cloud services, despite Azure's competitive pricing.

Today is Ubuntu's 20th Anniversary

  • Ubuntu 4.10 "The Warty Warthog Release" marks the debut of a new Linux distribution, offering a combination of Debian's extensive features with a user-friendly installation process and regular updates.
  • This release supports x86, amd64, and ppc processors, and includes key features such as GNOME 2.8, Firefox 0.9, Evolution 2.0, and OpenOffice.org 1.1.2, along with enhanced hardware support.
  • Ubuntu emphasizes its commitment to free software, providing the distribution at no cost, with options to download or request a free CD, and encourages community involvement for future releases.

Reactions

  • Ubuntu marks its 20th anniversary, highlighting its significant role in making Linux more accessible through a user-friendly installation process.
  • Despite some criticisms regarding recent changes like snaps (a software packaging and deployment system) and Ubuntu Pro ads, Ubuntu is still valued for its contribution to popularizing Linux.
  • The early distribution of free CDs by Ubuntu played a crucial role in allowing users with limited internet access to explore Linux, cementing its status as a recommended choice for new users.

Epublifier – scrape pages (books, manuals) for offline reading

  • Epublifier is a tool that converts websites into ePub books, making them accessible for eReaders by extracting HTML pages and compiling them into the ePub format.
  • It allows advanced users to customize the parsing process using JavaScript and supports popular sites like Novel Update and Wuxia World, as well as custom sites with specific elements.
  • The tool requires a Windows 10 environment and NPM 8.1.2 for building, and it acknowledges the use of jEpub in its development.

Reactions

  • Epublifier is a tool designed for scraping web pages, such as books and manuals, to enable offline reading, praised for its user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) that enhances content extraction flexibility.
  • It is capable of handling complex websites and removing popups, offering modes for both browsing and fetching pages, which sets it apart from typical web scrapers.
  • While legal concerns vary by location, private copies are generally permissible, and the tool is valued for improving e-reader functionality and offline reading experiences.

Create mind maps to learn new things using AI

Reactions

  • A new AI tool allows users to create mind maps by entering a topic, generating a learning map with links for each subtopic.
  • The tool can be used with both local and external models, and feedback from users is encouraged.
  • While praised for its learning potential, some users suggest improvements, such as better link validation and integration with other platforms, noting that AI-generated maps may differ from traditional mind maps.

A step toward fully 3D-printed active electronics

  • MIT researchers have created semiconductor-free logic gates using 3D-printed copper-doped polymer, potentially simplifying electronics manufacturing.
  • This innovation could democratize electronics production by enabling smart hardware creation outside traditional manufacturing hubs, despite not yet matching semiconductor performance.
  • The project builds on work with magnetic coils and utilizes a unique resistance property of the copper-doped polymer, with future aims to print fully functional electronics and explore more functionalities.

Reactions

  • MIT researchers have advanced 3D printing technology by creating a resettable fuse and a transistor-like device using copper-infused PLA (Polylactic Acid) filament.
  • The innovation is significant due to the use of a single material, but it does not yet achieve fully functional active electronics.
  • The discovery of the filament's Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) effect is important, though the technology remains in its early stages and is not yet ready for broad application.

Skeptical of rewriting JavaScript tools in "faster" languages

  • Nolan Lawson questions the trend of rewriting JavaScript tools in languages like Rust, Zig, and Go, suggesting JavaScript is often sufficiently fast.
  • He points out that performance improvements can be made by optimizing current JavaScript tools, leveraging its bytecode cache and JIT (Just-In-Time) compiler.
  • Lawson warns that using newer languages might create a divide, limiting accessibility and debuggability, and potentially alienating average developers from contributing.

Reactions

  • The debate centers on whether rewriting JavaScript tools in faster languages like Rust or Go is beneficial, with some arguing JavaScript's speed is sufficient while others see performance gains in using statically typed languages.
  • Rewriting in languages like Rust or Go can lead to significant performance improvements, as demonstrated by tools such as esbuild.
  • The discussion also considers the ease of modifying JavaScript dependencies and the familiarity of the language, weighing these against the potential benefits of using faster languages.