The U.S. Copyright Office has ruled that it is legal to repair McDonald's ice cream machines, marking a victory for the Right to Repair movement.- This decision enables owners to bypass digital locks on commercial food equipment, potentially reducing the need for expensive service calls.- Despite this progress, the ruling does not allow the sharing or selling of repair tools, and broader exemptions for industrial equipment were denied, indicating ongoing challenges in the movement for wider repair rights.
McDonald's ice cream machines frequently malfunction due to maintenance issues and complex error codes, necessitating costly repairs by manufacturer-approved technicians.
The machines are intentionally difficult to repair independently, with digital locks protected by the DMCA, though recent legal changes permit circumvention for repairs.
This situation underscores broader concerns regarding right-to-repair laws and corporate control over equipment maintenance.
The Washington Post will not endorse a presidential candidate for the first time in decades, a decision reportedly influenced by owner Jeff Bezos.
This decision marks a departure from the paper's tradition of endorsing Democratic candidates and has led to criticism and subscription cancellations.
The Post's publisher, Will Lewis, claims the move is a return to the paper's independent roots, amidst ongoing tensions between Bezos and former President Trump.
Jeff Bezos allegedly intervened to prevent The Washington Post from endorsing Kamala Harris, sparking concerns about potential conflicts of interest due to his other business ventures, such as government contracts.
Critics suggest Bezos' decision could be motivated by a wish to avoid backlash from political figures, notably Trump, who has a history of threatening media outlets.
This incident underscores the ongoing tension between business interests and journalistic independence, raising questions about the impact of newspaper endorsements on impartiality.
The author purchased the domain musicbox.fun, which had a history of hosting pirated music, negatively impacting its search engine reputation.
A "haunted" domain refers to one with a negative past affecting its search ranking; tools like the Wayback Machine and DMCA complaint searches can help identify such domains.
To recover a haunted domain, contact search engines, adhere to SEO best practices, and be patient, as the process can be lengthy.
Before purchasing a domain, it's important to investigate its history to ensure it isn't "haunted" by past issues, such as being blocked for spam or inappropriate content.
A client experienced warnings in Chrome after switching to a domain similar to a major one, leading to a canceled migration to prevent traffic loss.
There is a suggestion that registrars should prevent the purchase of domains that are too similar to existing ones to avoid potential problems.
The Delhi High Court has globally blocked a Wikipedia article following a defamation lawsuit by ANI, a news agency accused of bias towards the government.
The court has requested Wikipedia to disclose the identities of the article's editors, with a threat to block the site in India, raising concerns about censorship and government influence.
This action has led to debates about the Streisand effect, where efforts to suppress information may inadvertently increase public interest and awareness.
A company had to change its name from ““> LTD” after it was identified as a security risk due to its potential to exploit cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities.
The name, intended to be "fun and playful" by the director, a British software engineer, inadvertently posed security concerns.
Companies House has removed the original name and implemented measures to prevent similar issues, ensuring continued security of services.
A company originally named "> LTD" had to change its name in 2020 due to security risks associated with HTML script tags in its name, which could be exploited by insecure systems.
This situation underscores the critical need for robust data handling practices and the challenges in maintaining security across different systems.
The company is now called "THAT COMPANY WHOSE NAME USED TO CONTAIN HTML SCRIPT TAGS LTD," reflecting its previous naming issue.
Farmer Josh Payne in Concordia, Missouri, transitioned his family farm from conventional to regenerative agriculture due to an herbicide allergy, incorporating practices like cover crops, grazing sheep, and planting an orchard.
Regenerative agriculture focuses on restoring soil health and adapting to climate change, representing a shift from traditional chemical-reliant farming methods.
The Payne family's adoption of silvopasture and alley cropping highlights a broader trend in agriculture towards sustainability and a sustainable farm economy.
Regenerative farming in the US faces challenges such as farmers' hesitance due to fears of lower yields and lack of awareness, despite its benefits like improved soil health and reduced chemical use.- Transitioning to no-till farming is hindered by factors like the age of farmers, outdated equipment, and economic pressures, making it more of an economic issue than a knowledge problem.- Government incentives, policy changes, and consumer support for local food systems could accelerate the adoption of regenerative farming practices.
A 6-axis robot achieves high precision with 0.05 mm static accuracy through sensor fusion, integrating an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) with GPS and a Kalman Filter for precise positioning.
The innovation lies in integrating the sensor within the motor, enhancing compactness and efficiency, as discussed on Hacker News.
The discussion also covers the use of control algorithms, Raspberry Pi Pico 2 for similar projects, and secondary encoders in industrial robots, alongside patent issues and Boeing's design flaws.
Bluesky's decentralization is questioned due to its reliance on centralized components like the DID PLC registry, akin to ICANN, and the use of algorithms.
The platform's decentralization claims are scrutinized, particularly regarding centralized identity resolution and investor influence, such as from Blockchain Capital.
Despite these concerns, users are attracted to Bluesky as an alternative to Twitter, prioritizing user experience over decentralization promises.
A new Windows vulnerability allows attackers to bypass Driver Signature Enforcement, enabling the installation of kernel rootkits on fully patched systems by downgrading Windows kernel components.
Security researcher Alon Leviev demonstrated this attack, named "ItsNotASecurityBoundary," which exploits a flaw in Windows' file immutability to load unsigned drivers and disable security controls.
Microsoft has not yet fixed this vulnerability, emphasizing the need for improved monitoring of downgrade procedures to prevent such security breaches.
A new Windows driver signature bypass has been discovered, enabling kernel rootkit installations and raising significant security concerns.
Microsoft argues that this bypass does not breach a security boundary, as administrative processes are within the Trusted Computing Base, sparking debate about Windows' security model.
The discussion emphasizes the challenges of balancing security with usability and compatibility, noting that similar issues exist in other operating systems and that user behavior, such as easily granting admin privileges, contributes to vulnerabilities.
The blog discusses the development of a bot for algorithmic trading on Runescape's Grand Exchange, utilizing machine learning to enhance market-making strategies.- The bot employs a JavaScript API for real-time pricing, a Java client for executing actions, and a Python API for ranking offer profitability, with data collected every 5 minutes and hour.- Experiment results indicate that machine learning models, particularly random forest, significantly outperform the baseline method in terms of profit per hour.
A user described their experience with algorithmic trading on the Runescape Grand Exchange, utilizing a Google Sheet and the game's API, highlighting the enjoyment despite low profits.
The discussion expanded to include similar trading experiences in games like World of Warcraft and EVE Online, focusing on market-making strategies and the enjoyment of trading.
Participants debated the ethics and legality of market manipulation in real-world markets, comparing it to in-game trading, and discussed using machine learning models to predict profitable trades from historical data.
The American West is experiencing water scarcity, which restricts its growth potential, but solar-powered desalination offers a solution by providing water to arid regions.
Successful examples in California and Florida demonstrate how infrastructure projects can move water to create thriving cities, suggesting similar potential for regions like Nevada.
Utilizing solar energy and desalination technology can produce affordable water, fostering economic growth and land value appreciation while preserving natural landscapes, with potential global applications for transforming deserts into fertile lands.
The concept of terraforming the American West is deemed unrealistic and economically impractical, with significant energy demands and costs associated with desalination and water transport.
Critics emphasize the ecological consequences and existing water management challenges, arguing against drastic engineering projects.
The debate underscores the conflict between ambitious engineering endeavors and environmental conservation, advocating for sustainable solutions over altering natural landscapes.
The Open Source Initiative (OSI) is preparing to finalize and vote on the Open Source AI Definition (OSAID) on October 27, 2024, with publication the following day, aiming to define what qualifies as an open-source AI system.
The definition has sparked debate within the open-source community, with critics arguing it falls short by not mandating the release of training data, which they see as essential to uphold open-source principles.
OSI Executive Director Stefano Maffulli defends the definition, emphasizing its development involved diverse stakeholder input and aims to balance transparency with practical considerations.
The Open Source Initiative (OSI) is developing a contentious definition for open-source AI, leading to debates about the necessity of including training data for AI models to be considered open source.
Some argue that without access to training data, modifying AI models is akin to altering compiled software without source code, while others view AI model weights as the "source" for modifications.
The debate underscores differing perspectives on open source in AI, involving intellectual property concerns and the OSI's role in setting open source standards.
Research indicates that Russia is disseminating disinformation about U.S. hurricane responses to influence political discourse ahead of the presidential election.- Russian state media and social networks are using fake images and claims to depict American leaders as incompetent, aiming to exploit existing debates and erode trust in the government.- Disinformation is being spread on weakly moderated platforms like X (formerly Twitter), with some U.S. politicians, such as Rep. Paul Gosar, echoing these Russian narratives.
Russia is accused of disseminating disinformation about hurricanes to sow discord in the United States, raising concerns about foreign influence.
Critics argue that the US government and social media platforms are insufficiently addressing these disinformation efforts.
The situation underscores the debate on whether the US should respond with similar tactics or focus on educating individuals to critically evaluate the information they encounter.
The U.S. Copyright Office has rejected a DMCA exemption that would enable gaming historians to access out-of-print video games, which are largely unavailable for purchase.
Preservationists aimed to make these games accessible similarly to library books, but the decision maintains restrictions, allowing access only to one person at a time, in person.
The Video Game History Foundation criticized the decision, suggesting it impedes preservation efforts and might lead researchers to resort to piracy, while industry groups argue that free access could negatively impact the market for classic games.
The article addresses a misleading headline regarding libraries lending retro video games, clarifying that while physical lending is permitted, digital copies for remote lending are restricted by the DMCA.
The debate highlights the challenges of copyright laws in preserving and accessing old games, with some advocating for legal changes to allow public access to non-commercially available works.
The discussion extends to the broader impact of copyright on digital media and the preservation of cultural artifacts, emphasizing the need for a balance between protection and accessibility.
A new project called mdx, inspired by makedown, has been developed to help learn the Go programming language.- Key features of mdx include defining dependencies between commands, supporting shebangs (a script execution directive), and passing arguments to code blocks.- The developer is seeking feedback from the community on this project, which is available on GitHub.
Mdx is a new Go-based tool for executing Markdown code blocks, inspired by makedown, allowing for dependency definition, shebang support, and argument passing.
The project is open-source, inviting feedback, suggestions, and contributions, with comparisons to tools like runme.dev, xc, and Execute Code for Obsidian.
There is potential confusion with the name "mdx," as it is already associated with a JavaScript framework technology.