"What Are You Working On?" is a discussion thread where users share personal projects and ideas, focusing on non-commercial endeavors driven by personal interest.
Notable projects include a parent developing a coloring book website for their child, a user creating a language learning app, and another working on a personal digital mentor.
The thread fosters a community of creativity and innovation, encouraging users to share and discuss their unique projects.
NotebookLlama is an open-source guide for converting PDFs into podcasts using Large Language Models (LLMs) and Text-to-Speech (TTS) models.
The guide provides step-by-step tutorials, including pre-processing PDFs, writing transcripts, adding drama, and generating audio using specific Llama and TTS models.
It encourages experimentation with models and suggests potential improvements, such as enhanced TTS models and LLM debates, while requiring a GPU server or API for Llama models.
NotebookLlama is presented as an open-source version of NotebookLM but lacks a license file, restricting its use to reference purposes only.
The project serves as a proof of concept with documented methods rather than a fully functional tool, raising concerns about misleading open-source claims.
Google's NotebookLM podcasts, speculated to use advanced Text-to-Speech (TTS) models, are considered innovative for non-tech users, though the high cost of TTS APIs and hardware requirements for open-source models pose challenges.
Apple has introduced a new iMac with the M4 chip and Apple Intelligence, offering improved performance and vibrant color options.- Key features include a 24-inch 4.5K Retina display, a 12MP Center Stage camera, and Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, with the M4 chip delivering significantly faster productivity and performance compared to the M1.- Apple Intelligence adds systemwide Writing Tools and a redesigned Siri, enhancing user experience and privacy, with pre-orders starting at $1,299 and availability from November 8.
The new iMac with M4 features includes USB-C ports, 16GB base RAM, and a 24-inch display, sparking discussions on its pros and cons.- Users appreciate its simplicity and aesthetics, making it ideal for families and businesses, but criticize its lack of upgradability and inability to serve as a monitor once obsolete.- The design, particularly the chin, is debated, with some users desiring a larger screen or more RAM for demanding tasks, while others prefer customizable options like the Mac Mini or Mac Studio for professional use.
The post emphasizes writing code that is easy to delete rather than extend, highlighting the importance of disposable software to reduce maintenance costs.- It suggests strategies such as avoiding dependencies, using simple APIs, isolating change-prone parts, and employing feature flags to facilitate experimentation without redeployment.- The approach includes initially copying and pasting code to understand its usage, then refactoring, and planning to discard some code as part of the development process.
Emphasize writing code that is easy to delete rather than extend, focusing on separating business logic from implementation.- Avoid unnecessary abstractions and premature optimization to maintain simplicity and robustness in code.- Prioritize readability and maintainability, using tests to manage changes safely and effectively.
ATL is a new compatibility layer designed to run Android applications on Linux, akin to how Wine/Proton operates for Windows applications.
Unlike Waydroid, ATL does not require specific kernel modules, which may simplify its usage on Linux systems.
ATL presents a unique method for running Android apps, potentially benefiting Linux phones by avoiding the need to run a complete Android system in a window.
The HTTP 418 "I'm a teapot" status code is a humorous error code indicating that a server refuses to brew coffee because it is a teapot.- This status code originated from an April Fools' joke in 1998 and is occasionally used by websites to reject specific requests.- A combined coffee/tea pot that is out of coffee should return a 503 status code, which indicates a service unavailable error, instead of 418.
A developer employs the HTTP status code 418 "I'm a teapot" to handle illegitimate bot requests, simplifying log filtering.- Originally a joke from an April Fools' RFC (Request for Comments), this code is humorously used in production, though it may lead to issues if not used appropriately.- The discussion reflects varying opinions on using humorous codes, emphasizing the balance between creativity and professionalism in engineering.
The text outlines the history of payphones, from being managed by telephone carriers to the introduction of Customer-Owned Coin-Operated Telephones (COCOTs) in the 1970s.
It highlights the rise of payphone scams in the 1990s, such as the ETS Payphones Ponzi scheme, which falsely promised investors fixed monthly returns.
As cellphones gained popularity, the payphone industry declined, leading to the collapse of many schemes, with Pantheon Holdings later adapting the scam model to internet kiosks in the 2000s.
The discussion highlights vending machines and payphones as potential passive income sources, referencing Warren Buffett's successful pinball machine venture.
Challenges in vending machine businesses, such as territorial disputes and money laundering risks, are explored.
The conversation includes debates on passive income's societal implications and personal anecdotes of failed ventures, alongside discussions on retirement and financial independence.
Gothic architecture, originally designed to be heavenly, is now often associated with spookiness due to its frequent use in horror media.- Emerging in the 12th century, it features pointed arches, flying buttresses, and tall spires, initially symbolizing the superhuman but later seen as chaotic during the Renaissance.- The 18th-century Gothic Revival, influenced by Horace Walpole and Edmund Burke, solidified its eerie reputation, and today, filmmakers use its elements to enhance themes of terror.
Gothic architecture is linked to spookiness due to its frequent use in Gothic fiction and horror films, as well as its ornate, pointed style and religious associations.
In the Gilded Age, Neo-Gothic mansions built by wealthy Americans became abandoned, enhancing their eerie allure and contributing to their spooky reputation.
The portrayal of abandoned mental hospitals in horror media further cemented the Gothic style's association with horror and the supernatural.
Mill is a fast and scalable build tool for Java, Scala, and Kotlin, designed to outperform traditional JVM (Java Virtual Machine) build tools like Maven and Gradle.
It features a typed configuration language and an immutable task graph, which contribute to clean and understandable builds, and automatically caches and parallelizes tasks for improved speed.
Mill supports a wide range of projects, from small to large monorepos, and integrates well with IDEs (Integrated Development Environments), making it suitable for real-world applications.
Mill is a fast build tool for Java and Scala, providing an alternative to popular tools like Gradle and Maven, with a focus on speed and reducing build complexity.- It uses Scala for configuration, which may pose a challenge for Java developers unfamiliar with Scala, and some users feel that Java support is insufficient.- Mill is community-driven, with ongoing development and a bounty program to encourage contributions, though some developers are hesitant due to the need to learn Scala and its domain-specific language (DSL).
The U.S. Navy's research vessel, R/P FLIP, known for its vertical flipping capability, was scheduled for scrapping in Mexico in August 2023.- DEEP, a subsea design firm, acquired and transported FLIP to France for a 12 to 18-month refit, aiming to use it for ocean research and underwater habitat projects.- The vessel's revival has generated excitement in the scientific community, with potential for new discoveries in ocean science.
The RP FLIP, a distinctive research vessel capable of flipping 90 degrees for scientific purposes, has been rescued from decommissioning by the ocean exploration organization DEEP.
DEEP intends to modernize the RP FLIP and incorporate it into their research fleet, with a planned 12 to 18-month refit in France.
The post also touches on the decline of the A380 aircraft, reflecting a shift in aviation towards smaller, more efficient planes.
The cr.yp.to blog critiques Meredith Whittaker's NDSS 2024 talk, which links the liberalization of encryption in 1999 to increased corporate surveillance, by examining historical evidence.
The blog argues that Internet commerce and corporate databases were expanding before 1999, challenging the claim that cryptographic export controls were solely responsible for surveillance issues.
It emphasizes the importance of actively opposing mass surveillance and questions the notion that efforts against one form of surveillance inherently support another.
The 1990s experienced a trade-off between privacy and security, with metadata from network connections posing a significant privacy threat.
Transparent HTTP caching, once beneficial for privacy, is now less feasible due to the widespread use of TLS (Transport Layer Security).
Privacy has not kept pace with security advancements, as businesses and governments prioritize their interests, leading to significant data leaks and privacy erosion.
Setting expectations for software engineers is complex due to diverse company needs, structures, and cultures, requiring managers to align these with new team members.- The concept of "10x engineers" is often misleading, as high output can negatively impact team morale and code quality.- A good engineer is defined by their ability to consistently deliver quality solutions, communicate effectively, understand processes, and adapt to organizational norms, while also having a growth mindset and being a team player.
Software engineers often face challenges when business changes lead to poor implementations, resulting in issues like security vulnerabilities for which they may be blamed.
There is ongoing debate about whether engineers should legally own their code to prevent such issues and what defines a "good" engineer, with differing views on the importance of teamwork versus individual skills.
The concept of a "10x engineer," who is significantly more productive than peers, is controversial, with discussions on its potential benefits and drawbacks, emphasizing the need to balance technical skills with business understanding.
The web is facing challenges on mobile platforms due to heavy reliance on JavaScript and platform control by major companies like Apple and Google.- Despite its open and portable nature, the web is losing competitiveness on mobile devices, where most new usage occurs, due to performance issues.- To improve the web's future, developers should prioritize performance, reduce JavaScript bloat, and adopt efficient frameworks, emphasizing collaboration and strategic enhancements.
The web is often criticized for being a suboptimal platform for applications, with developers favoring native development tools like QT and Android Studio over JavaScript frameworks such as Angular and React.
While Software as a Service (SaaS) is popular, the traditional model of selling perpetual licenses has been historically successful, highlighting a preference for ownership over rental.
The debate persists on whether the web should continue evolving as an app platform or revert to its original purpose as a medium for static information, given its limitations in app capabilities due to browser constraints.