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2024-11-02

Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality than sleep duration (2023)

  • A study in the journal "Sleep" indicates that sleep regularity is a more significant predictor of mortality risk than sleep duration.- Analysis of data from over 60,000 UK Biobank participants showed that consistent sleep patterns reduced all-cause mortality risk by 20-48%.- The research challenges traditional health guidelines that emphasize sleep duration, highlighting the importance of maintaining regular sleep-wake times for better health.

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  • A study with 60,977 participants found that sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality than sleep duration, suggesting irregular sleep patterns may indicate chronic sleep issues.
  • The study's short data collection period has led to criticism, with experts calling for longer-term data to better establish the link between sleep regularity and mortality.
  • Despite its limitations, the study emphasizes the importance of maintaining a regular sleep schedule for overall health.

Nvidia to join Dow Jones Industrial Average, replacing Intel

  • Nvidia will replace Intel in the Dow Jones Industrial Average on November 8, indicating a significant shift in the semiconductor industry.
  • Nvidia's market capitalization has soared to $3.3 trillion, driven by a 170% surge in shares this year, largely due to high demand for its AI GPUs.
  • Intel is experiencing challenges such as declining stock value, job cuts, and increased competition, contrasting with Nvidia's recent growth and success.

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  • Nvidia is replacing Intel in the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), highlighting Nvidia's growth in AI and GPU demand and Intel's recent challenges.
  • This change has sparked debates about the DJIA's relevance, as critics argue its price-weighted nature favors high-priced stocks, making it less representative of the market.
  • Many consider the S&P 500 a more accurate market indicator, questioning the DJIA's current practical utility despite its historical significance.

My Time Working at Stripe

  • Jon de la Motte shares his personal experience of leaving his job at Stripe without having another position secured, highlighting the mix of fear and excitement in making such a decision.
  • Despite a successful career at Stripe, Jon faced challenges with depression and motivation, leading him to take time off for mental health.
  • He is inspired by a poem to embrace change and hopes to connect with others who might feel isolated in their struggles.

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  • The author shares their experience at Stripe, dealing with a challenging work environment and a demanding manager, which contributed to anxiety and burnout.
  • This experience underscores the significance of mental health, setting boundaries, and the influence of corporate culture on personal well-being.
  • The author advocates for prioritizing mental health, seeking therapy, and maintaining a work-life balance to mitigate burnout.

Linux on Apple Silicon with Alyssa Rosenzweig [audio]

  • The SEDaily Podcast features Alyssa Rosenzweig discussing the efforts to port Linux to Apple's ARM-based chips, known as Apple Silicon, through the Asahi Linux project.
  • Alyssa Rosenzweig, a graphics developer, provides insights into the reverse-engineering of the Apple M1 GPU and advancements in Linux gaming.
  • The task is challenging due to the lack of official documentation on Apple Silicon, making the project noteworthy for its technical complexity and potential impact on Linux users.

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  • Running Linux on Apple Silicon is difficult due to Apple's proprietary hardware, which includes unique features like software-regulated speaker temperature.
  • The Asahi Linux team is making progress in reverse-engineering these systems, but concerns about hardware damage and maintaining compatibility with Apple's updates persist.
  • The project aims to extend the lifespan of Apple hardware and offer alternatives to macOS, highlighting the tension between Apple's closed ecosystem and the open-source community's goals.

Weird Lexical Syntax

  • A developer learned 42 programming languages to create a syntax highlighter for a project called llamafile, highlighting the complexity and diversity of programming languages.
  • The syntax highlighter, optimized using C++ and GNU gperf, focuses on strings, comments, and keywords, employing finite state machines for efficiency.
  • Sponsored by Mozilla, the project encourages community engagement through Mozilla AI and Redbean Discord servers for further discussion.

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  • The article examines the unique syntax features of various programming languages, particularly focusing on string interpolation and comment handling.- It discusses the challenges of syntax highlighting, mentioning tools like Vim, and the complexity of handling nested comments in languages such as C and Standard ML.- The text explores the evolution of syntax in languages like Java and C#, the role of Unicode, and the potential use of Large Language Models (LLMs) for syntax highlighting.

Rewrite It in Rails

  • The developer initially experimented with multiple programming languages and frameworks, including .NET/F#, Go, Rust, and React, before choosing Ruby on Rails for its familiarity and development speed.
  • A "version 2" of the app was attempted using Rust and SvelteKit, but it was found to be impractical due to missing features and the need for extensive setup, leading to a return to Rails.
  • The experience highlighted the trade-offs in web application development, with Ruby on Rails offering a mature ecosystem that allows developers to prioritize product development over infrastructure concerns.

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  • Rails, Django, and Laravel are highly regarded for their efficiency and comprehensive features in web app development, making them popular choices among developers.
  • Despite the availability of newer technologies like Meteor, Remix, and Next.js, some developers prefer traditional frameworks due to their ease of use and familiarity.
  • The choice of a web development framework often hinges on specific project requirements and personal familiarity, with alternatives like Spring Boot and Ktor offering different advantages such as integration capabilities and static typing.

Direct Sockets API in Chrome 131

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  • The Direct Sockets API in Chrome 131 introduces direct TCP/UDP connections in browsers, enhancing compatibility with existing applications and enabling new networking possibilities.
  • While it could simplify use cases compared to WebRTC DataChannel, there are security concerns about potential vulnerabilities in local networks.
  • Part of the "isolated web apps" proposal, this API aims to give web apps capabilities similar to native apps, sparking debate over security and trusted code execution in browsers.

Okta – Username Above 52 Characters Security Advisory

  • A vulnerability in Okta's AD/LDAP Delegated Authentication was discovered, allowing potential authentication with only a username if it was 52 characters or longer.
  • The issue was present from July 23, 2024, and was resolved on October 30, 2024, by changing the algorithm from Bcrypt to PBKDF2.
  • Okta advises customers to review their system logs for any related issues during the affected period.

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  • Okta's security advisory reveals a vulnerability where usernames exceeding 52 characters can cause password truncation due to bcrypt's 72-byte limit.
  • The issue stems from using bcrypt for cache key generation by concatenating userId, username, and password, which is not its intended use.
  • The advisory recommends separating password storage from cache key generation and suggests using HMAC (Hash-based Message Authentication Code) or KDF (Key Derivation Function) for cache keys, while critiquing bcrypt's design for not managing input length errors effectively.

Low-cost, portable device can detect colorectal and prostate cancer in an hour

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  • A new affordable and portable device can detect colorectal and prostate cancer within an hour, potentially improving screening rates by offering a more comfortable alternative to colonoscopies.
  • The device utilizes microfluidics technology to enhance the detection of cancer markers, addressing the limitations of at-home tests that often yield high false positives and detect cancer at later stages.
  • Despite its promising features, the device requires independent testing to confirm its effectiveness and reliability in medical diagnostics.

Cramming Solitaire onto a Nintendo E-Reader card

  • A developer created a full-featured Solitaire game for the Nintendo E-Reader, a Game Boy Advance accessory from 2002 that uses dot code cards to load games.
  • The development involved using the z80 format for its compact size and overcoming challenges with the E-Reader's limited z80 emulator and debugging difficulties.
  • The developer utilized the E-Reader's ERAPI API and created a debugger in Visual Studio Code to aid in development, successfully fitting the Solitaire game on a single card.

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SmolLM2

  • SmolLM2 is a new family of compact language models from Hugging Face, available in sizes of 135M, 360M, and 1.7B parameters, designed to run efficiently on devices.
  • These models were trained on 11 trillion tokens from diverse datasets, and their weights are released under the Apache 2 license, allowing for broad usage and modification.
  • Simon Willison shares positive initial impressions and provides instructions for using the models with the llm-gguf plugin, with a detailed blog entry on SmolLM2 expected soon.

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  • There are multiple ways to run Hugging Face models in a Docker container with a web API, including using FastAPI wrappers or Ollama's built-in support for gguf models with an OpenAI-compatible HTTP endpoint.
  • Hugging Face TGI supports a wide range of models and APIs, while SmolLM2, which primarily supports English, reportedly outperforms Meta's models due to high-quality training data and can handle up to 8192 tokens.
  • There is growing interest in small models for browser use and image input, with discussions around the reliability of self-published evaluations and the appeal of LLMs for their artificial reasoning capabilities.

Britain's postwar sugar craze confirms harms of sweet diets in early life

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  • Britain's postwar sugar craze underscores the potential negative impacts of high sugar diets in early life, linking them to health issues like diabetes and hypertension.
  • Despite a decrease in sugar consumption in the US from 2000-2020, the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes has risen, sparking debate on sugar's metabolic harm versus other factors like lifestyle and food engineering.
  • Research indicates that restricting sugar intake early in life may lower the risk of developing diabetes and hypertension, though discussions continue on the influence of other dietary components such as omega fatty acids and total caloric intake.