A group of friends participated in the Carbage Run 2025 Winter edition, a 6-day rally through Sweden to the polar circle and back to Helsinki, requiring cars to be at least 20 years old and valued under €1000.
They transformed a 1993 Volvo 940 Estate into a self-driving vehicle using openpilot from comma.ai, incorporating modern components like electric power steering, a Bosch iBooster, and a Tesla radar sensor.
Future updates will include details on wiring, a custom Engine Control Unit (ECU), and plans to open-source the code, highlighting the project's innovative approach to retrofitting older vehicles with autonomous technology.
A 1993 Volvo 940 was retrofitted with OpenPilot, a self-driving technology, highlighting the intersection of classic car design and modern tech.
The project faced challenges, including updating the brake and steering systems, raising legal and safety concerns, particularly with DIY modifications like welding the steering column.
The discussion extended to car regulations in Europe, the decline of hotrods in the US, and cultural differences in car modification freedoms, with the project viewed as an inspiring DIY effort despite safety concerns.
NovaLogic's 1992 game Comanche utilized the Voxel Space engine, a 2.5D rendering technique based on ray casting, to create detailed terrains with shading and shadows.
The Voxel Space engine used height and color maps and a simple rendering algorithm, drawing vertical lines from back to front, which could be optimized for performance.
The engine's code is available under the MIT license, but the technology may still be patented in certain regions.
VoxelSpace is a terrain rendering algorithm notable for its simplicity, requiring less than 20 lines of code, and evokes nostalgia for innovative game development during hardware-limited eras.
Modern AAA games focus on complex optimizations and market trends, often at the expense of originality, whereas indie games and platforms like PICO-8 provide more creative freedom.
Despite technological advancements, some developers and players feel that the "magic" of older games is missing, though innovative projects like voxel rendering continue to inspire creativity.
The article discusses five techniques for rendering outlines in Unity, a popular game development platform, highlighting their use in games like Sable and The Last of Us. - Techniques include Rim Effects, Vertex Extrusion, Blurred Buffer, Jump Flood Algorithm, and Edge Detection, each with unique advantages and trade-offs in terms of performance and visual quality. - The article provides insights into balancing these methods for optimal game aesthetics and gameplay support, with additional resources and credits for 3D models included.
The article explores advanced techniques for drawing outlines in video games, emphasizing the efficiency of the Jump Flood Algorithm (JFA) and Signed Distance Fields (SDFs) over traditional methods. - It delves into stylized 3D graphics, discussing rendering techniques and the potential use of neural networks for lighting and styling. - Contributors provide insights into the historical development of cel shading in games, such as Jet Set Radio, highlighting the evolving intersection of technology and art in 3D graphics.
The author is leaving the Washington Post due to its failure to adapt to the evolving media landscape and its approach to presenting issues, which they believe is ineffective for critical topics like democracy.
Traditional media, particularly local newspapers, are struggling financially, leading to biased reporting and a decline in public trust, while social media cannot replace the rigorous work of journalism.
Concerns are raised about the influence of wealthy individuals, such as Jeff Bezos, on media outlets, and the impact of corporate interests on the media's role in holding power accountable.
Perplexity has introduced advertisements, leading to discussions about the inevitability of ads in online services due to consumer reluctance to pay for ad-free experiences. - Some users find ads intrusive and prefer subscription-based services like Kagi, which offer ad-free search, while others continue to choose free, ad-supported options. - This situation underscores the ongoing debate between ad-supported and subscription-based models in digital services.