The PyPI repository for Python packages received subpoenas in March and April 2023, raising concerns about surveillance and lack of accountability.
The post discusses free speech and its legal limits in different countries, including court cases and laws in the US, Netherlands, Canada, Germany, and Europe.
The conversation also includes discussions on the First Amendment and its evolving interpretation by the US Supreme Court, as well as the use and ethics of gag orders in investigations.
The tiny corp is a new computer company that aims to commoditize the petaflop and democratize access to AI compute.
The company's flagship product, tinygrad, is a simple yet powerful neural network framework that enables efficient inference on a variety of hardware.
The tiny corp plans to leverage the RDNA3 Instruction Set and build its own software stack for AMD chips, with the goal of getting AMD on the MLPerf competition and disrupting the dominant position of NVIDIA in the AI compute landscape.
Thunderbird has a brand new logo designed by Jon Hicks, the creator of the original Firefox and Thunderbird logos.
Thunderbird is evolving into something more modern and adding an iOS version to its future development roadmap.
The new logo will be integrated with Thunderbird 115 this summer, and the branding on various social channels and communication platforms will be updated.
A case report outlines a novel exercise for resistance training of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) to eliminate gastroesophageal reflux.
The exercise requires swallowing food in a kneeling position with the head bowed lower than the stomach, providing resistance against gravity for the LES.
After several months of daily repetitions, symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux ceased and the exercise was discontinued without relapse, indicating potential permanent solutions for the problem.
Users share personal experiences and suggest various methods, including dietary changes, medication, and exercises, for managing gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
The article discusses a "squat and gulp" exercise that may help alleviate GERD symptoms, though caution is advised due to potential risks.
Alternative remedies such as yoga poses, breathing exercises, and sodium alginate have also been successful for some individuals, while medications like PPIs can have negative side effects.
The author shares their story of recovering the source code for the game Frogger 2 from an OnStream tape drive.
Finding a compatible tape drive was the first challenge, and a professional data recovery company worsened the situation.
With months of effort and reverse engineering, the author was able to extract the data from the tape, but had to overcome challenges with proprietary file formats and undocumented tape drive features.
Using a modal window for detailed content is not necessary. Instead, use a separate page.
Modal windows can't be bookmarked or shared as links, and opening them in a new tab can be confusing.
Modal windows can be difficult to implement accurately and may not always be the best choice. Consider alternatives and ensure your web app passes the "refresh test.".
The article discusses the use cases and potential issues with modal windows in UI design, suggesting that they should be used only for specific tasks like alerts and forms.
Accessibility is an important consideration when designing modal windows, not just for screen readers but for other features like zooming and focus/reader modes.
There is a debate among developers about the usefulness and potential downsides of modal windows, with some arguing that they can be confusing and others advocating for their use in certain situations.
SectorC is a C compiler written in x86-16 assembly that fits within the 512 byte boot sector of an x86 machine, likely the smallest C compiler ever written.
Despite its small size, SectorC supports a subset of C that is large enough to write real and interesting programs, including global variables, functions, if statements, while statements, lots of operators, pointer dereference, inline machine-code, comments, and more.
SectorC implements a minimalist lexer and parser and utilizes the hash function of atoi to minimize code size, allowing it to become a proper C.
SectorC is a C-subset compiler using only 512 bytes of x86 assembly, demonstrating the value of questioning common assumptions.
JIT compiling to machine instructions and executing the compiled output allows for more optimizations than AOT compilers, and is used in some languages like Javascript and as a dynamic analogue for profile-guided optimization.
A discussion on Hacker News explores the potential uses of the Bootstrap Project, a tool to deploy a C compiler in a virtual machine, including in deep-space applications and for smaller microcontrollers, with debate over the use of structs in this minimal environment.
How do you not take criticism of your work personally?
A member of the Hacker News (Discussion Service) community asked how to avoid taking criticism of their work personally.
Many Discussion Service users shared their own experiences and techniques for dealing with criticism.
The discussion focused on separating personal value from the value of the work and learning from feedback without letting it affect one's self-worth.
It is normal to take constructive criticism personally, but developing an anti-fragile attitude can help handle it better and become a better human being from it.
Detaching self-worth from output or delivery, assuming positive intentions, practicing self-reflection, and focusing on self-compassion can help handle negative feedback in a professional setting.
Recognizing poor feedback, striving towards company goals, and owning up to mistakes while anticipating criticism with optimism lead to personal and professional growth in the software industry.
Scientists have developed a brain-spine interface that allowed three spinal-cord-injured patients to walk again with natural and balanced gaits.
The interface involves recording signals from the brain using implantable sensors and decoding them to electrical stimulation of the muscles in the legs via an electrode patch on the skin worn on the lower back.
The three individuals were able to walk with training and some assistance, with the effort being similar to walking with leg braces after years of paralysis.
Hypersonic missiles are not new, and we have had them for decades.
The real problem with hypersonic missiles is that they are maneuverable, making them challenging to intercept using traditional missile defense systems designed for ballistic threats.
Directed Energy (DE), like lasers, could be a potential solution for intercepting maneuverable hypersonic missiles due to their high speed and a battle space that covers the entire field of regard of the laser.
The article discusses the potential use of lasers from satellites to destroy hypersonic missiles, but there is skepticism about the cost and complexity of deployment, as well as concerns about the weaponization of space.
The effectiveness of missile defense systems like Patriot in intercepting incoming targets is debated, with some arguing for a strong defense and others pointing out limitations.
Experts discuss recent technological advances in military lasers and their potential uses, but there are also caveats and limitations to consider, such as the effectiveness against plasma shields and the prohibition of weapon deployment in space.