דלג לתוכן הראשי

2023-07-03

First 'tooth regrowth' medicine moves toward clinical trials in Japan​

  • A Japanese research team is developing a groundbreaking medication that may allow people to grow new teeth, with clinical trials set to begin in July 2024. The medication is intended for people who lack a full set of adult teeth due to congenital factors, and the team aims to have it ready for general use by 2030.
  • The medication has already shown promising results in animal experiments, where it prompted the growth of "third-generation" teeth. This could be a game-changer for the field of dentistry, as humans have the potential to grow a third set of teeth but usually lose this ability over time.
  • The medication works by blocking the action of a protein called USAG-1, which limits the growth of teeth. Once confirmed to have no ill effects on the human body, the medication will be aimed at treating children aged 2 to 6 who have anodontia.

Industry Reactions​

  • Japanese researchers are making progress in developing a "tooth regrowth" medicine for people with congenital anodontia, a condition where they lack adult teeth.
  • The medicine has the potential to restore a full set of adult teeth and could revolutionize dental care by eliminating the need for dentures or dental implants.
  • The development of this medicine is a significant advancement in regenerative medicine and could have broader applications in the future.

JavaScript Gom Jabbar​

  • The post discusses the challenges and pain points of working with JavaScript, specifically in relation to package.json files and various dependencies and tools.
  • It highlights the complexity and frustration that can arise from managing and upgrading packages, configuring tools like ESLint, and dealing with different testing frameworks.
  • The author emphasizes the difficulty and emotional toll of navigating the JavaScript ecosystem, but also acknowledges the resilience and survival of software engineers in spite of these challenges.

Industry Reactions​

  • The article humorously highlights the pain points and complexity associated with JavaScript development, including the overwhelming number of tools, parsers, and dependencies.
  • The author expresses a desire for a simpler, non-configurable library or framework that can handle the majority of use cases.
  • Deno is mentioned as a potential alternative to Node.js, with debates and opinions about its advantages and disadvantages.

Stanford A.I. Courses​

  • Stanford University has added video introductions to some of their Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) courses from Fall 2019 CS229.
  • The video introductions can be viewed on the Stanford A.I. courses website at https://ai.stanford.edu/stanford-ai-courses.
  • This is a valuable resource for individuals interested in learning about A.I. and the courses offered by Stanford University.

Industry Reactions​

  • ML programs often focus on additive skill sets, but in reality, solving real-world problems requires knowing what not to try and understanding why certain approaches may not work.
  • Many companies do not teach the fundamentals of statistics, and practical implementation skills are often lacking. It is important to find mentors who have both theoretical rigor and practical skills to solve problems.
  • ML problems also require engineering skills, as certain techniques may not be scalable or suitable for large datasets. It is important to understand the limitations of different models and be able to mix them for debugging purposes.

Alt-F4 #65 – Factorio visualizer in Unreal Engine 5​

  • The FUE5 project is an experimental project that visualizes the 2D world of the game Factorio in a 3D environment using Unreal Engine 5.
  • The project was created by 3D artist Hurricane and Factorio modder Nuke, and it allows users to import their Factorio bases into the Unreal Engine environment and explore them in 3D.
  • The project required the modeling and animation of each Factorio asset and the replication of key systems like belts, trains, and the logistic system. Optimization was necessary to ensure smooth performance.

Industry Reactions​

  • Alt-F4 #65 is an article about a Factorio visualizer created in Unreal Engine 5.
  • The visualizer allows players to see their Factorio factories in 3D, providing a new perspective on their creations.
  • The article also includes discussions about different Factorio mods, gameplay tips, and comparisons to other similar games like Satisfactory and Dyson Sphere Program.

AMD CPU Use Among Linux Gamers Approaching 70% Marketshare​

  • The market share of AMD CPUs among Linux gamers is approaching 70% according to the latest Steam Survey results for June.
  • AMD's increasing popularity can be attributed to their Ryzen CPUs and open-source driver stack, which have gained favor among Linux users.
  • This trend marks a significant increase from just 18% six years ago, and it highlights AMD's success in winning over the Linux gaming community.

Industry Reactions​

  • AMD CPU usage among Linux gamers is approaching 70% market share, showing a positive trend in the growing desktop Linux market.
  • Valve's Steam Survey provides data on this market share, although there may be some bias towards systems that easily run Steam.
  • AMD's popularity among Linux gamers is attributed to the efficiency, performance, and stability of their CPUs and open-source GPU drivers, making them a preferred choice over Nvidia and Intel.

After September 1, 2023, all Gfycat content and data will be deleted​

  • The Gfycat service, which allows users to search and share GIFs, will be discontinued after September 1, 2023.
  • Users are advised to save or delete their content by logging into their Gfycat account on the website.
  • After the discontinuation, all Gfycat content and data will be permanently deleted from the website.

Industry Reactions​

  • Gfycat, a popular image hosting service, has announced that all content and data will be deleted after September 1, 2023.
  • Some users have expressed disappointment and frustration over the loss of valuable and unique content that may not be easily replicated.
  • The acquisition of Gfycat by Snapchat last year has raised questions about the motivations behind the decision to shut down the service.

Flattening ASTs and other compiler data structures​

  • Flattening abstract syntax trees (ASTs) is a technique that can improve performance and memory efficiency in language implementations and compilers.
  • Flattening involves packing AST nodes into a single array and using array indices instead of pointers to refer to child nodes.
  • Flattened ASTs offer benefits such as improved spatial locality, smaller memory footprints, cheaper allocation and deallocation, easier memory management, and convenient deduplication.

Industry Reactions​

  • Blender, a 3D modeling software, uses identical on-disk and in-memory representations for fast and lossless file loading and saving.
  • The trade-off of this design is that the data structure design becomes sticky and needs to be able to open files for older versions.
  • There are ways to evolve data structures over time, similar to database migrations, that allow for updating older versions of files and avoiding the cost of compatibility each time.

Drastic increase in Tor clients from Germany​

  • The number of Tor clients in Germany has significantly increased.
  • The data is estimated by analyzing requests from clients to relays and bridges.
  • The increase in Tor clients indicates a growing interest in anonymous internet usage and the need for censorship evasion.

Industry Reactions​

  • There has been a drastic increase in Tor clients from Germany, with the number of users going from below 500k to almost 2.5M.
  • Some speculate that the increase may be due to automation and bots rather than actual users.
  • Questions have been raised about the possibility of a botnet spreading in Germany or state actors being involved. Germany's hosting of sensitive data and its robust internet infrastructure have been cited as reasons for its attractiveness to cybercriminals.

Make Your Renders Unnecessarily Complicated by Modeling a Film Camera in Blender​

[video]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE9rEQAGpLw)​

  • The post provides a video tutorial on how to model a film camera in Blender, a software used for creating 3D computer graphics and animations.
  • The tutorial aims to teach beginners how to make their renders complicated by adding intricate details to their models.
  • This post can be helpful for people interested in learning Blender and creating realistic 3D renders.

Industry Reactions​

  • The creator of this video used Blender to model a physically accurate pin-hole camera and film, which is impressive considering it is open source software.
  • The video showcases the process of building a multi-element lens in Blender, adding depth to the project.
  • The commenters are amazed by the level of detail and realism achieved in the simulation, and some speculate on the possibilities of further advancements in film simulation and photo modes in video games.

Illegal Life Pro Tip: Want to ruin your competitor's business?​

  • The post discusses an illegal life pro tip on how to ruin your competitor's business by paying scammers to use stolen credit cards on their payment processor.
  • The author shares their personal experience of having their PayPal and Stripe accounts limited without any prior communication, resulting in a significant loss of sales.
  • The post also mentions the challenges faced by small SaaS builders in terms of job security and the lack of support staff in big corporations.

Industry Reactions​

  • Small businesses are facing significant challenges with online platforms such as Google Maps and payment processors like Stripe and PayPal.

  • Platforms like Google Maps can suspend business listings without explanation, causing businesses to lose valuable reviews and customers.

  • Payment processors like Stripe and PayPal have limited support and can hold businesses liable for fraudulent transactions.

  • Businesses are calling for stronger regulations to protect them from unfair treatment by online platforms.

  • Small businesses are exploring alternative payment methods like cryptocurrencies to avoid chargebacks and fraud.

  • Some suggest implementing stricter authentication measures like 3D-Secure to prevent fraudulent transactions.