Hasty Briefsbeta

Still Standing [4chan]
2 hours ago
- 4chan was hacked on April 14th via an outdated software exploit, leading to database and source code theft.
- The breach was catastrophic, caused by insufficient resources to update old systems due to financial constraints.
- 4chan had been running on second-hand servers since 2023, struggling with funding due to advertiser and payment provider withdrawals.
- New servers were purchased and set up in mid-2024, but migration was slow, leaving key functions on vulnerable old servers.
- During downtime, the breached server was replaced, systems updated, and PDF uploads temporarily disabled; /f/ - Flash board was permanently retired.
- Additional volunteer developers were brought on to help with workload, and the moderation team remained united despite privacy violations.
- 4chan emphasized its irreplaceability and commitment to continue despite challenges.
Strong humming for one hour daily to terminate chronic rhinosinusitis (2006)
8 hours ago
- Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is an immune disorder caused by fungi, leading to sinus membrane damage.
- Nitric oxide (NO) is naturally produced in the nasal airways and sinuses, with high concentrations in healthy sinuses.
- Humming increases nasal NO production by 15- to 20-fold compared to quiet exhalation.
- A case study showed that strong humming for one hour daily significantly reduced CRS symptoms in four days.
- Humming technique involved low-pitch vibrations (approximately 130 Hz) without causing dizziness.
- NO has antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial properties, potentially explaining the therapeutic effect.
- The subject's cardiac arrhythmias (PACs) also improved coincidentally with the humming treatment.
Colossal Cave Adventure (1976)
3 hours ago
- Original Fortran source code from the first text adventure game (1976).
- Includes additional resources like maps, walkthroughs, and executables for Windows & Mac OS.
- Discovered through the Halt & Catch Fire TV series.
- Repository intended for educational purposes only.
Microsoft's Big AI Hire Can't Match OpenAI
10 hours ago
- Microsoft's consumer AI tool, Copilot, has stagnated at around 20 million weekly users, while ChatGPT has grown to 400 million.
- Mustafa Suleyman, hired to lead Microsoft's AI efforts, has faced skepticism and internal challenges, including underwhelming results from the MAI-1 model.
- Microsoft's $650 million deal to bring Suleyman and Inflection's talent onboard was seen as a strategic move to reduce reliance on OpenAI.
- Internal conflicts arose over the use of synthetic data in AI model training, leading to team reorganizations and departures.
- Suleyman's revamped Copilot launch was overshadowed by external events and did not significantly alter Microsoft's position in the AI race.
- Microsoft's leadership, including CEO Satya Nadella, remains supportive of Suleyman, but pressure is mounting for a successful consumer AI product.
Straight Out of Sci-Fi: Tracked Combat Robot Armed with the Browning MG
8 hours ago
- Ukraine integrates Droid TW 12.7 robotic combat system into its Armed Forces.
- Equipped with Browning 12.7 mm machine gun and operates on a tracked platform.
- Remote control via tablet or gamepad using digital communication systems like Starlink and LTE.
- Features AI for target recognition, thermal imaging for day/night operations, and compact transport design.
- Can detect targets up to 1.5 km (day) and 1 km (night).
- Sets a precedent for future adoption of unmanned and AI-driven military technologies.
- Strengthens Ukraine's defense and contributes to modern military innovation.
Native Cross-Platform Swift Apps
4 hours ago
- Skip 1.5 enables 100% native Swift and SwiftUI apps for both iOS and Android.
- The process involves installing Skip and the Swift-Android toolchain via Homebrew.
- A template app is created with a TabView containing Welcome, Items, and Settings views.
- SkipFuseUI bridges SwiftUI to Jetpack Compose on Android for a native experience.
- ViewModel.swift uses standard Foundation types for data management and persistence.
- Skip allows embedding Kotlin and Jetpack Compose APIs directly in Swift code.
- Access to both Swift packages and Android libraries is supported.
- Skip Notes, a sample app, is available on Google Play and Apple App Store.
- Skip's native support is currently a technology preview with ongoing improvements.
Whole-body physics simulation of fruit fly locomotion
7 hours ago
- A whole-body model of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster was developed in a physics simulator for studying neural control of sensorimotor behavior.
- The model supports diverse behaviors, including terrestrial and aerial locomotion, validated through realistic walking and flight simulations.
- New phenomenological models for fluid and adhesion forces were developed to support these behaviors.
- Neural network controllers were trained using reinforcement learning to generate naturalistic locomotion along complex trajectories.
- The model includes visual sensors and hierarchical motor control, enabling visually guided flight tasks.
- The framework is open-source, facilitating further research in embodied neural control.
Why Autistic Women Have Been Overlooked for Decades
8 hours ago
- Autistic women and girls often use camouflaging and masking to hide their condition to fit in with neurotypical peers, which can lead to significant mental health challenges.
- Traditional autism diagnosis criteria have historically overlooked females due to their ability to blend in socially, leading to underdiagnosis.
- Camouflaging involves suppressing autistic behaviors like stimming and scripting social interactions, while masking involves adopting a different persona to hide autism.
- Adolescence is particularly challenging for autistic girls, with higher rates of self-harm and eating disorders due to social pressures and brain development changes.
- There is a call for more nuanced diagnostic questions to identify autism in girls, moving beyond the traditional focus on social isolation.
- Late-diagnosed autistic individuals, especially women, often express relief upon diagnosis, as it provides clarity and understanding of lifelong struggles.
- Researchers are now including camouflaging behaviors in studies to better understand the social brain networks in autistic individuals.
- The book 'Off the Spectrum' highlights the need for early interventions and better recognition of autism in girls to prevent long-term mental health issues.
ATS3 Xanadu Released
6 hours ago
- ATS3 is the third edition of ATS, currently under development at ATS-Xanadu.
- XATSHOME is a learning and contribution hub for ATS3.
- The 'contrib' directory includes 'contrib/githwxi' as an example for setting up personal directories.
- The ATS3-to-JS compiler is stored in 'xassets/JS/xats2js/xats2js_jsemit01_dats_opt0.js'.
- Set the environment variable XATSHOME to its directory location (e.g., '~/Research/XATSHOME').
- Compile ATS3 code to JS using 'node --stack-size=8000' with the compiler script.
- Generated JS code requires runtime files from 'xassets/JS/xats2js/runtime/' to execute.
- Refer to 'contrib/githwxi/pground/proj001@250424/misc001/Makefile' for a complete compilation example.
Mathematicians just solved a 125-year-old problem, uniting 3 theories in physics
3 hours ago
- David Hilbert presented 23 unsolved mathematical problems in 1900, influencing 125 years of mathematical thought.
- Hilbert's sixth problem called for axiomatizing physics, grounding physical theories in minimal mathematical assumptions.
- Mathematicians Yu Deng, Zaher Hani, and Xiao Ma claim a breakthrough in unifying fluid dynamics theories.
- Their work bridges microscopic (Newton's laws), mesoscopic (Boltzmann equation), and macroscopic (Euler & Navier-Stokes equations) theories of fluid motion.
- The proof extends previous short-timescale derivations to long timescales, overcoming complexity from particle interactions.
- This unification mathematically justifies fluid dynamics theories, strengthening confidence in their validity.
- The achievement marks progress in Hilbert's sixth problem, potentially inspiring further breakthroughs in physics.
FBI offers $10M for information about Salt Typhoon members
5 hours ago
- FBI offers $10 million for information on China-state hacking group Salt Typhoon.
- Salt Typhoon is part of several hacking groups working for China, involved in espionage attacks.
- The group targeted US telecommunications companies, stealing call data logs and private communications.
- Salt Typhoon has multiple aliases like RedMike, Ghost Emperor, and has been active since at least 2019.
- The group increased its hacking activities about a year ago, targeting global telecommunications networks.
Your phone isn't secretly listening to you, but the truth is more disturbing
5 hours ago
- Smartphone microphone surveillance conspiracy theory suggests phones listen to private conversations for targeted ads.
- No clear evidence supports the theory that smartphones constantly listen to conversations for ad targeting.
- In 2024, Cox Media Group's 'Active Listening' system claimed to capture voice data for ads, but tech companies distanced themselves.
- Facebook admitted in 2019 to transcribing Messenger audio for testing but denied using microphones for ads.
- Wandera's 2019 experiment found no evidence of phones listening to conversations for ad targeting.
- Data consumption and battery usage tests showed no signs of constant microphone surveillance.
- Ex-Facebook employee explained the impracticality of constant audio surveillance due to massive data requirements.
- Research revealed apps taking screenshots and videos of screen activity, posing privacy risks.
- Targeted ads rely on vast data tracking (location, friends, interests) rather than microphone surveillance.
- Voice assistants like 'Hey Google' record briefly after activation, but constant recording is detectable and impractical.
Reading RSS content is a skilled activity
5 hours ago
- The internet has shifted from quirky and altruistic to often being exploitative and harmful.
- Companies commoditize user attention through ad platforms, prioritizing engagement over user experience.
- RSS offers a way to reclaim control over your attention with open technology.
- Using an RSS reader requires a different approach than social media—curation and filtering are key.
- Chains of trust help in building a personalized, high-quality content feed.
- Effective RSS usage involves ongoing pruning and weeding to maintain relevance.
- Engaging with RSS content actively helps in owning your attention and improving the experience.
Berkeley Humanoid Lite – open-source robot
4 hours ago
- Introduction of Berkeley Humanoid Lite, an open-source, customizable humanoid robot designed to democratize robotics.
- Modular 3D-printed gearbox and cycloidal gear design address cost and durability concerns, keeping total hardware cost under $5,000.
- Extensive testing validates the durability of 3D-printed actuators and demonstrates successful zero-shot policy transfer from simulation to hardware.
- Performance factor metric introduced to benchmark cost-effectiveness, showing high performance at a low cost.
- All hardware designs, embedded code, and training frameworks are open-source to promote accessibility and community development.
Mike Lindell's lawyers used AI to write brief–judge finds nearly 30 mistakes
5 hours ago
- A lawyer for MyPillow and CEO Mike Lindell admitted using AI in a legal brief containing nearly 30 defective citations.
- Defective citations included misquotes, misrepresentations of legal principles, and citations to non-existent cases.
- US District Judge Nina Wang ordered the attorneys to explain why they should not face sanctions or disciplinary action.
- The attorneys, Christopher Kachouroff and Jennifer DeMaster, defended Lindell in a lawsuit filed by a former Dominion Voting Systems employee.
- Kachouroff admitted to using AI for the brief only after direct questioning by the judge.
A year of hate: what I learned when I went undercover with the far right
12 hours ago
- A journalist goes undercover in British far-right groups for over a year, infiltrating nine different extremist organizations.
- The journalist works with the anti-fascist organization Hope Not Hate, using a fake identity named 'Chris' to gain trust and gather intelligence.
- Far-right groups are deeply suspicious of outsiders, requiring careful vetting and operational security to maintain cover.
- Many far-right members are motivated by loneliness and a desire for belonging, often feeling alienated from mainstream society.
- Race science and eugenics are being revived by well-funded, sophisticated groups with connections to powerful figures.
- The journalist uncovers the rebranding of the notorious Pioneer Fund as the Human Diversity Foundation, continuing its racist agenda under new leadership.
- Far-right ideologies are gaining traction in mainstream politics, with groups like Reform UK and the AfD making electoral gains.
- Undercover work reveals the personal and emotional complexities of befriending extremists while planning to expose them.
- The investigation highlights the dangerous influence of race science advocates and their ties to wealthy backers.
Fun with IP Address Parsing
8 hours ago
- IPv4 and IPv6 have canonical forms: dotted quad for IPv4 (e.g., 192.168.0.1) and colon-hex for IPv6 (e.g., 1:2:3:4:5:6:7:8).
- IPv6 allows eliding zeros with `::` (e.g., `1:2::3:4` expands to `1:2:0:0:0:0:3:4`).
- IPv6 permits embedding IPv4 addresses in the last 32 bits (e.g., `1:2:3:4:5:6:77.77.88.88`).
- IPv4 has historical quirks: it can be written as a single 32-bit integer (e.g., 3232271615 for 192.168.140.255).
- IPv4 supports octal (e.g., 0300.0250.0214.0377) and hex (e.g., 0xc0.0xa8.0x8c.0xff) notations.
- Class A/B notation allows coalescing trailing bytes (e.g., 192.168.36095 for 192.168.140.255).
- Leading zeros in IPv4/IPv6 fields are often allowed but inconsistently handled (e.g., 000001::00001.00002.00003.00004).
- Modern parsers often ignore outdated notations like Class A/B or hex/octal IPv4 formats.
M5 Stack no longer shipping to US
5 hours ago
- Compatible with various IoT development single board computers including esp32-S3 board, Arduino esp32 kits, TinyML device, and others.
- Abundant sensors and actuators choices for reliable data collection, including hall sensor, TOF sensor, motion sensor, ultrasonic sensor, soil moisture sensor.
- 5*5cm modular stackable for customized assembly, including RS485 communication, UHF RFID Reader, RS485 to I2C, esp32 lan modules and more.
- Esp32 dev kit, IoT development kit, thermal camera kit, Arduino kit, embedded controller, microcontroller board, Arduino esp32.
- Wires, screws, steering gears and other peripheral parts available.
I wrote a book called "Crap Towns". It seemed funny at the time
5 hours ago
- The author reflects on their 2003 book 'Crap Towns,' a humorous critique of the worst places in the UK, questioning if it could be published today.
- Many believe such a book wouldn't be acceptable now due to changing societal attitudes towards humor and criticism.
- The book was intended as an affectionate critique to spark conversations about regeneration and improvement in the UK.
- The author grapples with the idea that modern Britain may have lost its ability to laugh at itself, but also acknowledges potential flaws in the book's approach.
- Critics, including podcasters, have labeled 'Crap Towns' as 'cursed' and unpleasant, questioning its humor and impact.
- The author argues for the importance of humor and satire in revealing truths, despite the risks of offending.
- They note a growing nervousness in the publishing industry about projects that might upset contemporary sensibilities.
- The author concludes that while similar projects still exist, the world has moved on, and the joke of 'Crap Towns' has gone sour.
- They express concern that the book may have contributed to the UK's malaise rather than alleviating it.
Parallel ./configure
6 hours ago
- The text describes a frustration with the inefficiency of the `./configure` script in utilizing multiple CPU cores, leading to significantly longer configuration times compared to the actual build time.
- It outlines a proposed solution to parallelize the configuration process by leveraging `make` to run independent compiler checks in parallel, thereby reducing the overall configuration time.
- The solution involves generating small makefile fragments for each compiler flag or feature check, which can be executed in parallel, and then merging these fragments into the final `Makefile` and `config.h`.
- A proof-of-concept implementation is mentioned, demonstrating substantial performance improvements with parallel configuration, achieving high CPU utilization and faster configuration times.
- The approach is contrasted with traditional sequential configuration scripts, highlighting the embarrassingly parallel nature of compiler checks and the untapped potential for optimization.

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About Login

Hasty Briefsbeta

Still Standing [4chan]

Strong humming for one hour daily to terminate chronic rhinosinusitis (2006)

Colossal Cave Adventure (1976)

Microsoft's Big AI Hire Can't Match OpenAI

Straight Out of Sci-Fi: Tracked Combat Robot Armed with the Browning MG

Native Cross-Platform Swift Apps

Whole-body physics simulation of fruit fly locomotion

Why Autistic Women Have Been Overlooked for Decades

ATS3 Xanadu Released

Mathematicians just solved a 125-year-old problem, uniting 3 theories in physics

FBI offers $10M for information about Salt Typhoon members

Your phone isn't secretly listening to you, but the truth is more disturbing

Reading RSS content is a skilled activity

Berkeley Humanoid Lite – open-source robot

Mike Lindell's lawyers used AI to write brief–judge finds nearly 30 mistakes

A year of hate: what I learned when I went undercover with the far right

Fun with IP Address Parsing

M5 Stack no longer shipping to US

I wrote a book called "Crap Towns". It seemed funny at the time

Parallel ./configure