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  • Elon Musk hopes for 'zero-tariff situation' between US and EU

    3 hours ago
    • Elon Musk advocates for a zero-tariff situation between Europe and the United States to create a free-trade zone.
    • Musk criticizes Peter Navarro, a Trump administration trade advisor, over his support for tariffs and academic background.
    • Tesla sales have significantly declined in Europe and Italy, with a 49% drop in Europe and a 7% decrease in Italy.
    • Italy's Economy Minister calls for a 'de-escalation' in trade tensions with the U.S., highlighting a trade surplus of 39 billion euros in 2024.
    • Italy's economy grew by only 0.5% in 2024 compared to the previous year.

  • LaLiga/Cloudflare Crisis: ISPs Urged to Action Amid Mass Overblocking

    3 hours ago
    • Rightsholders advocate for site-blocking as a proportionate response to piracy, requiring new legislation to maintain pressure on pirates.
    • Spain's decade-long site-blocking efforts have been successful with minimal controversy, though recent measures have led to significant collateral damage.
    • LaLiga and Telefonica secured court orders for dynamic blocking to combat IPTV piracy, but technical circumventions have undermined effectiveness.
    • A December 2023 court order allowed LaLiga to block Cloudflare, affecting thousands of innocent customers due to IP-based blocking.
    • LaLiga is blocking approximately 3,000 Cloudflare IP addresses weekly, disproportionately impacting legitimate services compared to Italy's Piracy Shield.
    • DigitalES, a Spanish digital association, calls for ISP cooperation to enforce court-ordered blocking, though overblocking concerns are unaddressed.
    • Telefonica, Vodafone, MásOrange, and DIGI, all DigitalES members, are directly involved in the blocking actions, protecting their LaLiga broadcasting investments.
    • The blocking process is non-adversarial, with ISPs compelled to implement measures agreed upon in advance, aiming to disrupt pirates into legal compliance.
    • Vodafone intervened in RootedCON's case, supporting the court's decision, despite ISPs blocking legitimate resources and their own customers.

  • Swift 6.1 Released

    3 hours ago
    • Swift 6.1 introduces new language enhancements to improve productivity, diagnostics, and data-race safety.
    • Concurrency improvements include extending `nonisolated` to types and extensions and better type inference for task groups.
    • New `@implementation` attribute allows implementing Objective-C types in Swift.
    • Productivity enhancements include trailing commas in more contexts like tuples and parameter lists.
    • Package traits introduced for conditional compilation and optional dependencies in Swift packages.
    • Background indexing is now enabled by default for SwiftPM projects in SourceKit-LSP.
    • Swift Testing now supports custom traits for test scoping and improved error handling macros.
    • Swift-DocC introduces human-readable symbol link disambiguation using parameter and return types.
    • Swift 6.1 is available in Xcode 16.3 for Apple platforms and can be installed via swiftly or other methods.

  • Go back to the Grid in TRON: Ares trailer

    5 hours ago
    • Disney's 1982 film TRON had a massive influence on the film industry and nerd culture.
    • TRON combined live action with groundbreaking visual effects and computer-generated imagery.
    • The franchise expanded with a sequel, animated TV series, comic books, video games, and theme park attractions.
    • A new installment, TRON: Ares, is coming as a standalone sequel to TRON: Legacy.
    • Directed by Joachim Rønning, the film features show-stopping visuals.
    • TRON: Legacy's plot involved Sam Flynn preventing the digital world from merging with the real world.
    • Quorra, an isomorphic algorithm, was saved from extinction by Sam Flynn.

  • Non-US-based alternatives to popular services

    14 hours ago
    • Non-US-based alternatives to popular services prioritize privacy, security, and digital sovereignty.
    • US-based services can access private data without consent under the PATRIOT Act, even for non-Americans.
    • Five Eyes Alliance shares intelligence data among US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
    • Non-US services with US presence (servers, offices, employees) can still be forced to hand over data.
    • Big Tech companies comply with surveillance laws, sharing user data with intelligence agencies.
    • Deleted data may still be stored and recovered by authorities.
    • The list promotes alternatives that reduce reliance on US Big Tech and enhance privacy.
    • Community contributions, verification, and transparency are encouraged to refine the list.
    • Key categories include email, search engines, cloud storage, messaging, social media, and more.
    • Examples of alternatives: ProtonMail, Qwant, Nextcloud, Mastodon, Bitdefender, LibreOffice, and more.

  • A chat with Gary Carlston of Brøderbund (2024)

    3 hours ago
    • Gary Carlston co-founded Brøderbund, a high-quality game publisher in the 1980s and 1990s.
    • Brøderbund released influential games like Lode Runner, Prince of Persia, and Myst.
    • The company was founded in 1980 by Gary and Doug Carlston but was eventually closed after multiple acquisitions.
    • Gary Carlston studied in Sweden, coached a championship basketball team, and had humorous travel anecdotes.
    • Brøderbund's name was inspired by a fictional group and modified to sound Scandinavian.
    • Gary initially handled sales but later focused on product development before leaving due to stress.
    • He returned to Brøderbund after the success of 'Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?', his brainchild.
    • Carmen Sandiego's success included TV deals and educational adoption, despite initial skepticism.
    • Brøderbund missed opportunities like acquiring Tetris and The Oregon Trail.
    • Gary values honesty, respect, and fostering relationships at Brøderbund.
    • He no longer follows the modern gaming industry but acknowledges its addictive nature.

  • You Don't Have Time Not to Test

    3 days ago
    • Testing is not a sunk cost but a compounding return that improves code quality and accelerates team productivity.
    • Common anti-testing sentiments stem from perceived time constraints and lack of understanding of testing benefits.
    • A test is defined as code that verifies the most important concerns of another piece of code, can be run on demand, repeated, replicated, and automated.
    • Testing infrastructure time investment is often overestimated, while long-term time savings are underestimated.
    • Writing test-friendly code leads to better modularity, error handling, and overall code quality.
    • Refactoring is made safer and more efficient with a robust suite of tests.
    • Automated testing is a kindness to future maintainers and reduces late-night incident calls.
    • AI can assist in test generation but critical review is essential to ensure test validity.
    • The best time to start automated testing is now, as it provides immediate and compounding benefits.

  • Identifying a defective RAM IC on laptops with soldered memory

    4 days ago
    • Article discusses identifying defective RAM ICs on laptops with soldered memory, using a MacBook Pro Late 2013 15" as a case study.
    • Warns about uncertainties due to lack of official documentation and potential other causes like PCB or CPU faults.
    • Explains memory architecture: 8-bit data bus per IC, 64-bit width requires 8 ICs, two memory channels, two ranks per channel totaling 32 ICs.
    • Describes using Memtest86 to identify failing bits, noting differences between Memtest86 and Memtest86+.
    • Details decoding memory addresses to identify channel and rank, referencing a research article for reverse-engineered mappings.
    • Steps to identify the affected IC using schematics and boardview tools like OpenBoardView.
    • Process of replacing the defective RAM IC, emphasizing the need for microsoldering skills.
    • Confirmation of successful repair via Memtest86 and Apple Service Diagnostic EFI.

  • We are still using 88x31 buttons

    4 hours ago
    • 88x31 buttons are small, colorful, collectible web elements popular in the late 90s and early 2000s, experiencing a revival.
    • Origins of the 88x31 format trace back to Netscape's 'Now' buttons in 1995, emerging as a promotional tool.
    • Netscape's official guidelines specified an 88x32 size, but the 88x31 'sample' size became widely adopted and remixed by users.
    • Despite their impractical size for modern screens, 88x31 buttons have endured due to their organic spread and nostalgic appeal.
    • The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) recognized 88x31 as a standard 'Micro Button' in 1998, and it remained in guidelines even as other formats were deprecated.
    • Alternatives like 200x40 or 120x60 buttons have been suggested for better visibility, but lack the historical prevalence of 88x31.
    • 88x31 buttons symbolize the early web's openness and creativity, contrasting with later ad-driven internet culture.
    • Collections of 88x31 buttons are still available online, showcasing their lasting legacy in web design.

  • Setup QEMU Output to Serial Console and Automate Tests with Shell Scripts (2019)

    2 hours ago
    • How to redirect QEMU output to the host terminal using `-serial stdio` or `-nographic`.
    • View early boot messages by adding `console=ttyS0` to the kernel command line.
    • Use named pipes for input/output by creating pipes and redirecting QEMU's serial output to them.
    • Automate QEMU guest interaction using the `expect` tool for scripted input/output.
    • Set up SSH for automation by configuring port forwarding and using `ssh` commands.
    • Troubleshoot network issues by ensuring the guest recognizes the network card and ports are correctly forwarded.
    • Establish passwordless SSH login by generating keys and configuring the guest's SSH settings.
    • Download and use specific binaries like `wheezy.qcow2`, `wheezy.img`, and `vmlinuz` for testing.

  • Doctor Who is the best show ever made. Here's why

    4 hours ago
    • Doctor Who is a long-running British TV show that emphasizes kindness, intellect, and hope.
    • The show features the Doctor, a time traveler who solves problems using intelligence and empathy, often with human companions.
    • Doctor Who has been subversive since its inception, addressing themes like fascism, pacifism, and social justice.
    • The show evolved with regeneration, allowing actors to change while keeping the character fresh and relevant.
    • Doctor Who has tackled political and social issues, including queerness, immigration, and inequality, often in a family-friendly format.
    • The reboot in 2005 continued this tradition, with diverse characters and contemporary themes.
    • Despite some missteps, the show remains a celebrated piece of science fiction with award-winning storytelling.
    • Doctor Who is important today as it encourages curiosity, bravery, and kindness in a challenging world.
    • Recommended starting episodes include 'Blink' (2007), 'Rose' (2005), and 'The Eleventh Hour' (2010).

  • Open Source Coalition Announces 'Model-Signing' to Strengthen ML Supply Chain

    4 hours ago
    • JavaScript is disabled in your browser.
    • A required part of the site couldn’t load due to possible issues like browser extensions, network problems, or browser settings.
    • Suggested solutions include checking your connection, disabling ad blockers, or trying a different browser.

  • North America Is Dripping from Below, Geoscientists Discover

    4 hours ago
    • Researchers discovered that the underside of the North American continent is dripping away in blobs of rock.
    • The phenomenon, called 'cratonic thinning,' is observed for the first time in action.
    • Cratons are ancient, stable parts of Earth's continents, but they can undergo changes affecting their stability.
    • The dripping is concentrated over the U.S. Midwest but poses no immediate threat to the landscape.
    • The Farallon Plate, a subducting tectonic plate, may be driving the thinning process.
    • A new full-waveform seismic tomographic model helped reveal these geologic processes.
    • Computer models suggest the Farallon Plate's presence causes the dripping, while its absence stops it.
    • The research provides insights into continent formation, breakup, and recycling over geologic time.
    • The study was funded by the National Science Foundation and involved multiple universities.

  • NASA seeks proposals for two private astronaut missions to ISS

    21 hours ago
    • NASA opens private astronaut missions to non-NASA astronauts.
    • New solicitation for fifth and sixth private astronaut missions (PAMs) to ISS.
    • PAMs aim to support commercial space station development.
    • Mission commanders must have ISS experience (30+ days) and recent involvement in ISS operations.
    • Alternate commanders from CSA, ESA, or JAXA with ISS experience can be proposed.
    • Axiom Space has won all previous PAM awards and may face competition from Vast.
    • PAM 5 scheduled for May 2026, PAM 6 for mid-2027.

  • PiDP-1, or the rebirth of an old machine

    6 hours ago
    • Increased the number of PDP-1s ever produced by 10% in two days.
    • Still need to do lots of polishing.
    • Hiding from the world for two weeks to complete the project.
    • Project status: probably almost all done, mostly done.

  • GitHub Copilot Pro+

    4 hours ago
    • Claude 3.7 Sonnet, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, OpenAI o3-mini, and Google Gemini Flash 2.0 are now generally available in GitHub Copilot.
    • These models are now covered under generally available release terms, including indemnification for IP infringement in Copilot Chat and agent mode.
    • Claude 3.7 Sonnet excels in development tasks requiring structured reasoning across large or complex codebases.
    • Claude 3.5 Sonnet is suitable for everyday coding support.
    • OpenAI o3-mini is a fast, cost-effective reasoning model with lower latency and resource usage.
    • Gemini 2.0 Flash is optimized for fast responses and multimodal interactions.

  • Practical Binary Analysis

    3 days ago
    • Practical Binary Analysis covers major binary analysis topics including binary formats, disassembly, and advanced techniques like binary instrumentation and symbolic execution.
    • Available in multiple languages: Polish, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese (Mandarin).
    • Includes a virtual machine with all examples and software; username and password are 'binary'.
    • Important to update the VM using a specific command to fix errata; avoid updating the OS or software packages manually.
    • Code samples can be run on platforms other than the VM, but some tools like libdft are not compatible with Windows.
    • Triton and libdft depend on older Pin versions, making them challenging to run on modern Linux distros.
    • Downloads include virtual machine, code samples, patches, and sample chapters.
    • Errata can be reported to No Starch Press or the author.
    • Community contributions include CTF walkthroughs, exercise solutions, and custom tools.
    • Contact the author via email or PGP key for questions or comments.

  • A Hash160 Collision

    6 hours ago
    • A hash160 collision refers to finding different private keys that generate the same Bitcoin address.
    • The LBC pool is designed to find hash160 collisions by searching through a partitioned 160-bit space.
    • RIPEMD160 is not injective, meaning multiple private keys can produce the same Bitcoin address.
    • The pool uses a Bloom filter to check generated hash160 values against existing funded addresses.
    • The search focuses on addresses with funds to incentivize rightful owners to reclaim them if a collision is found.
    • The pool avoids redundant work by assigning unique intervals to clients and tracking progress.
    • Finding a collision in unfunded addresses is less impactful as owners may not notice or care.
    • The effective search space for collisions is reduced to ~136.17 bits due to the uniform distribution of private keys.

  • Judge calls out OpenAI's "straw man" argument in New York Times copyright suit

    15 hours ago
    • The New York Times sued OpenAI in December 2023, alleging ChatGPT outputs violate copyrights by regurgitating news articles.
    • OpenAI argued the lawsuit should have been raised in 2020, citing a NYT article from November 2020 about OpenAI analyzing internet data.
    • US district judge Sidney Stein denied OpenAI's motion to dismiss, stating OpenAI failed to prove NYT knew ChatGPT would violate copyrights before its 2022 release.
    • Judge Stein dismissed OpenAI's claim that it was 'common knowledge' ChatGPT was trained on NYT articles in 2020, as it didn't prove NYT was aware of specific infringements.
    • The judge agreed with NYT that OpenAI provided no evidence the newspaper knew how ChatGPT would perform before its release, rejecting OpenAI's 'straw man' argument about NYT's duty to act promptly.

  • Getting the Firmware of a VTech/LeapFrog LeapStart/Magibook

    2 days ago
    • Introduction to reverse engineering a LeapFrog LeapStart/VTech MagiBook device.
    • Device overview: reading aid for children with micro USB, audio jack, and dot pattern recognition technology.
    • Motivation: practice reverse engineering skills and explore firmware before graduation.
    • Firmware extraction found in computer cache after a device update.
    • Key files identified: 'System', 'FileSys', and others hinting at firmware structure.
    • 'FileSys' is a FAT32 image with minimal data in small files.
    • 'System' file contains ARM function prologues and strings indicating C++ and uC/OS-II kernel usage.
    • Next steps include determining ISA, understanding file format, and reverse engineering dot-recognition and audio playback code.
    • Goal to add custom audio if feasible.
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