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Legacy Update for Windows 8.1 for x64-based Systems
a day ago
- Update for Windows 8.1 designed for x64-based systems (KB3132080).
- Purpose is to resolve various issues in Windows, details available in Microsoft Knowledge Base article.
- After installation, a computer restart may be required.
- Download is live and available from Microsoft Download Center.
- Compatible only with Windows 8.1 operating system.
- Installation options include running immediately or saving for later.
White monkeys to make Chinese business look more global
5 hours ago
- The term 'white monkey' refers to foreigners in China hired by businesses to appear more desirable or credible, often for performances, modeling, or simply to present a 'foreign' image.
- The practice exploits the Chinese concept of 'mianzi' (face), where associating with foreigners can confer prestige, especially due to historical consumer mistrust from scandals like the 2008 tainted milk incident.
- Recruitment often occurs informally via WeChat groups, specifying race, appearance, or nationality—such as 'white American' or 'black women'—despite China's equality laws, with jobs ranging from fake CEOs to English teachers and event attendees.
- Pay varies by nationality, with Western Europeans and North Americans earning more than Eastern Europeans, who may receive wages comparable to Chinese workers, reflecting biases in perceived prestige.
- Many foreign students take these jobs for easy money, despite the risks of illegal employment under visa laws, including fines, detention, deportation, or re-entry bans.
- The industry is evolving with the rise of online content creators, but skepticism is growing among Chinese consumers toward staged promotions, as seen in a 2025 scandal involving a fake professor endorsing products.
- Despite crackdowns and changing attitudes, especially in first-tier cities where foreigners are more common, demand persists for white monkeys in sectors like nightlife and marketing, suggesting the practice will continue.
Schanuel's Conjecture and the Semantics of Triton's FPSan
a day ago
- FPSan is a tool for verifying algebraic equivalence of Triton programs with floating-point arithmetic, developed with Pawel Szczerbuk.
- It does not preserve functionality, makes programs slower, and was initially undocumented, acting as a non-standard compiler pass.
- The tool transforms floating-point operations into integer operations via a bijective embedding function φ, ensuring algebraically equivalent programs produce identical integer results.
- It relies on Schanuel's conjecture to guarantee correctness for programs with input-independent control flow, constants {-1,0,1}, and operations {-,+,×,exp}, covering many ML kernels like matrix multiplication.
- The implementation maps IEEE-754 floats to integers mod 2³², using operations like multiplication by odd constants and xorshift, preserving properties like φ(-x) = -φ(x).
- FPSan replaces fadd, fsub, fmul, and exp with integer analogs, and supports mixed precision via downcasting and upcasting with integer ring operations.
- The proof leverages Schanuel's conjecture to show equivalence in a free exponential ring, extended to include sine and cosine via complex exponential forms.
A brief guide to self-hosting websites and apps using Cloudflare Tunnel
10 hours ago
- Use a Mac Mini with ethernet connection and static IP for cost-effective self-hosting via Cloudflare Tunnel.
- Set up Cloudflare Tunnel for free to expose local services without a VPS, requiring a Cloudflare account and domain.
- Utilize LLMs like Claude or OpenCode to assist in installing and configuring apps, reducing complexity.
- Manage services through Docker on macOS with Screen Sharing or SSH for remote access.
- Consider limitations: relies on stable internet, Cloudflare is a US-based monopoly, and Docker virtualizes on macOS.
Step.parts, 12,000 open source CAD parts
11 hours ago
- The text is a list of various open-source CAD file names, primarily for electronic components and mechanical parts.
- Items include Arduino boards, Raspberry Pi models, NVIDIA Jetson modules, servos, actuators, motors, fans, heatsinks, gears, and knobs.
- Each entry ends with the .step file extension, indicating they are STEP format CAD models.
Unknowable Math Can Help Hide Secrets
3 days ago
- Gödel's incompleteness theorems showed that mathematical axioms cannot guarantee self-consistency, introducing the concept of unknowability in mathematics.
- Zero-knowledge proofs, developed in 1985, allow proving a statement's truth without revealing why it is true, using interaction between a prover and verifier.
- In 1994, Goldreich and Oren proved noninteractive zero-knowledge proofs are impossible under the original definition, as they lack simulators.
- Rahul Ilango's breakthrough uses proof complexity to create effective zero-knowledge proofs by leveraging the difficulty of proving certain mathematical statements.
- Ilango's approach adds an assumption to statements, making it impossible to distinguish if a proof lacks a simulator, thus bypassing the noninteractivity limitation.
- The work connects mathematical logic and cryptography, suggesting further applications of proof complexity in cryptography to overcome other impossibility results.
Your brain is always a fraction of a second behind the present
5 hours ago
- The brain processes sensory information with a delay of about 100 milliseconds, making our perception slightly outdated.
- Neural transmission is slow compared to electrical signals, leading to anticipatory predictions to interact effectively with the world.
- This predictive mechanism explains phenomena like the inability to tickle oneself and wobbling on broken escalators.
- During rapid eye movements (saccades), the brain suppresses visual input and backdates experiences to maintain a smooth perception.
- Back-dating can cause illusions, such as the second hand of a clock appearing to pause when first looked at.
- Overall, the brain compensates for sensory delays through prediction and temporal adjustments, creating a seamless subjective experience.
How Bill C-22 Went Off the Rails
11 hours ago
- Signal threatens to exit the Canadian market over Bill C-22, and Windscribe plans to relocate its headquarters; NordVPN may follow.
- Bill C-22 introduces a mandatory metadata retention regime and technical capability mandates, raising privacy and cybersecurity concerns.
- The bill's broad definition of 'electronic service provider' means metadata and technical requirements could apply to virtually all digital services.
- Critics argue the bill's systemic vulnerability safeguard is weak and contradictory, potentially weakening security systems.
- Experts and international bodies warn the bill threatens privacy rights, constitutional standards, and cross-border data flows.
- Calls to amend or drop the bill are growing due to risks of companies leaving and increased surveillance.
My Son's Math Homework Is Essentially Just Pokémon
4 hours ago
- Prodigy is a math learning platform that uses a Pokémon-like game interface to engage students, where answering math questions correctly boosts characters in battle.
- Other educational games like Blooket, Gimkit, and Kahoot have gained popularity in classrooms by blending learning with gaming mechanics, often resembling commercial video games.
- Criticism arises as these games prioritize entertainment over learning, with minimal time spent on actual educational content and features that can be addictive or distracting.
- Students have found ways to cheat or exploit these platforms, such as using browser extensions to answer questions automatically or designing quizzes to maximize rewards.
- Some teachers use these tools in moderation for review sessions or as fillers, but concerns grow about overreliance and the blurring line between learning and playtime.
- Parents and advocacy groups, like Schools Beyond Screens, are pushing for restrictions on screen use in classrooms, citing distractions and the commercialization of education.
- Experts argue that well-designed educational games can be effective, but current implementations often lack depth, relying on superficial multiple-choice questions aligned with standardized tests.
- The rise of ed tech is fueled by increased technology in schools post-pandemic, leading to a default reliance on screens that may not always support intentional learning.
Fisker went bankrupt and owners built an open source car company from the ashes
4 hours ago
- Fisker filed for bankruptcy in June 2024, leaving 11,000 Ocean SUV owners with vehicles losing software functionality and support.
- Owners organized the Fisker Owners Association (FOA), which grew to 4,000 members, reverse-engineered software, and built open-source tools to maintain their vehicles.
- Technical efforts included GitHub projects for API integration, CAN bus mapping, and diagnostic tools, creating an open-source ecosystem around the Ocean.
- A $2.5 million deal with American Lease to access Fisker's software collapsed, leading to revoked connectivity and blocked recalls for owners.
- The situation highlights broader issues in the EV industry, with calls for software escrow funds, open-source mandates, and right-to-repair laws to prevent similar problems.
- Analysts expect more EV startups to fail, emphasizing the need for systems to keep functional vehicles from becoming e-waste.
Polymarket Isn't a Prediction Market for the Real World
9 hours ago
- Polymarket is a prediction market platform where users trade shares on real-world event outcomes.
- The platform uses UMA's optimistic oracle to verify events and resolve markets on the blockchain.
- Polymarket altered rules post-betting in two cases: the Epstein suicide note release and Trump mentioning 'Iran' during a meeting with Xi Jinping.
- Rule changes reversed market outcomes, showing Polymarket may manipulate results to achieve desired outcomes rather than reflecting real events.
- The author argues Polymarket lacks transparency and trustlessness, prioritizing internal preferences over fair prediction markets.
- The author discloses holding positions against Polymarket's desired outcomes in the discussed markets.
OpenAI caught NPM supply chain chaos after employeedevices compromised
6 hours ago
- The Hardware Crunch and its perfect storm of extended hardware lead times, rising costs from AI demand, and accelerated platform timelines.
- From Prompt to Exploit: How LLMs are impacting API attacks in API-driven, interconnected, and over-permissioned applications.
- Identity Resilience as a new mandate for cyber survival and building an identity-first recovery strategy.
- Unfriendly Followers discuss the black market for identity and methods to protect against attackers using personal profiles as intel.
- How Agents are Reshaping AI Security in the context of accelerating AI adoption introducing new security challenges.
- AI Found the Problem and AI’s role in transforming software development lifecycle to identify and remediate vulnerabilities pre-production.
- Agentic AI at Scale focuses on unlocking ROI by driving adoption of AI from pilot to production.
- AI-generated code is causing technical debt as warned by Lightrun's Moshe Sambol.
- Cloud-managed earbuds tested by The Register in Dell’s attempt to compete with Apple’s AirPods.
- Europe’s sovereign clouds for escaping US control overlook processor-level challenges with Intel ME and AMD PSP.
- Study findings: One in seven Brits using ChatGPT for medical advice instead of GPs, with the NHS debating AI's place in healthcare.
- Google reimburses Register sources for API fraud but maintains auto-expanding customer budgets.
The Impossibility of Supersized Machines (2017)
7 hours ago
- The article argues against the possibility of machines exceeding human size.
- It presents seven distinct arguments to support this impossibility.
- The author claims that not only is it implausible for machines to surpass human dimensions, but also fundamentally impossible.
The Third Hard Problem
3 days ago
- Tree mapping is the hard problem of embedding a general graph (web) into a hierarchical structure (tree), causing distortion, and it's pervasive in computing and beyond.
- Hierarchies are natural for organizing physical space, but ideas and information form webs that resist such rigid taxonomies, leading to dilemmas in systems like file systems and code repositories.
- Examples include file system organization (e.g., grouping by application vs. type, or by component vs. language), writing (linear books vs. underlying idea webs), and city design (artificial tree-like cities vs. natural semilattice structures).
- In biology, morphological taxonomy is a flawed tree-mapping, while cladistics uses genetics for a more accurate classification by preserving evolutionary connections.
- The problem appears in database modeling, object-oriented hierarchies, Rust's borrow checker, and other areas, requiring intentionality to assess what web is flattened and if a tree is necessary.
A nicer voltmeter clock
5 hours ago
- Revision of a voltmeter clock design using three 90° panel voltmeters with continuous motion hands.
- Custom front and back panels cut via CNC to hide plastic flanges, featuring a decorative pattern.
- Challenging curved side wall achieved by notching, moistening, and clamping wood for a seamless appearance.
- Simple circuit with AVR128DB28 MCU, driven by high-frequency digital pulses instead of DACs, using two buttons to set time.
- Well-commented code uses a 10 Hz timer interrupt for timekeeping and manually toggles output pins without hardware PWM.
Content-defined chunking added to Bazel
3 days ago
- BuildBuddy's Remote Cache uses Content-Defined Chunking (CDC) to transfer only changed bytes of large outputs, reducing data uploads and storage.
- CDC addresses the issue where small source changes ripple into large transitive actions (linking, bundling), causing unnecessary re-uploads and duplication.
- The implementation in Bazel shows 40% less data uploaded and 40% smaller disk cache, enabled with Bazel 8.7 or 9.1+ and --experimental_remote_cache_chunking flag.
- Transitive actions, like those combining dependencies via depset, often lead to new digests for outputs even with minimal changes, making CDC beneficial.
- CDC provides a generic solution without modifying individual tools, focusing on reusing byte chunks from cached versions of outputs.
OpenAI and Government of Malta partner to roll out ChatGPT Plus to all citizens
8 hours ago
- OpenAI and the Government of Malta are partnering to offer ChatGPT Plus to all Maltese citizens, a world-first initiative.
- The program includes an AI literacy course developed by the University of Malta to teach responsible AI use, followed by free access to ChatGPT Plus for one year.
- The first phase launches in May, managed by the Malta Digital Innovation Authority, with plans to scale as more citizens complete the course.
- Malta's AI for All initiative aims to ensure every citizen, regardless of background, gains digital skills and confidence to thrive in a digital world.
- Malta is the first country to launch such a partnership, with leadership emphasizing the importance of preventing citizens from falling behind in the digital age.
- OpenAI views intelligence as a global utility and supports governments through its OpenAI for Countries initiative, tailored to local priorities like education and workforce training.
Why is this site named Antipope?
9 hours ago
- The name 'Antipope' originated from a drunken mistake in 1991 when the author requested 'autopope.uucp' but was mistakenly given 'antipope.uucp'.
- The author obtained a UUCP feed by bribing a sysadmin with alcohol, as ISPs did not exist in the UK at the time.
- The 'Antipope' site name persisted through various internet connections, including antipope.demon.co.uk and later antipope.org in 1996.
- The author used a 286-powered PC and a 2400 baud modem to connect, noting there was no spam in those early days.
Japan runs out of robot wolves in fight against bears
9 hours ago
- Robot wolves, called Monster Wolf, designed to deter bears and other animals since 2016.
- High demand causing 2-3 month delays as each unit is handcrafted and cannot be mass-produced.
- Bear encounters rising due to habitat encroachment and food scarcity, leading to record injuries and fatalities.
- Japan has increased culling efforts, with over 14,600 bears captured and euthanized in 2025.
- Monster Wolf is considered effective, with future upgrades including wheels and a handheld version planned.

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Hasty Briefsbeta

Legacy Update for Windows 8.1 for x64-based Systems

White monkeys to make Chinese business look more global

Schanuel's Conjecture and the Semantics of Triton's FPSan

A brief guide to self-hosting websites and apps using Cloudflare Tunnel

Step.parts, 12,000 open source CAD parts

Unknowable Math Can Help Hide Secrets

Your brain is always a fraction of a second behind the present

How Bill C-22 Went Off the Rails

My Son's Math Homework Is Essentially Just Pokémon

Fisker went bankrupt and owners built an open source car company from the ashes

Polymarket Isn't a Prediction Market for the Real World

OpenAI caught NPM supply chain chaos after employeedevices compromised

The Impossibility of Supersized Machines (2017)

The Third Hard Problem

A nicer voltmeter clock

Content-defined chunking added to Bazel

OpenAI and Government of Malta partner to roll out ChatGPT Plus to all citizens

Why is this site named Antipope?

Japan runs out of robot wolves in fight against bears