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UTFS: A Tar-Like File System for Embedded Systems (2025)
3 days ago
- UTFS is a micro TAR file system for embedded systems, organizing data on flat address space storage using string-based file names.
- It separates data storage details from application-level structures and allows data size/position changes without loss.
- Designed for read, update, and write operations, with limited support for streaming or appending.
- UTFS addresses issues in traditional fixed data structures, such as buffer overflows and subsystem coupling.
- Inspired by the TAR archive format, it uses 24-byte headers with 12-byte file names and a 16-bit signature for version management.
- Eliminates open/close functions, loading/saving all data to/from RAM at once via utfs_load() and utfs_save().
- Handles data structure size changes gracefully, loading only matching sizes and saving updated structures automatically.
- Recommends using the signature variable for version control to validate or upgrade data across revisions.
- Integrates with legacy systems by allowing a configurable base address for data storage.
Is it time for a new Embedded Linux build system?
2 days ago
- The author reflects on 20 years of experience with embedded Linux build systems, noting changes in technology and challenges faced by small teams.
- Current build systems like Yocto and Buildroot face issues with cross-compilation for modern languages (Python, JavaScript) and long build times.
- Small teams and startups need faster, simpler tools to integrate modern software ecosystems and reduce development friction.
- A new opportunity exists to rethink embedded Linux builds by leveraging fast ARM hardware, AI tools, and modern language package ecosystems.
- Proposed features for a next-generation build system include no cross-compilation, caching, support for mainstream distributions, and AI integration.
- Traditional systems like Yocto remain valuable for regulated, deeply embedded products, but new tools can better serve dynamic, frequently updated devices.
- The author's experimental project, Yoe Build, aims to address these needs and invites community feedback and collaboration.
Cocktail Optimization, an Integer Programming Problem
2 days ago
- The author has a long-standing interest in integer programming, previously using custom branch-and-bound algorithms.
- Google's OR Tools greatly outperform the author's handmade algorithms, leveraging extensive research and engineering.
- A specific application involves maximizing cocktails from ingredients; the author's solver was slow, taking minutes for 30 ingredients.
- Using glpk.js, the same problem is solved optimally in milliseconds, highlighting the efficiency of advanced solvers.
Adobe adds its AI assistant to Premiere, Illustrator, and InDesign
3 hours ago
- Adobe is expanding its Firefly AI assistant to Premiere, Illustrator, InDesign, and Frame.io.
- Firefly's new features include creating brand kits, product videos, and storyboards from descriptions or uploads.
- The AI assistant can organize assets, rename clips, identify interview questions in Premiere, and manage layers or fonts in Illustrator.
- Firefly now includes 'Elements' for saving AI-generated characters and objects, and 'Projects' for storing and sharing assets.
- Adobe plans to integrate Firefly with Google Gemini and Slack, building on existing support for ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot.
- These updates are part of Adobe's broader effort to automate tasks across its apps with AI.
Google Can't Math Parsecs
2 hours ago
- Google's calculator has a bug when performing math with parsecs, returning an incorrect value.
- A parsec is defined as 1 astronomical unit (AU) per arcsecond, using the small-angle approximation in radians.
- Searching '1 parsec in meters' gives the correct result of 3e16 meters, but mathematical operations trigger an incorrect value of 5e14 meters.
- The error is off by a factor of 57.3, which corresponds to the number of degrees in a radian, suggesting confusion between degrees and radians in unit conversion.
- Examples show inconsistent results, such as '1 AU / 1 arcsecond in meters' yielding 5e14, but asking for it in parsecs gives 1 parsec, highlighting the inconsistency.
Pondering routing more of my traffic via nodes outside the UK
4 hours ago
- Concern over UK online safety policies threatening freedom of expression and privacy.
- Proposed ban on under-16s using social media may lead to widespread identity verification and UK IP blocks.
- Anticipated court-ordered blocking injunctions and ISP DNS blocking under the Online Safety Act.
- Increased site blocking of Tor traffic and personal use of recursive DNS to avoid censorship.
- Considering routing traffic via non-UK nodes (e.g., WireGuard, SOCKS proxy) to maintain web access, seen as dystopian.
Project Fetch: Phase Two
4 hours ago
- An experiment called Project Fetch tested how much Claude AI could assist non-expert humans in performing tasks with a robotic quadruped (robodog).
- In August 2025, Anthropic employees using Claude Opus 4.1 outperformed a team relying only on the internet and ingenuity, completing tasks faster and more effectively.
- A follow-up experiment showed that Claude Opus 4.7, operating autonomously without human help, was about 20 times faster than the fastest human team from the previous year on certain tasks.
- Despite improvements, Claude still struggled with precise robotic control, such as fetching a beach ball autonomously, indicating that LLMs have not fully solved robotics challenges.
- The progress observed is attributed to general AI scaling rather than targeted robotics improvements, suggesting rapid advancements in model capabilities.
- The experiments highlight a pattern where AI models evolve from assisting humans to operating independently, with potential implications for physical agentic AI and the use of off-the-shelf tools.
- Future research may focus on AI's ability to customize physical tools and develop tailored control policies, though barriers to generalized physically capable models remain.
- The post draws parallels with advancements in cybersecurity and software tool development, suggesting similar trajectories could occur in hardware and robotics.
When I reject AI code even if it works
3 hours ago
- AI-generated code review becomes a bottleneck due to high volume, even with good practices.
- Manual coding involves exploration and experimentation, building confidence and context.
- Rejecting AI code occurs when understanding is lacking or abstractions are premature.
- Human review is essential to ensure solutions are adequate, scalable, and extensible.
- Coding agents require skilled engineers to guide them toward sustainable outcomes.
'We had to get out of the way': The backlash over delivery robots
3 hours ago
- Delivery robots are being deployed globally for food and grocery transport.
- Public backlash arises due to sidewalk navigation issues and safety concerns.
- Cities like San Francisco and Toronto have restricted or banned sidewalk usage.
- In Chicago, petitions call for suspension until safety tests are conducted.
- Glendale, CA, is considering a ban citing accessibility and regulatory concerns.
- Concerns extend beyond pedestrian safety to potential job displacement for delivery drivers.
- Starship Technologies defends robot safety, noting integration into communities since 2018.
- Analysts project a boom with millions of robots operating worldwide by 2034.
- Regulations vary internationally, with some countries adopting liberal approaches.
- The debate highlights balancing technological advancement with public safety and jobs.
Russia's Putin is spending $26B to live forever
5 hours ago
- Vladimir Putin's $26 billion longevity initiative, known as the New Health Preservation Technologies program, prioritizes anti-aging research including gene therapy, organ bioprinting, xenotransplantation, and ultralow temperature exposure.
- The program's $26 billion cost is stark in Russia, where the war in Ukraine has drained resources and male life expectancy lags behind Western countries, and it aims to save 175,000 lives—a number comparable to estimated Russian troop losses.
- Putin discussed human longevity with Xi Jinping in 2023, revealing this was not mere speculation but a state-backed program already in motion.
- Key figures driving the project include Putin's elder daughter Maria Vorontsova, an endocrinologist, and physicist Mikhail Kovalchuk, whose brother is close to Putin, linking the science to Putin's inner circle.
- Technologies emphasized include bioprinting of human tissues like cartilage, xenotransplantation using genetically modified mini-pigs for organ replacement by 2030, and gene therapies to slow cellular aging.
- The program lacks robust public scientific evidence, with little peer-reviewed research published internationally, raising concerns about transparency and isolation due to sanctions and political pressures.
- Putin's personal focus on longevity, amid his cultivation of a strongman image, reflects how his anxiety about aging shapes state policy, even as young Russians die in war, revealing priorities of the Kremlin.
Dirty Little Zine – a tool for making an 8 page printable Zine
9 hours ago
- A browser-based, free zine maker called Dirty Little Zine.
- Generates an eight-page folded booklet layout on one sheet of US Letter or A4 paper.
- Exports print-ready JPG or PDF files at 300 DPI.
- Editor runs entirely in the browser, with no server uploads.
- Automatically handles rotation and panel ordering for correct folding.
- Ideal for photographers, illustrators, writers, and DIY booklet creators.
- Built by Filmrick.
Whole cross-sectional human ultrasound tomography
3 days ago
- Developed a new whole cross-sectional ultrasound tomography system for human imaging.
- Uses a 512-element circular receiver array and rotating transmitter for reflection and transmission modes.
- Achieves uniform in-plane resolution for abdomen and thigh images comparable to clinical MRI.
- Enables adipose thickness assessment without ionizing radiation or tissue deformation.
- Allows video-rate biopsy needle localization relative to internal tissue structures.
Show HN: TownSquare, a tiny presence layer for websites
16 hours ago
- TownSquare is a web tool that allows visitors on a site to see each other and interact in real-time without requiring accounts or algorithms.
- Users can move around, communicate via text, and engage in actions like high-fives, enhancing social presence on websites.
- It is easy to implement with a single script tag, no build steps or dependencies, and is free to add to any site, promoting a network of connected web spaces.
Epoll vs. Io_uring in Linux
5 hours ago
- The article discusses transitioning from epoll to io_uring for asynchronous I/O handling in Linux, driven by performance improvements in a reverse proxy project.
- Epoll requires multiple syscalls per I/O event (e.g., epoll_ctl, epoll_wait, read/write), leading to context switch overhead, especially under high connection loads.
- io_uring uses shared memory ring buffers for submissions and completions, reducing syscall overhead to batches or nearly zero with SQPOLL, shifting work to the kernel.
- Key io_uring features include zero-copy I/O via buffer registration and SEND_ZC for networks, though SQPOLL may consume CPU with a polling kernel thread.
- The author recommends io_uring over epoll for modern Linux systems (kernel v5.1+), citing architectural advantages and performance gains.
GLM-5.2 vs. Claude Opus 4.8: Full Comparison
a day ago
- GLM-5.2 is an open-weights 753B MoE model by Z.ai, released under MIT license. Claude Opus 4.8 is a proprietary model by Anthropic.
- GLM-5.2 is significantly cheaper (up to 5.7x less on output) compared to Claude Opus 4.8, costing $1.40/$4.40 per million tokens for input/output.
- Claude Opus 4.8 leads in most benchmarks, especially for long-horizon software engineering, tool-use tasks, and multi-agent workflows.
- GLM-5.2 excels in reasoning and math, winning benchmarks like AIME 2026 and IMOAnswerBench against Opus.
- Both models support a 1 million token context window, with similar output caps around 130K tokens.
- GLM-5.2 is text-only, while Opus 4.8 supports vision for tasks like reading screenshots or PDFs.
- GLM-5.2 offers advantages for self-hosting, fine-tuning, and air-gapped environments due to its open weights.
- Choose Opus 4.8 for top performance in complex software engineering or vision tasks; choose GLM-5.2 for cost efficiency, open weights, or strong math/reasoning.
Admin ditches plan to close critical ocean monitoring system after backlash
5 hours ago
- Trump administration reverses decision to dismantle critical ocean monitoring system after bipartisan backlash.
- Ocean Observatories Initiative, established in 2016, uses 900 instruments in Pacific and Atlantic to monitor ocean health.
- National Science Foundation initially planned 'descoping' of arrays off Alaska, Washington, Oregon, North Carolina, and Greenland.
- NSF halts removal plans, convenes expert panel for sustainable path; equipment from Oregon/Washington array already removed.
- Experts criticized decision as 'foolish,' citing risks of ignoring ocean changes like temperature spikes and current collapses.
- Bipartisan legislation passed in Senate to block funding for dismantling until NSF conducts thorough review.
- Lawmakers like Sen. Jeff Merkley and Sen. Lisa Murkowski applauded reversal, calling it a 'massive win.'
- House Science Committee's Zoe Lofgren welcomed reversal but expressed concern about damage already done.
US-Iran memorandum of understanding in full
14 hours ago
- The US and Iran agree to immediately and permanently end military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, and refrain from future wars or use of force.
- Both sides commit to respecting each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity and not interfering in internal affairs.
- A final deal is to be negotiated and achieved within a maximum of 60 days, extendable by mutual consent.
- The US will remove its naval blockade and disturbances against Iran within 30 days, and withdraw forces from proximity after the final deal.
- Iran will arrange safe passage for commercial vessels through the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman for 60 days and work on demining and administration of the Strait of Hormuz.
- The US and regional partners will develop a $300 billion plan for Iran's reconstruction, with details finalized in the final deal.
- The US will terminate all sanctions against Iran, including UN resolutions and unilateral sanctions, on an agreed schedule.
- Iran reaffirms it will not develop nuclear weapons, and both parties agree to resolve enriched material disposition and discuss nuclear needs in the final deal.
- Both sides agree to maintain the status quo: Iran keeps its nuclear program as is, and the US imposes no new sanctions or additional forces.
- The US will issue waivers for Iranian crude oil exports and related services until sanctions termination.
- The US will make Iran's frozen funds fully available, with mutual agreement on release procedures, usable for payments designated by Iran's central bank.
- An executive mechanism will be established to monitor implementation of the MOU and future compliance with the final deal.
- After signing the MOU and starting implementation of key paragraphs, negotiations on the final deal will begin exclusively.
- The final deal will be endorsed by a binding UN Security Council resolution.
Trump DOJ Outlines Dubious Path to Force People into Psychiatric Institutions
5 hours ago
- DOJ releases memo critiquing the Olmstead v. L.C. decision, arguing it increases homelessness and may signal a push for expanded institutionalization.
- Legal experts like Sam Bagenstos and Alison Barkoff refute the memo's claims, stating Olmstead actually helps combat homelessness by promoting community-based services.
- Concerns arise that the memo could foreshadow an executive order to roll back anti-institutionalization rules, aligning with Trump's punitive approach toward homelessness and mental illness.

Hasty Briefsbeta

UTFS: A Tar-Like File System for Embedded Systems (2025)

Is it time for a new Embedded Linux build system?

Cocktail Optimization, an Integer Programming Problem

Adobe adds its AI assistant to Premiere, Illustrator, and InDesign

Google Can't Math Parsecs

Pondering routing more of my traffic via nodes outside the UK

Project Fetch: Phase Two

When I reject AI code even if it works

'We had to get out of the way': The backlash over delivery robots

Russia's Putin is spending $26B to live forever

Dirty Little Zine – a tool for making an 8 page printable Zine

Whole cross-sectional human ultrasound tomography

Show HN: TownSquare, a tiny presence layer for websites

Epoll vs. Io_uring in Linux

GLM-5.2 vs. Claude Opus 4.8: Full Comparison

Admin ditches plan to close critical ocean monitoring system after backlash

US-Iran memorandum of understanding in full

Trump DOJ Outlines Dubious Path to Force People into Psychiatric Institutions