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  • Swift Achieved Dynamic Linking Where Rust Couldn't

    2 days ago
    • Swift achieved ABI stability in Swift 5, enabling dynamic linking and system-wide sharing of the Swift Standard Library.
    • Dynamic linking allows system APIs to be updated without rebuilding applications, reducing memory footprint by sharing library implementations.
    • Swift's ABI stability is defined by the platform, similar to C, but with more dynamism and resilience to changes.
    • Resilient type layouts in Swift allow types to evolve without breaking ABI, using value witness tables for dynamic type information.
    • Swift uses polymorphic generics, unlike Rust and C++ which use monomorphization, reducing code size and enabling dynamic linking of generic code.
    • Reabstraction thunks in Swift allow functions to adapt to different calling conventions, optimizing performance and code size.
    • Materialization in Swift enables taking references to computed fields, with temporary storage for inout parameters.
    • Swift's ownership model uses reference counting (+0/+1) to optimize performance, similar to Rust's ownership but with implicit cloning.
    • Swift provides attributes to opt out of resilience for performance-critical code, allowing more static optimizations.
    • Swift's design emphasizes dynamic linking and resilience, making it more suitable for system APIs compared to Rust's static approach.

  • Tailscale Enterprise Plan 9 Support

    a day ago
    • Tailscale announces support for Plan 9 from Bell Labs, integrating its peer-to-peer networking capabilities with Plan 9's file-centric world.
    • The integration offers end-to-end encrypted network traffic between Plan 9 machines using WireGuard®, ensuring security and performance.
    • Key features include global namespaces, Tailscale SSH for secure connections, simplified ACL configuration, and support for Plan 9's innovative file servers.
    • Tailscale for Plan 9 is available free of charge under an OSI-approved license, with enterprise support options for customers.
    • Availability includes mounting binaries via ftpfs, source code access, and evaluation options like a web-based emulator or qemu environment.
    • Plan 9 requires a three-button mouse, with alternatives for users lacking the necessary hardware.
    • A webinar is scheduled for a technical deep dive into Tailscale Enterprise Support for Plan 9.

  • Cell Phone OPSEC for Border Crossings

    18 hours ago
    • Concerns about aggressive interrogation of electronic devices at US border crossings.
    • Questions about effective ways to delete data on phones (both iPhones and Android) to prevent recovery.
    • Inquires about whether factory resets truly erase data or just sever access to encryption keys.
    • Discussion on the global trend of increasing risks for opposing state power.
    • Suggestion to use a burner phone bought at the destination as a solution.

  • Abusive AI Web Crawlers: Get Off My Lawn

    16 hours ago
    • Significant increase in abusive web crawler traffic reported.
    • Automated blocking tools in place for SEO and AI crawlers, brute force attacks, and security scanners.
    • Recent attacks involve many IPs with few requests each, using random User-Agents, complicating blocking efforts.
    • Shared hosting server averages over 1.5 million fraudulent requests daily from 290,000 unique IPs.
    • 5.1 million unique IPs identified, with 3.4 million making only a single request.
    • 2.4 million unique User-Agents observed, 1.9 million seen only once.
    • Majority of requests from consumer ISPs, with Brazil as the top contributor; UK accounts for 2%.
    • Suspected botnet of compromised Android SetTop Boxes leased to an AI crawler to evade blocks.
    • Over 22,000 distinct ASNs identified, including 200+ UK-based networks.

  • Nintendo unveils Switch 2 ahead of June 5 launch

    15 hours ago
    • Nintendo Switch 2 announced with a release date of June 5, 2025.
    • Priced at $449 standalone or $499 bundled with Mario Kart World.
    • Mario Kart World features 24 racers, free roam mode, and scenic drives.
    • Switch 2 Editions of original Switch games will offer new features and improved visuals.
    • Mario Party Jamboree adds mouse- and camera-controlled games in Switch 2 Edition.
    • Zelda games on Switch 2 will include a smartphone-powered note-taking feature.
    • Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers get free upgrade packs for Zelda games.
    • Metroid Prime 4 supports mouse controls and higher performance on Switch 2.
    • Switch 2 introduces a C button for GameChat, screen sharing, and built-in microphone.
    • GameChat allows communication with friends and family while playing.

  • Neuralatex: A machine learning library written in pure LATEX

    a day ago
    • Implementation based on MicroGrad with a better choice of language.
    • Neuralatex implements backpropagation over a dynamically-constructed DAG.
    • Autograd engine requires 700 lines of pure LaTeX, neural network library 400 lines.
    • Neuralatex is object-oriented using the TiKZ PGF module oo.
    • Gradients can be obtained by calling .backward().
    • Example code demonstrates Value object creation, multiplication, and gradient computation.
    • MLP (Multi-Layer Perceptron) can be easily defined and called.

  • Mithril.js: small (8.96 KB gzipped) modern client-side JavaScript framework

    a day ago
    • Mithril.js is a modern client-side JavaScript framework for building Single Page Applications (SPAs).
    • It is small (8.96 KB gzipped), fast, and includes routing and XHR utilities.
    • Used by companies like Vimeo, Nike, and open-source platforms like Lichess.
    • Supports IE11, Firefox ESR, and the last two versions of major browsers without requiring polyfills.
    • Can be included via CDN (unpkg or jsDelivr) or installed via npm.
    • TypeScript definitions available via DefinitelyTyped (`@types/mithril`).
    • Documentation and resources available on mithril.js.org, including API Docs, examples, and a simple application guide.
    • Active community support on Zulip and Stack Overflow (using the `mithril.js` tag).
    • Contributing FAQ available for those interested in contributing to the project.

  • Why Smartfood Popcorn Doesn't Hit Like It Used To

    15 hours ago
    • Smartfood White Cheddar popcorn was a beloved childhood snack known for its sharp, cheesy flavor and messy, powdery residue.
    • Over time, fans noticed a decline in flavor intensity, with less cheese powder and a blander taste.
    • Many speculated whether the change was due to personal taste evolution or an actual recipe alteration by Frito-Lay.
    • A comparison of ingredient lists revealed that cheddar cheese moved from the third to the seventh ingredient, replaced by 'natural flavors' and maltodextrin.
    • Possible reasons for the recipe change include cost-cutting, supply chain issues, or compliance with voluntary sodium reduction guidelines.
    • Despite the changes, Smartfood remains the top-selling popcorn brand in the U.S., leaving fans nostalgic but dissatisfied.
    • Some consumers have switched to alternatives like LesserEvil or homemade cheesy popcorn, but Smartfood still holds sentimental value.

  • Gitlab Bluesky Tips

    13 hours ago
    • Developer Advocacy focuses on building thought leadership through social media and community engagement.
    • Key topics include education, live event posts, release evangelism, community best practices, and contributions to GitLab.
    • UTM tracking is encouraged for URL tagging to provide analytics on content performance.
    • LinkedIn is the primary platform for content distribution; Twitter/X is deprioritized in FY25Q4.
    • Best practices for social media include keeping messages short, using emojis, and limiting hashtags.
    • Accessibility tips include adding ALT text to media and avoiding special Unicode characters.
    • LinkedIn tips include using Creator Mode for profiles and engaging with groups for wider reach.
    • Bluesky is a new platform with growing user base; tips include setting up accounts and engaging with the community.
    • Mastodon tips include choosing a trusted server and using UTM tracking for shared content.
    • Content sharing strategies include scheduling posts and using short URLs with UTM tracking.
    • Release evangelism involves sharing feature insights and engaging the community around GitLab releases.
    • Team evangelism encourages involving product teams in social media discussions.
    • Social campaigns focus on release evangelism, product feedback, and community engagement.

  • New in Gmail: Making E2E encrypted emails easy to use for all organizations

    2 days ago
    • Google introduces easy-to-use end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) emails for all organizations, breaking down traditional IT complexities.
    • E2EE in Gmail now allows sending encrypted messages to any email inbox with minimal effort, enhancing data sovereignty and privacy.
    • The new feature eliminates the need for S/MIME setup, certificate management, and custom software, simplifying the process for IT teams and users.
    • Gmail's E2EE works by encrypting emails with keys controlled by the customer, not Google, ensuring enhanced security and privacy.
    • For non-Gmail recipients, an invitation to view the email in a restricted Gmail version is sent, maintaining security.
    • IT teams can enforce policies requiring external recipients to use the restricted Gmail version for additional data control.
    • Client-side encryption (CSE) powers this feature, encrypting data before it reaches Google's servers, meeting regulatory requirements.
    • Additional security enhancements include CSE default mode, classification labels, data loss prevention (DLP), and a new AI model for threat protection.
    • Google continues to focus on strengthening security and compliance for all customers, with early access available for E2EE in Gmail.

  • The Fifth Kind of Optimisation

    19 hours ago
    • The author discusses the importance of parallelisation as an optimisation technique, which was initially omitted from their list of main optimisation strategies.
    • Parallelisation significantly improved the performance of the author's website builder, reducing build times by more than half.
    • Multi-threading is highlighted as a powerful tool for improving efficiency, especially in testing frameworks, where parallel execution can drastically reduce test suite runtimes.
    • The evolution of hardware, with the advent of multi-core CPUs, has made parallelisation more viable and beneficial for performance improvements.
    • Programming languages have historically struggled to provide reliable support for multi-threading, leading to challenges in writing correct and efficient parallel programs.
    • Rust is praised for its robust support for multi-threading, offering safety and ease of use through features like the Send and Sync traits, which prevent common threading errors.
    • Despite the advantages, multi-threading in Rust and other languages still presents challenges, such as platform-specific behaviors and the complexity of certain synchronisation mechanisms.
    • The author concludes that parallelisation is now a viable and powerful optimisation tool, thanks to advancements in hardware and programming language support.

  • Open source, 3D-printable smart chess board

    3 days ago
    • OpenChess is a fully open-source smart chessboard designed for accessibility.
    • Combines low-cost electronics, 3D printing, and customizable software.
    • Affordable alternative to expensive, closed-source smart chessboards.
    • Features a custom PCB with magnetic sensors and LEDs for real-time move detection.
    • DIY-friendly: print your own board and pieces, assemble at home.
    • Programmable via Arduino, allowing for custom game modes and learning tools.
    • Fully modular and open-source, enabling remixes and upgrades.
    • Requires OpenChess PCB, Arduino Nano (ESP32/RP2040/33IOT), and 3D printed board & pieces.
    • Ideal for educators, makers, and chess enthusiasts looking for a customizable project.

  • Silicon Valley, Halt and Catch Fire, and How Microserfdom Ate the World (2015)

    a day ago
    • Douglas Coupland's novel 'Microserfs' explores the spiritual and existential yearnings of young coders in the mid-90s tech industry.
    • The book, published in 1995, predates many other tech-focused novels and TV shows like 'Silicon Valley' and 'Halt and Catch Fire'.
    • Coupland's portrayal of Microsoft employees and their reverence for Bill Gates reflects a unique cultural moment before the internet boom.
    • The novel's vision of technology and work-life balance contrasts sharply with today's more cynical views of the tech industry.
    • HBO's 'Silicon Valley' satirizes the modern tech startup culture, highlighting its absurdities and the power dynamics within it.
    • AMC's 'Halt and Catch Fire' offers a period-piece look at the early days of personal computing, focusing on innovation and failure.
    • Both shows and 'Microserfs' reflect changing attitudes toward technology, from optimism to skepticism about its impact on society.

  • Dave Täht has died

    a day ago
    • Dave Täht, a pivotal figure in network engineering, has passed away.
    • He was instrumental in developing FQ-CoDel, CAKE, and LibreQoS, significantly improving internet connectivity globally.
    • His work on bufferbloat enabled smoother real-time communication, benefiting millions, especially in remote areas.
    • Dave's contributions allowed for reliable video calling, telemedicine, and expanded internet access in developing regions.
    • He prioritized principles over profit, ensuring his code remained free and open source.
    • Dave's legacy includes enabling Starlink to address latency issues, fostering entrepreneurship in the developing world.
    • His efforts in Nicaragua and beyond have paved the way for future network engineers.
    • Remembered as a friend, mentor, and inspiration, Dave's impact extends beyond technology into the lives he touched.

  • Sports supplement creatine makes no difference to muscle gains, trial finds

    16 hours ago
    • New research shows creatine supplements at recommended doses do not significantly enhance muscle growth during resistance training.
    • A 12-week clinical trial with 54 participants found no difference in muscle gains between those taking creatine and those who did not.
    • Initial gains in lean body mass among creatine users were likely due to water retention, not actual muscle growth.
    • Previous studies may have overestimated creatine's benefits due to methodological issues, such as starting supplementation and exercise simultaneously.
    • The study suggests higher doses of creatine (e.g., 10 grams) might be needed for muscle-building benefits, warranting further research.
    • Participants in the trial were healthy individuals with low baseline exercise levels, and their diets were monitored to ensure consistency.
    • The findings aim to provide realistic expectations about creatine's effects and encourage scrutiny of supplement marketing claims.
    • Future research should explore long-term creatine use, body water content, menstrual cycle effects, and optimal dosing strategies.

  • Simulated Economy Tutorial

    a day ago
    • An open world RPG where player actions dynamically affect the economy, such as burning wheat fields increasing food prices.
    • Proposes a simulated economy model where individual actions lead to emergent complex behaviors like inflation and geographically distinct economies.
    • Introduces a simple decision-making algorithm based on personal value and expected market value to determine buying or selling behavior.
    • Describes a basic market simulation where buyers and sellers adjust their expected prices based on transaction outcomes to converge towards optimal prices.
    • Highlights the simulation's ability to adapt to changes in personal values and converge to the median of these values, demonstrating a functioning emergent economy.
    • Mentions future improvements including moving from round-based to continuous transactions and introducing scarcity into the model.

  • Show HN: Textcase: A Python Library for Text Case Conversion

    a day ago
    • A Python library for converting text between various cases like snake_case, kebab-case, camelCase, etc.
    • Extensible design allows adding custom cases and boundaries.
    • Properly handles acronyms (e.g., HTTPRequest) and non-ASCII characters.
    • Features 100% test coverage, clean documentation, and high performance without regex.
    • Zero dependencies, making it lightweight and easy to integrate.
    • Install via pip: `pip install textcase`.
    • Usage example: `convert("ronnie james dio", case.SNAKE)` outputs `ronnie_james_dio`.
    • Supports multiple cases including SNAKE, CONSTANT, KEBAB, CAMEL, PASCAL, LOWER, UPPER, TITLE, and SENTENCE.

  • Where does air pollution come from?

    a day ago
    • Air pollution causes millions of premature deaths annually, primarily from chronic exposure to pollutants.
    • Key pollutants include sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), black carbon (BC), methane (CH4), ammonia (NH3), and non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs).
    • Pollutants harm health through direct toxicity, formation of particulate matter (PM), and ozone (O3), leading to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
    • Major sources of air pollution include energy production (coal, biomass), transport (vehicle exhaust), agriculture (livestock, fertilizers), and industrial processes.
    • Solutions to reduce air pollution include transitioning to clean energy, improving vehicle emissions standards, and reducing meat consumption.
    • Many countries have successfully reduced air pollution through regulations and technological advancements, leading to improved public health.

  • AR Computers to Terminate Eyestrain and Myopia

    a day ago
    • AR computers use Near-Eye Display (NED) technology to project images directly onto the retina, preventing eye strain by avoiding muscle contraction.
    • Key factors causing eye fatigue and myopia include long-term ciliary and medial rectus muscle contraction, insufficient sunlight exposure, and peripheral visual field deprivation.
    • AR glasses can be modified into AR computers with opaque displays to protect the macula while allowing peripheral retina sunlight exposure.
    • AR computers enable reading without ciliary and medial rectus muscle contraction, eliminating eye strain and vergence-accommodation conflict (VAC).
    • Benefits of AR computers include no need for reading glasses, reduced dizziness, back pain, neck stiffness, and physical fatigue.
    • AR computers promote dynamic reading, reduce glare, avoid isolation, and eliminate the need for physical screens.
    • The technology encourages outdoor use, reduces artificial light dependency, and is environmentally friendly.
    • Clinical trials are needed to validate AR computers' effectiveness in preventing myopia and eye strain.

  • SSLyze – SSL configuration scanning library and CLI tool

    a day ago
    • SSLyze is a fast and powerful SSL/TLS scanning tool and Python library.
    • Analyzes SSL/TLS configurations to ensure strong encryption and checks for vulnerabilities like Heartbleed, ROBOT, etc.
    • Focuses on speed and reliability, scanning hundreds of thousands of servers daily.
    • Easy to operationalize, can be run from CI/CD to check against Mozilla's recommended TLS configuration.
    • Offers a fully documented Python API for integration into applications like AWS Lambda.
    • Supports scanning non-HTTP servers including SMTP, XMPP, LDAP, etc.
    • Scan results can be saved to JSON for later processing.
    • Installable via pip on Windows, Linux, and macOS.
    • Can be used via Docker or as a pre-compiled Windows executable.
    • Checks server configurations against Mozilla's TLS standards by default.
    • Configurable to check against different Mozilla TLS configurations (old, intermediate, modern).
    • Can be integrated into CI/CD pipelines for continuous compliance checks.
    • Development setup involves installing via pip and running tests with invoke.
    • Licensed under GNU Affero General Public License (AGPL).
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