Hasty Briefsbeta

Bilingual

NASA Supercomputer Probes Tangled Magnetospheres of Merging Neutron Stars
5 days ago
- NASA's Pleiades supercomputer simulations explore merging neutron stars' magnetospheres.
- Magnetic fields and plasma around neutron stars become entangled before merging.
- Simulations show potential X-ray and gamma-ray signals detectable by future observatories.
- Neutron star mergers produce gamma-ray bursts, gravitational waves, and heavy elements like gold.
- Neutron stars have extremely strong magnetic fields, up to 10 trillion times stronger than a fridge magnet.
- The emitted light varies in brightness and direction, depending on the observer's perspective.
- Future telescopes could detect pre-merger emissions with early warnings from gravitational wave observatories.
- The highest-energy gamma rays convert to particles, but lower-energy gamma rays and X-rays may escape.
Ingress Nginx: Statement from Kubernetes Steering and Security Committees
5 days ago
- Kubernetes will retire Ingress NGINX in March 2026 due to lack of contributors and maintainers.
- No further updates, bug fixes, or security patches will be provided post-retirement, posing significant security risks.
- Users are urged to migrate to alternatives like Gateway API or third-party Ingress controllers immediately.
- About 50% of cloud native environments rely on Ingress NGINX, highlighting the widespread impact of this retirement.
- Ingress NGINX has been maintained by only one or two people in their free time in recent years.
- The project's technical debt and design flaws make it unsustainable, even with additional resources.
- Users can check their reliance on Ingress NGINX using a specific kubectl command with cluster admin permissions.
- The Kubernetes Steering and Security Response Committees emphasize the urgency and severity of migrating away from Ingress NGINX.
In Praise Of –Dry-Run
5 days ago
- The author developed a reporting application with a –dry-run option, inspired by similar features in Subversion and Linux commands.
- The –dry-run option prints the steps the application would take without making any changes, serving as a quick sanity check.
- Benefits include safe pre-execution checks and faster testing by avoiding time-consuming report generation.
- A downside is that the dryRun flag slightly pollutes the code by requiring checks in major phases.
- The –dry-run feature is particularly useful for command-invoked applications that create changes, like generating reports.
- The author recommends adding –dry-run early in development to maximize its benefits during the development process.
The Spacecraft That Wouldn't Die
5 days ago
- Epic Aerospace's Chimera GEO-1, a space tug, is 53 million kilometers from Earth and possibly still operational.
- Ignacio Montero, CEO of Epic Aerospace, is attempting an unprecedented mission to bring Chimera GEO-1 back to Earth.
- Chimera GEO-1 was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 but faced communication issues and drifted far into space.
- Montero and his team have overcome numerous technical challenges to maintain contact with the spacecraft.
- Epic Aerospace is seeking assistance from NASA and ESA to use deep space antennas for the recovery mission.
- Montero's determination and innovative problem-solving highlight the challenges of deep space missions for private companies.
ScummVM 2026.1.0 Released
5 days ago
- ScummVM releases a new version with a changed version numbering schema and plans for more frequent releases.
- 12 new engines and at least 194 new games are now supported, including titles like 'Dark Seed', 'Out of this World', and 'The Last Express'.
- Major improvements include Keymapper and Text-to-Speech (TTS) enhancements, with TTS currently limited to desktop platforms.
- Support for more localizations added and numerous bugs fixed.
- Significant updates to engines like Private Eye, SCUMM, Humongous Entertainment, Stark, Wintermute, and ZVision, improving compatibility and features.
- Platform support updates include optional SDL3 building, scaling shaders for 3D games, and upgrades for Android, iOS, and Atari ports.
- iOS version available in the Apple App Store; Android versions coming soon to Google Play Store. Automatic updater available for Windows, macOS, Ubuntu Snap, and Flatpak.
- Users encouraged to report unrecognized SLUDGE or WAGE engine games via bugs.scummvm.org or Discord.
They lied to you. Building software is hard
6 days ago
- No-code and AI programming tools target users with little prior programming knowledge, promising quick and easy development.
- These tools simplify initial prototyping but struggle with complex, functional applications, potentially limiting long-term learning.
- Relying on no-code or AI tools early can create an illusion of progress but may slow down true skill acquisition.
- A steep learning curve accelerates learning, as struggling with problems leads to deeper understanding and retention.
- The true value of a software engineer lies in problem-solving and creative solution design, requiring deep technological understanding.
- No-code tools have hard limits, while AI's impact on productivity diminishes with developer experience.
- Experienced developers focus on complex problems that AI struggles with, making their skills more valuable over time.
- There's speculation about AI reducing the need for junior developers, potentially lowering their salaries while increasing demand for seniors.
- Investing in oneself by acquiring hard-to-learn skills ensures long-term value and adaptability in a changing tech landscape.
Board Games in Ancient Fiction: Egypt, Iran, Greece
6 days ago
- Board games are used as plot motifs in modern genre fiction, especially in detective and adventure stories.
- Ancient literary practices incorporate board games, such as the Demotic Egyptian Tale of Setne Khaemwaset where Setne plays senet with a mummy to gain a book of spells.
- A late Hellenistic Greek novella reimagines Penelope’s suitors playing marbles (petteia) to decide who will marry her, replacing the Homeric bow contest.
- The Sasanian work Wizārišn �� čatrang replaces riddles with board games (chess and backgammon) in a riddle contest of kings.
- Board games symbolize the transformative and innovative power of literary narrative in these texts.
Efficient String Compression for Modern Database Systems
6 days ago
- Strings are the most prominent data type, accounting for roughly 50% of stored data due to their flexibility and convenience.
- Compressing strings is crucial for reducing storage costs and improving query performance by minimizing data size and memory footprint.
- CedarDB initially supported three string compression schemes: Uncompressed, Single Value, and Dictionary compression.
- Dictionary compression replaces strings with fixed-size integer keys, enabling efficient random access and query evaluation on compressed data.
- FSST (Fast Static Symbol Table) compresses strings by replacing frequent substrings with 1-byte tokens, offering better compression for low-entropy strings.
- Integrating FSST with dictionary compression combines the benefits of both methods, improving compression ratios while maintaining efficient query processing.
- Benchmarks show FSST reduces storage size by 20-60% and improves cold query runtimes by up to 40%, though hot runs may slow down due to decompression overhead.
- Activating FSST in CedarDB is a net win, balancing storage savings and performance improvements despite some trade-offs in decompression speed.
Why PlayStation 3 Backward Compatibility Was Gradually Removed
5 days ago
- All PS3 models can play PS1 games natively using built-in software emulation.
- PS2 backward compatibility is limited to early 'Fat' models with full hardware support (CECHAxx, CECHBxx) or hybrid models (CECHCxx, CECHExx).
- Full hardware PS3 models achieve 98-99% PS2 game compatibility, while hybrid models drop to low-mid 90%.
- Later PS3 models (Slim, Super Slim) cannot play PS2 discs at all.
- PS2 games on PS3 face issues like FMV desynchronization, audio drift, and streaming stalls, especially on hybrid models.
- PS3's digital output pipeline alters PS2 graphics, making textures sharper but exposing original analog tricks.
- PS2 memory cards are virtual on PS3, with limited peripheral support (e.g., lightguns fail due to lack of CRT timing).
- Backward compatibility was a launch-era bridge, removed due to cost, heat, and manufacturing constraints.
- Full hardware PS3 models (CECHAxx, CECHBxx) are the best for PS2 games but have high failure rates.
- Hybrid models (CECHCxx, CECHExx) offer better long-term reliability with slightly reduced compatibility.
The Mathematics of Tuning Systems
5 days ago
- Leibniz's quote on music as unconscious counting.
- Different tuning systems suit different musical styles, evolving with mathematical innovations.
- Piano keyboard pattern: groups of 2 and 3 black notes, repeating every 12 notes (7 white notes).
- White notes form a 7-note scale; black notes form another useful scale; together, a 12-tone scale.
- Frequency ratios between notes are fundamental, with simple ratios like 3/2 (fifth) being musically significant.
- Historical note naming by Boethius, starting with A, evolving to C major as the 'vanilla' scale.
- Introduction of 'musica ficta' (false notes) outside the 7-tone system, now accepted as black keys.
- 12-tone equal temperament divides the octave into 12 equal parts, the most common tuning system since the 19th century.
- Pythagorean tuning favors rational frequency ratios, leading to the 'Pythagorean comma' discrepancy.
- The tritone ('devil in music') represents mathematical challenges with irrational numbers in tuning.
- Just intonation offers simpler frequency ratios for harmony, using a hexagonal grid to derive scales.
- Just intonation scales can avoid certain dissonances but introduce complexity with multiple semitone sizes.
- Major triads (frequency ratios 4:5:6) are fundamental in music, beautifully realized in just intonation.
- Comparison between just intonation and equal temperament highlights the latter's phase drift in chords.
- Historical glitches in music theory: syntonic comma (81/80) and lesser diesis (128/125) affect tuning.
- The future of music tuning systems is open, with computers enabling exploration of new mathematical models.
The Context Window Is Becoming a Virtual Machine
5 days ago
- The context window in AI is evolving into a virtual machine, not a graph as previously thought.
- Context management is a resource allocation problem, not a graph traversal issue, requiring operating system-like solutions.
- Performance degrades significantly when context utilization exceeds 60%, leading to attention thrashing.
- Summarization in context windows acts as garbage collection, compressing information for efficient memory use.
- Context windows are becoming addressable, with different regions serving specific functions like memory segmentation.
- Multi-agent systems resemble thread scheduling and work queues, with orchestrators acting as schedulers.
- Cache coherence is a critical but often overlooked issue in multi-agent systems, similar to distributed systems.
- Persistence in context windows is achieved through external systems like RAG and vector databases, akin to filesystems.
- The AI industry is reinventing operating system concepts under new names, such as 'context graphs' and 'decision traces'.
- Applying established operating system theory to AI context management can lead to more efficient and coherent systems.
My homelab without public internet exposure
5 days ago
- Operates homelab with no public WAN exposure using WireGuard for permanent home network connectivity.
- WireGuard routes only selected subnets, not all traffic, enhancing security and control.
- Avoids third-party dependencies like Cloudflare, ensuring full control over VPN endpoint and traffic.
- Services like Pi-hole, Vaultwarden, and RSS-Bridge operate entirely within the private network without public exposure.
- WireGuard split tunnel configuration ensures only home network traffic is routed through the VPN.
- Dynamic DNS is used for external access, with fallback strategies to mitigate DNS resolution issues.
- Local DNS and self-signed certificates secure services like Vaultwarden within the private network.
- All devices use the home Pi-hole for DNS, improving privacy and performance with minimal latency impact.
- Conclusion: Homelab services are designed for private use, not public internet exposure, enhancing security and privacy.
Pi: The Minimal Agent Within OpenClaw
5 days ago
- OpenClaw, also known as ClawdBot or MoltBot, is a viral project by Peter that connects an agent to a communication channel to run code.
- Pi, a coding agent by Mario Zechner, is the underlying technology of OpenClaw and is praised for its reliability and modular design.
- Pi allows users to build their own agents by extending its components, as seen with OpenClaw and personal Telegram bots.
- Pi's philosophy emphasizes self-extension over downloading extensions, encouraging users to modify existing code or create new functionalities.
- Pi supports hot reloading, session branching, and maintains custom messages for extensions, enhancing flexibility and workflow efficiency.
- Extensions like /answer, /todos, /review, and /control showcase Pi's versatility in handling tasks, reviews, and multi-agent interactions.
- Pi's minimalistic approach fosters a future where software builds more software, exemplified by OpenClaw's success and potential industry impact.
Microdosing for Depression Appears to Work as Placebo
5 days ago
- Microdosing psychedelics like LSD or psilocybin was initially hailed for benefits such as increased focus, mood enhancement, and reduced depression.
- A recent Phase 2B trial by MindBio Therapeutics found that microdosing LSD was outperformed by a placebo in treating major depressive disorder.
- Patients given LSD microdoses showed improved well-being but worse depression scores compared to those given a caffeine placebo.
- The study suggests that placebo effects may be stronger than the actual pharmacological effects of microdosing.
- Previous research, including a 2020 study, demonstrated that participants reported psychedelic effects even when given a placebo, highlighting the power of expectation.
- MindBio's CEO Justin Hanka concluded that microdosing is ineffective for clinical depression, calling it a 'nail in the coffin' for such treatments.
- Critics like Jim Fadiman argue that the study's design, using caffeine as an active placebo, may have skewed results.
- Despite skepticism, some microdosing advocates, like author Ayelet Waldman, argue that perceived benefits—placebo or not—are valuable.
- MindBio is shifting focus away from microdosing research, with Hanka expressing regret over investing in the field.
VibeVoice-ASR: speech-to-text model designed to handle 60-minute long-form audio
5 days ago
- VibeVoice-ASR is a unified speech-to-text model for 60-minute long-form audio.
- Generates structured transcriptions with Who, When, and What details.
- Supports Customized Hotwords and over 50 languages.
- Features 60-minute single-pass processing without slicing audio.
- Includes speaker tracking, semantic coherence, and multilingual support.
- Jointly performs ASR, diarization, and timestamping.
- Open-source with MIT License, developed by Microsoft Research.
The TV industry concedes that the future may not be in 8K
5 days ago
- Technology companies promoted 8K displays in the 2010s, with Sharp introducing the first 8K TV prototype in 2012.
- By 2015, 8K TVs were being sold in Japan, and by 2018, Samsung released them in the US starting at $3,500.
- Standards like DisplayPort 1.4 (2016) and HDMI 2.1 supported 8K, and Dell released an 8K monitor in 2017.
- LG released the first 8K OLED TV in 2019, but 8K never proved necessary or practical.
- LG Display has stopped making 8K LCD or OLED panels, citing market trends and content ecosystem issues.
- LG Electronics, the only company selling 8K OLED TVs, reduced prices but will no longer restock its last 8K LCD TV.
- Other brands like TCL and Sony have also moved away from 8K due to low demand, with Sony discontinuing its last 8K TVs in 2024.
SQLite Is a Self Contained System
5 days ago
- SQLite is a stand-alone, self-contained database with minimal dependencies.
- It runs on any operating system, including bare-bones embedded systems.
- SQLite uses no external libraries, encapsulated in a single source code file.
- Minimal build requires only standard C library routines.
- System memory allocation routines are optional and can be omitted.
- Default builds include VFS objects for OS interaction, with custom VFS support for embedded devices.
The mythical AI-agent month
5 days ago
- Brooke's Law states that adding more people to a late software project increases coordination overhead and delays completion.
- Small teams (e.g., '2-pizza teams') balance productivity and coordination, while open-source projects rely on a few core contributors.
- Generative AI for coding is best used as an auto-complete tool with human oversight, not as an independent agent.
- AI-generated code requires strict human review due to potential bugs, security issues, and poor readability.
- AI agents often produce noisy, inefficient, or insecure code, increasing technical debt and maintenance overhead.
- Human-verified code ensures minimalism, good architecture, security, and readability—qualities AI agents struggle to deliver.
- Using AI agents as independent coders introduces more overhead than human collaboration, making the 'AI agent month' a myth.
Synth Town
5 days ago
- Synth Town combines city building with music synthesis, allowing users to create music architecturally or build towns musically.
- Buildings function as oscillators; altering sound waves (e.g., square or triangle) instantly changes their visual structure (e.g., flat roof or spire).
- Roads act as sequencers, with vehicles triggering notes as they move, defining the musical flow.
- Towns can be published with a unique URL for easy sharing, enabling others to listen to compositions directly in their browsers without downloads.
Govt's Theory for Prosecuting Don Lemon as to Disruption of Minn. Church Service
5 days ago
- The indictment against Don Lemon involves charges under 18 U.S.C. § 241 and § 248(a)(2), related to conspiring to disrupt a church service and interfering with religious freedom.
- The government must prove Lemon conspired with others to oppress people in their free exercise of religion and either personally interfered or acted as a coconspirator.
- Key allegations include Lemon attending a pre-operation briefing, livestreaming the event, maintaining operational secrecy, and participating in disruptive actions inside the church.
- Lemon's actions, such as confronting congregants and obstructing their exit, are cited as evidence of his involvement in the conspiracy.
- The case hinges on whether Lemon's intent and actions meet the legal elements of the crimes charged, with the outcome to be determined at trial.

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Bilingual

NASA Supercomputer Probes Tangled Magnetospheres of Merging Neutron Stars
5 days ago
- NASA's Pleiades supercomputer simulations explore merging neutron stars' magnetospheres.
- Magnetic fields and plasma around neutron stars become entangled before merging.
- Simulations show potential X-ray and gamma-ray signals detectable by future observatories.
- Neutron star mergers produce gamma-ray bursts, gravitational waves, and heavy elements like gold.
- Neutron stars have extremely strong magnetic fields, up to 10 trillion times stronger than a fridge magnet.
- The emitted light varies in brightness and direction, depending on the observer's perspective.
- Future telescopes could detect pre-merger emissions with early warnings from gravitational wave observatories.
- The highest-energy gamma rays convert to particles, but lower-energy gamma rays and X-rays may escape.
Ingress Nginx: Statement from Kubernetes Steering and Security Committees
5 days ago
- Kubernetes will retire Ingress NGINX in March 2026 due to lack of contributors and maintainers.
- No further updates, bug fixes, or security patches will be provided post-retirement, posing significant security risks.
- Users are urged to migrate to alternatives like Gateway API or third-party Ingress controllers immediately.
- About 50% of cloud native environments rely on Ingress NGINX, highlighting the widespread impact of this retirement.
- Ingress NGINX has been maintained by only one or two people in their free time in recent years.
- The project's technical debt and design flaws make it unsustainable, even with additional resources.
- Users can check their reliance on Ingress NGINX using a specific kubectl command with cluster admin permissions.
- The Kubernetes Steering and Security Response Committees emphasize the urgency and severity of migrating away from Ingress NGINX.
In Praise Of –Dry-Run
5 days ago
- The author developed a reporting application with a –dry-run option, inspired by similar features in Subversion and Linux commands.
- The –dry-run option prints the steps the application would take without making any changes, serving as a quick sanity check.
- Benefits include safe pre-execution checks and faster testing by avoiding time-consuming report generation.
- A downside is that the dryRun flag slightly pollutes the code by requiring checks in major phases.
- The –dry-run feature is particularly useful for command-invoked applications that create changes, like generating reports.
- The author recommends adding –dry-run early in development to maximize its benefits during the development process.
The Spacecraft That Wouldn't Die
5 days ago
- Epic Aerospace's Chimera GEO-1, a space tug, is 53 million kilometers from Earth and possibly still operational.
- Ignacio Montero, CEO of Epic Aerospace, is attempting an unprecedented mission to bring Chimera GEO-1 back to Earth.
- Chimera GEO-1 was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 but faced communication issues and drifted far into space.
- Montero and his team have overcome numerous technical challenges to maintain contact with the spacecraft.
- Epic Aerospace is seeking assistance from NASA and ESA to use deep space antennas for the recovery mission.
- Montero's determination and innovative problem-solving highlight the challenges of deep space missions for private companies.
ScummVM 2026.1.0 Released
5 days ago
- ScummVM releases a new version with a changed version numbering schema and plans for more frequent releases.
- 12 new engines and at least 194 new games are now supported, including titles like 'Dark Seed', 'Out of this World', and 'The Last Express'.
- Major improvements include Keymapper and Text-to-Speech (TTS) enhancements, with TTS currently limited to desktop platforms.
- Support for more localizations added and numerous bugs fixed.
- Significant updates to engines like Private Eye, SCUMM, Humongous Entertainment, Stark, Wintermute, and ZVision, improving compatibility and features.
- Platform support updates include optional SDL3 building, scaling shaders for 3D games, and upgrades for Android, iOS, and Atari ports.
- iOS version available in the Apple App Store; Android versions coming soon to Google Play Store. Automatic updater available for Windows, macOS, Ubuntu Snap, and Flatpak.
- Users encouraged to report unrecognized SLUDGE or WAGE engine games via bugs.scummvm.org or Discord.
They lied to you. Building software is hard
6 days ago
- No-code and AI programming tools target users with little prior programming knowledge, promising quick and easy development.
- These tools simplify initial prototyping but struggle with complex, functional applications, potentially limiting long-term learning.
- Relying on no-code or AI tools early can create an illusion of progress but may slow down true skill acquisition.
- A steep learning curve accelerates learning, as struggling with problems leads to deeper understanding and retention.
- The true value of a software engineer lies in problem-solving and creative solution design, requiring deep technological understanding.
- No-code tools have hard limits, while AI's impact on productivity diminishes with developer experience.
- Experienced developers focus on complex problems that AI struggles with, making their skills more valuable over time.
- There's speculation about AI reducing the need for junior developers, potentially lowering their salaries while increasing demand for seniors.
- Investing in oneself by acquiring hard-to-learn skills ensures long-term value and adaptability in a changing tech landscape.
Board Games in Ancient Fiction: Egypt, Iran, Greece
6 days ago
- Board games are used as plot motifs in modern genre fiction, especially in detective and adventure stories.
- Ancient literary practices incorporate board games, such as the Demotic Egyptian Tale of Setne Khaemwaset where Setne plays senet with a mummy to gain a book of spells.
- A late Hellenistic Greek novella reimagines Penelope’s suitors playing marbles (petteia) to decide who will marry her, replacing the Homeric bow contest.
- The Sasanian work Wizārišn �� čatrang replaces riddles with board games (chess and backgammon) in a riddle contest of kings.
- Board games symbolize the transformative and innovative power of literary narrative in these texts.
Efficient String Compression for Modern Database Systems
6 days ago
- Strings are the most prominent data type, accounting for roughly 50% of stored data due to their flexibility and convenience.
- Compressing strings is crucial for reducing storage costs and improving query performance by minimizing data size and memory footprint.
- CedarDB initially supported three string compression schemes: Uncompressed, Single Value, and Dictionary compression.
- Dictionary compression replaces strings with fixed-size integer keys, enabling efficient random access and query evaluation on compressed data.
- FSST (Fast Static Symbol Table) compresses strings by replacing frequent substrings with 1-byte tokens, offering better compression for low-entropy strings.
- Integrating FSST with dictionary compression combines the benefits of both methods, improving compression ratios while maintaining efficient query processing.
- Benchmarks show FSST reduces storage size by 20-60% and improves cold query runtimes by up to 40%, though hot runs may slow down due to decompression overhead.
- Activating FSST in CedarDB is a net win, balancing storage savings and performance improvements despite some trade-offs in decompression speed.
Why PlayStation 3 Backward Compatibility Was Gradually Removed
5 days ago
- All PS3 models can play PS1 games natively using built-in software emulation.
- PS2 backward compatibility is limited to early 'Fat' models with full hardware support (CECHAxx, CECHBxx) or hybrid models (CECHCxx, CECHExx).
- Full hardware PS3 models achieve 98-99% PS2 game compatibility, while hybrid models drop to low-mid 90%.
- Later PS3 models (Slim, Super Slim) cannot play PS2 discs at all.
- PS2 games on PS3 face issues like FMV desynchronization, audio drift, and streaming stalls, especially on hybrid models.
- PS3's digital output pipeline alters PS2 graphics, making textures sharper but exposing original analog tricks.
- PS2 memory cards are virtual on PS3, with limited peripheral support (e.g., lightguns fail due to lack of CRT timing).
- Backward compatibility was a launch-era bridge, removed due to cost, heat, and manufacturing constraints.
- Full hardware PS3 models (CECHAxx, CECHBxx) are the best for PS2 games but have high failure rates.
- Hybrid models (CECHCxx, CECHExx) offer better long-term reliability with slightly reduced compatibility.
The Mathematics of Tuning Systems
5 days ago
- Leibniz's quote on music as unconscious counting.
- Different tuning systems suit different musical styles, evolving with mathematical innovations.
- Piano keyboard pattern: groups of 2 and 3 black notes, repeating every 12 notes (7 white notes).
- White notes form a 7-note scale; black notes form another useful scale; together, a 12-tone scale.
- Frequency ratios between notes are fundamental, with simple ratios like 3/2 (fifth) being musically significant.
- Historical note naming by Boethius, starting with A, evolving to C major as the 'vanilla' scale.
- Introduction of 'musica ficta' (false notes) outside the 7-tone system, now accepted as black keys.
- 12-tone equal temperament divides the octave into 12 equal parts, the most common tuning system since the 19th century.
- Pythagorean tuning favors rational frequency ratios, leading to the 'Pythagorean comma' discrepancy.
- The tritone ('devil in music') represents mathematical challenges with irrational numbers in tuning.
- Just intonation offers simpler frequency ratios for harmony, using a hexagonal grid to derive scales.
- Just intonation scales can avoid certain dissonances but introduce complexity with multiple semitone sizes.
- Major triads (frequency ratios 4:5:6) are fundamental in music, beautifully realized in just intonation.
- Comparison between just intonation and equal temperament highlights the latter's phase drift in chords.
- Historical glitches in music theory: syntonic comma (81/80) and lesser diesis (128/125) affect tuning.
- The future of music tuning systems is open, with computers enabling exploration of new mathematical models.
The Context Window Is Becoming a Virtual Machine
5 days ago
- The context window in AI is evolving into a virtual machine, not a graph as previously thought.
- Context management is a resource allocation problem, not a graph traversal issue, requiring operating system-like solutions.
- Performance degrades significantly when context utilization exceeds 60%, leading to attention thrashing.
- Summarization in context windows acts as garbage collection, compressing information for efficient memory use.
- Context windows are becoming addressable, with different regions serving specific functions like memory segmentation.
- Multi-agent systems resemble thread scheduling and work queues, with orchestrators acting as schedulers.
- Cache coherence is a critical but often overlooked issue in multi-agent systems, similar to distributed systems.
- Persistence in context windows is achieved through external systems like RAG and vector databases, akin to filesystems.
- The AI industry is reinventing operating system concepts under new names, such as 'context graphs' and 'decision traces'.
- Applying established operating system theory to AI context management can lead to more efficient and coherent systems.
My homelab without public internet exposure
5 days ago
- Operates homelab with no public WAN exposure using WireGuard for permanent home network connectivity.
- WireGuard routes only selected subnets, not all traffic, enhancing security and control.
- Avoids third-party dependencies like Cloudflare, ensuring full control over VPN endpoint and traffic.
- Services like Pi-hole, Vaultwarden, and RSS-Bridge operate entirely within the private network without public exposure.
- WireGuard split tunnel configuration ensures only home network traffic is routed through the VPN.
- Dynamic DNS is used for external access, with fallback strategies to mitigate DNS resolution issues.
- Local DNS and self-signed certificates secure services like Vaultwarden within the private network.
- All devices use the home Pi-hole for DNS, improving privacy and performance with minimal latency impact.
- Conclusion: Homelab services are designed for private use, not public internet exposure, enhancing security and privacy.
Pi: The Minimal Agent Within OpenClaw
5 days ago
- OpenClaw, also known as ClawdBot or MoltBot, is a viral project by Peter that connects an agent to a communication channel to run code.
- Pi, a coding agent by Mario Zechner, is the underlying technology of OpenClaw and is praised for its reliability and modular design.
- Pi allows users to build their own agents by extending its components, as seen with OpenClaw and personal Telegram bots.
- Pi's philosophy emphasizes self-extension over downloading extensions, encouraging users to modify existing code or create new functionalities.
- Pi supports hot reloading, session branching, and maintains custom messages for extensions, enhancing flexibility and workflow efficiency.
- Extensions like /answer, /todos, /review, and /control showcase Pi's versatility in handling tasks, reviews, and multi-agent interactions.
- Pi's minimalistic approach fosters a future where software builds more software, exemplified by OpenClaw's success and potential industry impact.
Microdosing for Depression Appears to Work as Placebo
5 days ago
- Microdosing psychedelics like LSD or psilocybin was initially hailed for benefits such as increased focus, mood enhancement, and reduced depression.
- A recent Phase 2B trial by MindBio Therapeutics found that microdosing LSD was outperformed by a placebo in treating major depressive disorder.
- Patients given LSD microdoses showed improved well-being but worse depression scores compared to those given a caffeine placebo.
- The study suggests that placebo effects may be stronger than the actual pharmacological effects of microdosing.
- Previous research, including a 2020 study, demonstrated that participants reported psychedelic effects even when given a placebo, highlighting the power of expectation.
- MindBio's CEO Justin Hanka concluded that microdosing is ineffective for clinical depression, calling it a 'nail in the coffin' for such treatments.
- Critics like Jim Fadiman argue that the study's design, using caffeine as an active placebo, may have skewed results.
- Despite skepticism, some microdosing advocates, like author Ayelet Waldman, argue that perceived benefits—placebo or not—are valuable.
- MindBio is shifting focus away from microdosing research, with Hanka expressing regret over investing in the field.
VibeVoice-ASR: speech-to-text model designed to handle 60-minute long-form audio
5 days ago
- VibeVoice-ASR is a unified speech-to-text model for 60-minute long-form audio.
- Generates structured transcriptions with Who, When, and What details.
- Supports Customized Hotwords and over 50 languages.
- Features 60-minute single-pass processing without slicing audio.
- Includes speaker tracking, semantic coherence, and multilingual support.
- Jointly performs ASR, diarization, and timestamping.
- Open-source with MIT License, developed by Microsoft Research.
The TV industry concedes that the future may not be in 8K
5 days ago
- Technology companies promoted 8K displays in the 2010s, with Sharp introducing the first 8K TV prototype in 2012.
- By 2015, 8K TVs were being sold in Japan, and by 2018, Samsung released them in the US starting at $3,500.
- Standards like DisplayPort 1.4 (2016) and HDMI 2.1 supported 8K, and Dell released an 8K monitor in 2017.
- LG released the first 8K OLED TV in 2019, but 8K never proved necessary or practical.
- LG Display has stopped making 8K LCD or OLED panels, citing market trends and content ecosystem issues.
- LG Electronics, the only company selling 8K OLED TVs, reduced prices but will no longer restock its last 8K LCD TV.
- Other brands like TCL and Sony have also moved away from 8K due to low demand, with Sony discontinuing its last 8K TVs in 2024.
SQLite Is a Self Contained System
5 days ago
- SQLite is a stand-alone, self-contained database with minimal dependencies.
- It runs on any operating system, including bare-bones embedded systems.
- SQLite uses no external libraries, encapsulated in a single source code file.
- Minimal build requires only standard C library routines.
- System memory allocation routines are optional and can be omitted.
- Default builds include VFS objects for OS interaction, with custom VFS support for embedded devices.
The mythical AI-agent month
5 days ago
- Brooke's Law states that adding more people to a late software project increases coordination overhead and delays completion.
- Small teams (e.g., '2-pizza teams') balance productivity and coordination, while open-source projects rely on a few core contributors.
- Generative AI for coding is best used as an auto-complete tool with human oversight, not as an independent agent.
- AI-generated code requires strict human review due to potential bugs, security issues, and poor readability.
- AI agents often produce noisy, inefficient, or insecure code, increasing technical debt and maintenance overhead.
- Human-verified code ensures minimalism, good architecture, security, and readability—qualities AI agents struggle to deliver.
- Using AI agents as independent coders introduces more overhead than human collaboration, making the 'AI agent month' a myth.
Synth Town
5 days ago
- Synth Town combines city building with music synthesis, allowing users to create music architecturally or build towns musically.
- Buildings function as oscillators; altering sound waves (e.g., square or triangle) instantly changes their visual structure (e.g., flat roof or spire).
- Roads act as sequencers, with vehicles triggering notes as they move, defining the musical flow.
- Towns can be published with a unique URL for easy sharing, enabling others to listen to compositions directly in their browsers without downloads.
Govt's Theory for Prosecuting Don Lemon as to Disruption of Minn. Church Service
5 days ago
- The indictment against Don Lemon involves charges under 18 U.S.C. § 241 and § 248(a)(2), related to conspiring to disrupt a church service and interfering with religious freedom.
- The government must prove Lemon conspired with others to oppress people in their free exercise of religion and either personally interfered or acted as a coconspirator.
- Key allegations include Lemon attending a pre-operation briefing, livestreaming the event, maintaining operational secrecy, and participating in disruptive actions inside the church.
- Lemon's actions, such as confronting congregants and obstructing their exit, are cited as evidence of his involvement in the conspiracy.
- The case hinges on whether Lemon's intent and actions meet the legal elements of the crimes charged, with the outcome to be determined at trial.

Hasty Briefsbeta

NASA Supercomputer Probes Tangled Magnetospheres of Merging Neutron Stars

Ingress Nginx: Statement from Kubernetes Steering and Security Committees

In Praise Of –Dry-Run

The Spacecraft That Wouldn't Die

ScummVM 2026.1.0 Released

They lied to you. Building software is hard

Board Games in Ancient Fiction: Egypt, Iran, Greece

Efficient String Compression for Modern Database Systems

Why PlayStation 3 Backward Compatibility Was Gradually Removed

The Mathematics of Tuning Systems

The Context Window Is Becoming a Virtual Machine

My homelab without public internet exposure

Pi: The Minimal Agent Within OpenClaw

Microdosing for Depression Appears to Work as Placebo

VibeVoice-ASR: speech-to-text model designed to handle 60-minute long-form audio

The TV industry concedes that the future may not be in 8K

SQLite Is a Self Contained System

The mythical AI-agent month

Synth Town

Govt's Theory for Prosecuting Don Lemon as to Disruption of Minn. Church Service

NASA Supercomputer Probes Tangled Magnetospheres of Merging Neutron Stars

Ingress Nginx: Statement from Kubernetes Steering and Security Committees

In Praise Of –Dry-Run

The Spacecraft That Wouldn't Die

ScummVM 2026.1.0 Released

They lied to you. Building software is hard

Board Games in Ancient Fiction: Egypt, Iran, Greece

Efficient String Compression for Modern Database Systems

Why PlayStation 3 Backward Compatibility Was Gradually Removed

The Mathematics of Tuning Systems

The Context Window Is Becoming a Virtual Machine

My homelab without public internet exposure

Pi: The Minimal Agent Within OpenClaw

Microdosing for Depression Appears to Work as Placebo

VibeVoice-ASR: speech-to-text model designed to handle 60-minute long-form audio

The TV industry concedes that the future may not be in 8K

SQLite Is a Self Contained System

The mythical AI-agent month

Synth Town

Govt's Theory for Prosecuting Don Lemon as to Disruption of Minn. Church Service