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Black Mirror's pessimism porn won't lead us to a better future
a year ago
- Black Mirror serves as modern folklore, shaping views on technology and the future through dystopian narratives.
- The show often focuses on human anxieties about technology but lacks exploration of its dual benefits and risks.
- Technological pessimism, as seen in Black Mirror, can lead to real-world consequences like rejection of GMOs and nuclear energy.
- Examples include countries avoiding GMO food aid leading to famine and shunning nuclear power for coal, resulting in higher energy costs.
- Fear-driven policies, such as banning vapes while allowing cigarettes, highlight the dangers of irrational technological fear.
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, biotechnology like mRNA vaccines offered hope, shifting perceptions away from dystopian narratives.
- A new approach is needed—embracing pragmatic progressivism over fear-based obstructionism to harness technology's potential.
- Stories should balance risks with solutions, reminding us of technology's benefits, like AI in healthcare or VR for connectivity.
New airport rules will get rid of boarding passes and check-in
a year ago
- Boarding passes and check-ins for flights will be eliminated in a major aviation industry overhaul.
- Passengers can upload passports to phones and use facial recognition for airport verification within 2-3 years.
- The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is creating a 'digital travel credential' to replace traditional passports.
- Online or airport check-ins will become obsolete, replaced by a 'journey pass' downloaded to phones upon booking.
An Interactive Explanation of GPS (2022)
a year ago
- GPS is a crucial invention of the late 20th century, enabling precise location tracking for ships, airplanes, cars, and hikers.
- GPS relies on satellites orbiting Earth, which are part of a larger system that includes ground control stations and receivers.
- The system uses trilateration, measuring distances from multiple satellites to determine a receiver's position and time bias.
- GPS satellites operate in specific orbits with precise timing, corrected for relativistic effects due to their speed and altitude.
- The navigation message from satellites includes data like clock corrections, ephemeris (orbital parameters), and almanac (coarse data for all satellites).
- Signal propagation is affected by atmospheric conditions, requiring receivers to account for delays and ignore low-elevation signals.
- GPS signals use binary phase-shift keying and pseudorandom noise codes to distinguish between satellites and decode data amidst noise.
- Receivers correlate incoming signals with known codes to determine time offsets, enabling precise time-of-flight measurements.
- The system's accuracy is enhanced by using data from multiple satellites, improving position and time calculations.
- GPS technology integrates advancements in rocketry, atomic clocks, radio transmission, and microchip technology.
I Tested the AI That Calls Your Elderly Parents If You Can't Be Bothered
a year ago
- An AI startup offers a service called inTouch to call elderly parents on behalf of their children.
- The service uses an AI-generated voice to converse with parents about their day, hobbies, and feelings.
- After the call, an AI-generated summary is sent to the child, including the parent's mood (e.g., 'bad mood' or 'neutral mood').
- The concept is criticized as dystopian and non-human, but the creator argues it helps maintain contact and ensure safety.
N. Korean smartphones add screenshot function with notable exceptions
a year ago
- North Korean smartphones now include a screenshot function activated by a three-finger downward swipe.
- Screenshots are saved as image files on the SD card with a specific naming convention.
- Previously, screenshot capabilities were blocked to prevent information leaks.
- The screenshot function does not work on content related to North Korea's leaders, such as in the 'Collected Works' app.
- Restrictions also apply to the 'Kongse' app, which provides access to state media.
- Some apps, like 'Mongnan Reader' or 'Chongso', allow screenshots of user-uploaded content, including works praising leaders.
- Text mentioning 'Kim Jong Un' can be screenshotted even if not complimentary.
10k Times Faster, 10k Times Simpler
a year ago
- Modern smartphones surpass the computing power of early 2000s supercomputers.
- Overengineering software to mimic tech giants like Google is unnecessary for most businesses.
- Edge computing allows processing data locally on devices, reducing latency and improving efficiency.
- Focus on simplicity and current user needs rather than hypothetical future scaling.
- Practical strategies include assessing hardware capabilities, adopting edge computing, prioritizing maintainability, and leveraging modern tools.
Making Software
a year ago
- Explains how touch screens detect touches using layers of transparent metal electrodes and disturbances in magnetic fields.
- Describes Gaussian blur in image processing, using a kernel with a Gaussian distribution for realistic effects.
- Details the function of the pen tool in Figma, involving Bezier curves for drawing vector graphics.
- Discusses rasterization and anti-aliasing techniques to display smooth curves on pixel-based screens.
- Introduces a book that explains how everyday software works, aimed at curious readers with illustrations.
- Lists topics covered in the book, including pixels, fonts, 3D shaders, AI, compression, networking, and more.
- Answers common questions about the book's format, launch, pre-orders, content influence, pricing, and illustrations.
Palantir's Plan to Help ICE Deport People
a year ago
- Palantir is expanding its role with ICE, including locating individuals marked for deportation.
- Internal documents reveal Palantir's involvement in Trump's mass deportation efforts and data-driven immigration enforcement.
- Palantir developed new data integrations and workflows for ICE, focusing on enforcement prioritization and targeting.
- The company is working on projects like 'self-deportation tracking' and 'immigration lifecycle operations' to support deportation logistics.
- Palantir's contract with ICE is worth tens of millions, adding to its existing $95.9 million agreement for the ICM system.
- The Trump administration's focus on immigration has accelerated Palantir's work with ICE, including targeting individuals for deportation.
- Palantir claims its work with ICE promotes government efficiency, transparency, and accountability, while acknowledging privacy and civil liberty risks.
- Critics argue Palantir is complicit in an authoritarian agenda, enabling mass surveillance of immigrants and citizens.
- Palantir is preparing for potential backlash by creating FAQs and discussion groups for employees and the public.
- ICE's acting director envisions a future where immigrants are detained similarly to Amazon's package delivery system.
HP agrees to $4M settlement over claims of "falsely advertising" PCs, keyboards
a year ago
- HP Inc. agrees to a $4 million settlement over false advertising claims.
- The settlement addresses misleading original pricing on HP's website for computers and peripherals.
- Eligible customers can receive $10 to $100 per product purchased between June 5, 2021, and October 28, 2024.
- The settlement covers products like HP Spectre, Chromebook Envy, Pavilion laptops, and more.
- Plaintiffs may receive up to $5,000 each as part of the settlement.
- HP was accused of violating FTC laws against deceptive pricing, with examples provided in the complaint.
Trump administration science director: US tech can 'manipulate time and space'
a year ago
- Michael Kratsios, White House Director of Science and Technology, hinted at U.S. technology capable of 'manipulating time and space.'
- The statement was made at the Endless Frontiers Retreat in Austin, Texas.
- Kratsios noted that U.S. technological progress has slowed compared to the 20th century.
AMP and why emails are not (and should never be) interactive
a year ago
- Google introduced AMP for email to modernize the email experience, allowing actions like booking flights and responding to comments directly from the inbox.
- AMP for email required developers to create AMP, HTML, and plain text versions of each email, adding complexity and effort.
- Despite initial hype, AMP for email saw limited adoption and support, with many email clients not supporting it.
- Google quietly deprecated AMP for email, though it still uses it internally under the name 'Dynamic Email'.
- AMP for email faced criticism for making emails impermanent, undermining email's role as a record of communication.
- Email remains a decentralized and permanent communication method, resistant to major changes despite attempts like AMP.
Robots race in Chinese half marathon
a year ago
- Robots participated in the Yizhuang half marathon in Beijing alongside human runners.
- Twenty-one humanoid robots designed by Chinese manufacturers took part in the 21km race.
- Tiangong Ultra won the race with a time of 2 hours, 40 minutes, and 42 seconds.
- Some robots completed the race, while others faced difficulties, including one that fell at the start.
- The event was promoted as the world's first robot half marathon.
Chinese robots lose against humans in half-marathon
a year ago
- Robot Tiangong Ultra completed a half-marathon in 2 hours 40 minutes but was slower than the fastest human time of 1 hour, 11 minutes, 7 seconds.
- The event featured 21 bipedal robots racing alongside 10,000 humans, showcasing various designs from Chinese manufacturers.
- Robots received batteries and technical tools at aid stations, while humans had water and snacks.
- The race was a technical demonstration, with no robot expected to win.
- China is investing in AI and robotics to boost technological strength and economic growth, though some question the practical utility of such demonstrations.
Researchers develop picosecond-level flash memory device
a year ago
- Researchers from Fudan University developed a picosecond-level flash memory device with a program speed of 400 picoseconds.
- The device can operate 25 billion times per second, making it the fastest semiconductor charge storage device known.
- This breakthrough is significant for ultra-fast operations in large AI models.
- The device's speed is compared to working 1 billion times in the blink of an eye, far surpassing previous records.
- The research was published in the journal Nature under the name PoX.
- The breakthrough addresses the speed limit in information storage, crucial for AI and integrated circuits.
- Non-volatile storage technology is key for ultra-low power consumption in AI computing.
- The team used innovative physics mechanisms, combining two-dimensional Dirac band structure and ballistic transport characteristics.
- The super-injection mechanism pushed non-volatile memory speed to its theoretical limit.
- This technology could reshape the global storage landscape and support China's leadership in relevant fields.
50 Things I've Learned Writing Construction Physics
a year ago
- Construction Physics newsletter has been running since September 2020, with 186 essays totaling 600,000 words.
- Originally focused on construction productivity, it now covers energy, transportation, and technological progress.
- 90% of US buildings are single-family homes, making up 60% of total building square footage.
- Prefab construction is not typically cheaper than on-site construction, except for manufactured homes.
- Manufactured homes became cheaper due to lending changes, not HUD code requirements.
- Levittown homes were not cheaper than conventional homes at the time.
- Wildfire damage is more about design and age than wood construction.
- Construction innovation attempts have a long history, with many past failures.
- US construction costs have rarely decreased historically.
- Individual construction tasks haven't gotten cheaper since the 1950s.
- Brick costs haven't decreased since the mid-19th century.
- Construction innovates at similar rates to other industries.
- Single-family homes use less energy per square foot than apartments.
- High historical US homebuilding rates were driven by falling household size.
- Repetitive designs are common in housing, contrary to the variety demand myth.
- Construction safety has improved significantly over time.
- Sears wasn't the first in mail-order homes; Aladdin Homes sold them earlier and longer.
- US skyscraper construction has slowed, with Chicago faster than New York.
- US skyscraper construction is comparable in speed to China for high-profile projects.
- Modern buildings can't easily be made cheaper by cutting materials.
- Glass box skyscrapers became popular because they were cheaper and tenants didn't care about exteriors.
- Homeowners insurance costs have risen due to factors beyond construction costs and weather.
- Early wind-generated electricity was common on US farms before rural electrification.
- Gas turbines became economical for power generation after the 1965 Northeast blackout.
- PURPA law, lobbied by a small company, helped wind and solar deployment.
- Oregon has the second-most planned electricity generation projects after Texas.
- US has vastly more hydrocarbon storage than grid-scale electricity storage.
- High-purity quartz from Spruce Pine, NC, is a bottleneck for semiconductor and solar PV manufacturing.
- Three Mile Island didn't kill US nuclear power; high costs had already stalled new orders.
- US Navy's nuclear reactor practices haven't made nuclear power cheaper than other ship propulsion.
- Urban areas have fewer power outages and fire incidents.
- US bridge and interstate quality is improving over time.
- San Francisco and Los Angeles have the worst roads among large US metros.
- Tunnel boring speed rose exponentially until the 1950s but has slowed since.
- Shenzhen grew faster than any 20th-century city.
- US shipbuilding has been uncompetitive since the late 19th century, unrelated to the Jones Act.
- AT&T spent more on telephone infrastructure in the 1960s than NASA on Apollo.
- Modern shipbuilding methods were invented in US WWII shipyards, later adopted and improved by Japan.
- Early technology improvements often exceed Moore's Law rates.
- Learning curve improvements drive cost reductions but have limits.
- Welding automation mostly replaced machine operators, not manual welders.
- Modern industrial robots are 50-100 times more accurate than 1970s robots.
- Cambridge has produced the most Nobel Prize-winning research.
- Bell Labs' Nobel-winning work surpasses the next six corporations combined.
- Bell Labs inspired other companies to fund basic research labs.
- Morris Chang's semiconductor career began out of spite after a salary dispute with Ford.
- Post-WWII, US and Russia acquired Germany's large forging presses.
- R&D costs have generally risen, but some areas have always been expensive.
- Most WWII US aircraft designs began before June 1940.
- Microchip production involves thousands of steps and months of processing.
- Key takeaway: Historical and technological developments are often more complex and contingent than they appear.
Microsoft continues efforts to convince Win10 users to upgrade to TPM 2.0 PCs
a year ago
- Microsoft's main navigation includes products like Microsoft 365, Teams, Copilot, Windows, Surface, Xbox, and more.
- Support and deals are highlighted for small businesses and general users.
- Software offerings include Windows Apps, OneDrive, Outlook, Skype, OneNote, Microsoft Teams, and Microsoft Edge.
- PCs & Devices section covers computers, Xbox accessories, VR & mixed reality, and phones.
- Entertainment options include Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Xbox Live Gold, Xbox games, PC games, and Windows digital games.
- Business solutions feature Microsoft Azure, Dynamics 365, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Industry, Data platform, and Microsoft Advertising.
- Developer & IT resources include .NET, Visual Studio, Windows Server, Windows Dev Center, and Docs.
- Other sections include Microsoft Rewards, free downloads & security, education, store locations, and gift cards.
- The page includes a sitemap link and a search function for Microsoft.com.
Show HN: "Is This Tech Dead?" A snarky autopsy engine for your dead frameworks
a year ago
- Monthly tech obituaries documenting the decline of overhyped frameworks.
- Limited to 100 subscribers due to Buttondown's pricing model.
- A humorous take on the reluctance to commit financially to scaling.
No Robot Like Robot (2018)
a year ago
- A.I. robot CIMON's social awareness issues on the International Space Station.
- Annalee Newitz’s story features Robot, a charming bot designed to monitor diseases.
- Robot surpasses its programming by learning new dialects and habits in unfamiliar neighborhoods.
- Algorithmic bias in modern A.I. leads to failures in diverse environments.
- Robot demonstrates AGI capabilities by understanding abstract concepts and learning languages quickly.
- Current A.I. (ANI) lacks understanding and fails outside its comfort zone.
- Machine learning allows A.I. to learn by example but struggles with nuanced tasks.
- Robot’s ability to learn from minimal data and conversation highlights its advanced AGI nature.
- Today’s A.I. lacks the understanding and adaptability of AGI, leading to biased or ineffective outcomes.
- The story blends fairy-tale elements with realistic A.I. challenges, emphasizing the gap between current and ideal A.I. capabilities.
DOJ's sweeping remedies would harm American economy and technological leadership
a year ago
- The US Department of Justice’s 2020 search distribution lawsuit is criticized as backward-looking amid current technological competition and innovation.
- DOJ’s proposed remedies would make it harder for users to access preferred services like Google by forcing defaults to alternatives like Bing.
- Preventing Google from competing for search distribution rights could raise prices and slow innovation, affecting device makers and web browsers.
- DOJ’s proposal risks user privacy by forcing Google to share sensitive search queries with lesser-known companies lacking robust security.
- The proposal could hinder AI development by imposing government oversight on product design, potentially stifling American innovation.
- Splitting Chrome and Android from Google’s infrastructure could break platforms, harm businesses, and introduce security risks.
- Google advocates for alternative remedies that address the court’s concerns without harming consumers, the economy, or national security.
Most Humanoid Robots Fail to Finish Half Marathon in Beijing
a year ago
- 12,000 human athletes and 21 humanoid robots participated in a half-marathon in Beijing, marking the first time humans and bipedal robots ran in the same race.
- Only six robots finished the race, with the fastest, Tiangong Ultra, completing it in 2 hours and 40 minutes after multiple battery changes and a fall.
- Robotics expert Alan Fern notes that humanoid robots are designed for task completion in diverse environments, not speed, and highlights hardware robustness as a key achievement.
- The race exposed limitations in China's humanoid robot industry, with most robots overheating, falling, or requiring frequent replacements.
- Robots like Tiangong Ultra and N2 stood out for their consistent pace, while others, like Huanhuan and Shennong, performed poorly or malfunctioned.
- Human operators played a crucial role, guiding robots, changing batteries, and using duct tape for repairs during the race.
- The event showcased design flaws more than capabilities, but still highlighted progress in bipedal robot hardware.

Hasty Briefsbeta

#technology

Black Mirror's pessimism porn won't lead us to a better future

New airport rules will get rid of boarding passes and check-in

An Interactive Explanation of GPS (2022)

I Tested the AI That Calls Your Elderly Parents If You Can't Be Bothered

N. Korean smartphones add screenshot function with notable exceptions

10k Times Faster, 10k Times Simpler

Making Software

Palantir's Plan to Help ICE Deport People

HP agrees to $4M settlement over claims of "falsely advertising" PCs, keyboards

Trump administration science director: US tech can 'manipulate time and space'

AMP and why emails are not (and should never be) interactive

Robots race in Chinese half marathon

Chinese robots lose against humans in half-marathon

Researchers develop picosecond-level flash memory device

50 Things I've Learned Writing Construction Physics

Microsoft continues efforts to convince Win10 users to upgrade to TPM 2.0 PCs

Show HN: "Is This Tech Dead?" A snarky autopsy engine for your dead frameworks

No Robot Like Robot (2018)

DOJ's sweeping remedies would harm American economy and technological leadership

Most Humanoid Robots Fail to Finish Half Marathon in Beijing