1. Apollo will close down on June 30th
Total comment counts : 176
Summary
The article states that the reader appears to be a bot and the website has seen too many requests from them lately. The website has a limit on the number of requests it can handle to prevent abuse. The reader is asked to wait for 5 seconds and try again. If they are not a bot but are using a browser extension that appears as a bot, they should change the extension’s user agent string to avoid this issue in the future. The developers are reminded to limit requests to one every two seconds.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the fallout from Reddit’s admission that the company secretly edited user comments that were critical of its CEO, Steve Huffman. Many people are expressing outrage and questioning whether they can trust their employer after such a breach of trust. Some predict that subreddits will go permanently private or delete themselves in protest. Some also speculate that Reddit could face legal action from employees or shareholders, and that moderators of large subreddits will be furious and may quit or destroy entire subreddits. Additionally, one of Reddit’s most popular Android apps, Reddit is Fun, has announced that it will shut down in response to the controversy.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the recent controversy between Reddit and the developer of the Apollo app. Although the author does not use Apollo, they find the developer’s side of the story to be reasonable and rational, whereas Reddit embodies corporate greed. The author also believes that “Don’t be evil” is impossible for large corporations in the long-term, as the incentives prioritize revenue growth over user experience. Additionally, while the author does not believe the uproar over Reddit will make a significant impact on its usage numbers, they have personally deleted their account and blocked Reddit on their devices.
2. SEC granted emergency restraining order to freeze, repatriate Binance.US assets
Total comment counts : 34
Summary
error
Top 1 Comment Summary
The recent SEC action against Binance is not related to it being a cryptocurrency exchange but because it acts as an exchange, broker, asset custodian, market maker and trader for its own account without regulation. Binance assumed it could get away with all of this even though Sam Bankman-Fried’s attempt to lobby Congress to make it legal failed. Additionally, the SEC found large transfers from Binance to CEO Zhao’s private accounts which is similar to what happened in the FTX situation and other collapsed crypto exchanges. The SEC is trying to prevent insiders from dipping into customer funds. This problem is not unique to crypto, as stockbrokers also go to jail for misusing customer funds.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author is surprised by the number of “true believers” in the cryptocurrency space, as after a decade of use, the technology has not found many real-world uses beyond criminal activities. The author believes that the lack of real value is due to the community’s focus on building without practicality. Moreover, the author has no trouble sending fiat money at the click of a button with protection against fraud, clawback, and accidental loss, suggesting that cryptocurrencies do not have any significant advantage over fiat. In the end, the author does not believe that cryptocurrencies are the future of finance and that the world needs to move on from the crypto utopian dream.
3. Air quality monitors: paying more does not get you more accuracy
Total comment counts : 35
Summary
The article discusses the relationship between the price and accuracy of air quality monitors. The author uses data from the South Coast AQMD to analyze the accuracy (measured by the R2 value) of various monitors in different price ranges for PM2.5 measurements. The analysis shows that the accuracy of the monitor does not seem to be affected by the price, with the most expensive monitors delivering the same accuracy as the cheapest ones. The article highlights the importance of accuracy as the key performance criterion for air quality monitors. The author also mentions their own open-hardware outdoor monitor, Open Air, which has an R2 of 0.8-0.9 for PM2.5 measurements.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses how a well-known air quality monitor that retails for over $1000 actually uses a PM module that costs less than $20, and how this often means that the most expensive option is not necessarily the most accurate. The article recommends an open-source, open-hardware air quality monitor kit that is easy to assemble and uses high-quality sensor modules, with instructions for building indoor and outdoor monitors available at the provided links.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the lack of diversity in the consumer market for air quality monitors, pointing out that many monitors are just using the Plantower PMS5003 particle sensor to perform measurements and provide results. The Plantower PMS5003 is a turnkey sensor that combines laser sensors, airflow, and an MCU.
4. iOS 17 automatically removes tracking parameters from links you click on
Total comment counts : 44
Summary
error
Top 1 Comment Summary
Apple is offering advertisers an alternative way to track the success of their ad campaigns through Private Click Measurement, which is available in Safari Private Browsing mode. This method allows advertisers to measure conversion metrics without revealing individual user activity. However, some critics suggest that Apple is consolidating all tracking power to themselves, despite their efforts to increase privacy measures.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author is conflicted about the news of Apple’s new privacy policy that will require apps to ask for permission from users before tracking their data. While the author believes that users have the right to opt-out of being tracked, they are concerned that companies may use this as a tactic in corporate warfare. Additionally, the author suggests that Apple may be developing its own advertising system that benefits the company more than users.
5. “Fractureiser” malware in popular Minecraft mods and modpacks
Total comment counts : 12
Summary
Multiple CurseForge and Bukkit projects have been compromised with malware, which is self-replicating and spreading. Users are recommended not to download or update any mods, modpacks, or plugins at this time. It is suggested to use firewalls to block outbound connections and modify host files to include specific lines. The affected accounts had two-factor authentication enabled. The creators of modpacks such as Sky Villages, When Dungeons Arise, and Better MC have uploaded new files that may include malicious files, and it is recommended to not download files off CurseForge until the issue is resolved.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The JVM malware in question contains a class called VMEscape which checks if it is running in a sandboxed Windows environment and attempts to escape the sandbox system by creating a temporary directory, iterating over FileDescriptor entries in the system clipboard, creating a shortcut that invokes the malware (but looks like the original file), and overwriting the original file reference in the clipboard with the shortcut. This allows the malware to run when the user pastes the shortcut, thinking it is the original file.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses how the “client.jar” files search the entire computer’s file system, which used to be noticeable when hard disk drives (HDDs) were used, but now with solid-state drives (SSDs) and the lack of activity indicators, it may not be as noticeable. The article also suggests that malware may be designed to hide its presence in the same way.
6. The guide to software development with Guix
Total comment counts : 7
Summary
The article discusses how developers can use Guix to create a development environment, perform continuous integration, and deliver their code straight to users. Developers can ‘Guixify’ their repository by adding a guix.scm file to set up a Guix-based development environment with the necessary dependencies for a package. They can also build the package with Guix, turn it into a channel and add package variants to build and test as part of continuous integration (CI). The article demonstrates how to set up CI using Cuirass, which supports package builds for cross-compilation, transformation, Docker images, RPM/Deb packages, and system tests. With just a couple of files, developers can support various tools to create a more cohesive and efficient workflow.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author states a preference for GNU Guile over Nix, and mentions progress being made towards making NixOS compatible with other programming languages.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author prefers Guix over Nix as a standalone package manager because of its support for single-file environment config and it being in Lisp. However, the article points out that the effectiveness of a package manager system is largely based on the resources dedicated to maintaining and supporting packages, which NixOS has substantial support for. The article questions if Guix has the same level of support.
7. fe: A tiny, embeddable language implemented in ANSI C
Total comment counts : 20
Summary
The article describes a library for a tiny and lightweight embeddable language that has been implemented in ANSI C. The library is free software under the MIT license, and while it focuses on being minimalistic, bug reports and questions are still welcome.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article is a comment on a new programming language that was created and called LISP again. The author finds the language concise, but not very readable due to excessive use of inline if {} blocks. However, the author still appreciates the creativity and novelty of language creation.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author is impressed with the compactness of a particular language implementation and feels inspired to write their own LISP implementation.
8. Vivaldi on Android bypasses restrictions to let users access Bing Chat
Total comment counts : 22
Summary
The new version of Vivaldi on Android is now available for download. Vivaldi is built on top of the Chromium open-source project, and websites that work in one Chromium browser should work in others. However, websites block Vivaldi based on its Client Hints. Vivaldi began masquerading as Google Chrome for better site compatibility, and now it is masquerading as Microsoft Edge when visiting Bing, so users can access Bing Chat. The article also mentions the recent release of Vivaldi’s preview on iPhones and iPads.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author hopes that the EU will take action against monopolistic behavior by tech companies and their abuse of walled gardens. Examples of this behavior include Google breaking Firefox and Microsoft breaking Chrome. The author argues that there is a difference between not ensuring compatibility and limiting to one’s own market. Smartphones are considered two separate markets and the author believes companies like Apple and Google are free to abuse users on these devices, but not on computers and the web.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article mentions a situation in the past where Opera released a spoofed version, called “Opera Bork” due to the MSN website sending a broken version of their website to Opera users.
9. Tailscale doesn’t want your password
Total comment counts : 39
Summary
Tailscale has replaced passwords with “passkeys”, a secure and convenient alternative to passwords. Passkeys are unique to each account and site visited and are synchronized across devices using services such as iCloud Keychain, Google Password Manager, and 1Password. The technology utilizes a user’s chosen password/passkey manager and allows for the creation of a backup Tailscale user, ideal for users who fear being locked out of their account. Passkeys are currently available in beta.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses doubts and concerns about the use of passkeys for authentication. It specifically questions the recovery process for lost keys and the use of multiple trusted devices. The article also raises questions about using multi-factor authentication that relies heavily on phone numbers and the possibility of losing access if the phone is misplaced. Additionally, the article raises questions about how to backup Yubikeys, whether multiple devices are required, and how to ensure copies are in sync with the original.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author is questioning the logic behind individuals storing all their credentials with large tech companies as it makes it easier for law enforcement to gain access to all their accounts at once.
10. Nanoplastic Ingestion Causes Neurological Deficits
Total comment counts : 29
Summary
Nanoplastics, which are defined as being less than 500 nanometres in size, are more readily phagocytosed by macrophages than microplastics, which measure up to five micrometres, according to research by Chinese scientists in Soochow University. The smaller the plastic, the greater the damage, with nanoplastics inducing a greater overall response, inducing lysosomal damage in cells and resulting in the production of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β). Mice given doses of nanoplastics displayed reduced cognition, short-term memory and heightened T-cell activity. However, these effects were mitigated after just one month when nanoplastic ingestion ceased.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article describes a shift in attitudes towards plastic over time, where the writer originally viewed plastic as useful and saw their mother’s preference for glass and ceramic storage as foolish. However, in the present day, the writer has come to feel negatively about plastic and their mother has changed her stance.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author is concerned about the negative effects of plastic on health and the environment, and has started cooking at home and removing plastic from daily life. They urge their pregnant wife to avoid plastic, but she ignores their recommendations and continues to use plastic food containers, despite being warned not to microwave food in them. The author suggests that convenient non-plastic solutions are needed to encourage people to switch from plastic products. However, finding suitable replacements for items like plastic wraps and lightweight glass food and beverage containers can be challenging.