1. Plane – Open-source Jira alternative
Total comment counts : 29
Summary
The article introduces the open-source software development tool called Plane Mobile, which is designed to help manage issues, sprints, and product roadmaps. It is trusted by over 1000 teams in more than 100 countries. Plane offers a simple user interface and can be customized to fit different workflows. It also provides features like Cycles and Modules to support different project management methodologies. Additionally, Plane can be integrated with other tools and is open-source, meaning it can be self-hosted using Docker. The tool aims to enhance performance, prioritize privacy, and streamline workflows. It offers various customization options and emphasizes security with data encryption and regular updates. Lastly, Plane encourages collaboration and community participation for sharing ideas and solutions.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses some criticism and feedback on an issue tracker. The author mentions that the screen estate for writing tasks is important, and feels frustrated by having to write the title in a modal window and then open the issue again to see a larger textarea for the description. They also point out that the keyboard navigation might not be complete. The author mentions that the application started in Dark Mode on their computer, which was disorienting, and there is no light mode switch icon in the header. Lastly, it is mentioned that it is not clear to the user that they can or should use markdown in the tracker.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author of the article appreciates that there is no Single Sign-On (SSO) tax for a certain product. They believe that the time for having to pay for security, specifically for identity and authentication management, is over, and they appreciate when projects and businesses are transparent about this.
2. I am dying of squamous cell carcinoma, and potential treatments are out of reach
Total comment counts : 64
Summary
The author of the article, who is suffering from squamous cell carcinoma, argues that the FDA’s slow approval process for new drugs is costing lives. They highlight the potential of mRNA tumor vaccines for their specific cancer type and emphasize the need for a stronger “right to try” presumption. The author expresses frustration with the FDA’s bureaucratic process and calls for greater patient agency in accessing experimental treatments. They conclude by reflecting on their own impending death and the potential for change in the system.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the author’s experience with a disease and the feeling of helplessness that comes with it. They share a link to a fundraiser supporting their brother and his wife who are fighting against cancer. The author emphasizes the importance of being kind to loved ones and expresses hope that scientific advancements will prevent unnecessary suffering in the future.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author of the article questions whether the FDA is denying the person access to a drug trial by Moderna. The FDA’s “right to try” page states that Moderna could potentially provide the person with unproven medicine under the right to try laws. However, it is likely that Moderna does not want the person to take the drugs because they may be ineffective at this late stage of cancer, and the company does not want to be associated with the person’s death.
3. Putting the “You” in CPU
Total comment counts : 17
Summary
This article discusses the process of running a program on a computer and delves into topics such as multiprocessing, system calls, memory management with hardware interrupts, and how Linux loads executables. The author shares their journey of researching and understanding these concepts, and emphasizes the importance of being able to explain complex concepts to others. The article also recommends reading chapter 3 for those who are already familiar with the subject but want to learn something new.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author of the article is a 17-year-old who left high school to work at Hack Club. They have been programming for a long time and started homeschooling to focus on their interests. They decided to learn more about operating systems and hardware and realized that online resources were lacking. This led them to create a resource called “Putting the ‘You’ in CPU” to help others learn about these topics. The author is proud of their work and even provided diagrams. The resource is available on GitHub.
4. Apple’s interactive television box: Hacking the set top box System 7.1 in ROM
Total comment counts : 11
Summary
The article discusses the Apple Interactive Television Box (AITB or Apple Set Top Box/STB), which was Apple’s attempt to enter the set-top box market in the 1990s. The AITB was based on the Quadra 605 hardware and used QuickTime and MPEG-1 video for playback. However, the AITB faced challenges in content delivery and limited market size. Apple never launched the hardware for retail sale, discontinued the trials, and recalled most of the boxes. The article also mentions the author’s experience with owning two STB3 systems and provides details about the hardware components and ROMs of the device.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article is about a promotional video for BT’s 1995 trial of boxes in the UK. The video showcases the features of the boxes, but focuses more on flashy promotion rather than a detailed look at the user interface. One interesting aspect of the service highlighted in the video is the ability to download SNES games to a flash cart.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the fascination with spending time hacking old hardware for no apparent reason other than the curiosity of exploring what can be done with it, even though the end result may have no practical use in today’s modern era.
5. NativePHP: A framework for building desktop apps using PHP
Total comment counts : 29
Summary
The article introduces NativePHP, a new framework that allows PHP developers to build native desktop applications quickly. It supports cross-platform development and is compatible with popular web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Unlike other frameworks, NativePHP does not impose a specific GUI framework and can work with various UI toolsets, including React, Vue, and plain HTML and CSS. It is not a custom fork of PHP but utilizes the original PHP language. The framework comes with several useful features and is expected to inspire developers to create innovative applications. The article encourages readers to explore the documentation on GitHub and contribute to the open-source project. NativePHP is copyrighted and maintained by Marcel Pociot and Simon Hamp.
Top 1 Comment Summary
According to the article, the author expected the PHP framework to provide direct PHP bindings to native APIs and have a fully native user interface. However, upon closer inspection, the framework was found to be built on top of Electron, which the author considers to be a bit misleading.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the concept of “native” in relation to PHP applications. The author mentions PHP bindings for GTK, which provided a native look on Linux. They suggest that using PHP to develop a large backend codebase could allow web applications to function as offline desktop apps. However, the author also notes that bundling a MySQL instance might be necessary in many cases. The article provides a link to more information on PHP-GTK.
6. Internet search tips
Total comment counts : 18
Summary
This article provides advanced tips and tricks for effective internet research of papers/books. The author shares their search workflow and offers general advice for finding and hosting documents. They discuss the importance of developing search skills and not solely relying on Google or Google Scholar as the first search hit. The article covers topics such as query syntax, hotkey shortcuts, web browser hotkeys, and specific strategies for finding hard-to-find papers. It also mentions the use of Twitter and US federal court documents for research purposes.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article shares a tip to search for full episodes of the cartoon “Tom & Jerry” on a platform called the Internet Archive. The author explains that popular streaming platforms and video platforms like YouTube only have partial episodes. The Internet Archive, on the other hand, offers every episode of “Tom & Jerry” since its first episode in 1940. The episodes are easily accessible through a player without any ads or recommendations. The author provides a link to access the episodes.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article is expressing frustration with certain operators no longer functioning properly on search engines, particularly YouTube and Google. The author gives an example of using the “allintitle” operator on YouTube, which used to return results with all the specified words in the title but now gives unrelated results. They also mention an issue with the “site” operator on Google, where searching for [site:nytimes.com] works but searching for [site:nytimes.com] does not. The author is annoyed by software and documentation issues from big companies and finds it frustrating to deal with these problems.
7. FBI improperly used 702 surveillance powers on US senator
Total comment counts : 25
Summary
The FBI has been found to have improperly used surveillance powers to conduct searches on a U.S. senator, state lawmaker, and state judge, according to court records released as part of a public records request. These searches were conducted under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows for warrantless spying on foreigners located abroad. Critics argue that this tool is often used as a backdoor method to gather information on Americans. The court opinion highlighted three instances where FBI personnel conducted searches on sensitive query terms related to U.S. public officials without seeking approval. The FBI and Justice Department have noted recent reforms to address these issues, but lawmakers are calling for significant reforms before reauthorizing Section 702, which is set to expire at the end of the year.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses various examples of Western governments engaging in what the author perceives as actions that protect the aristocracy and exploit the general public. The author highlights Canada’s alleged abuse of its judicial power during the pandemic and the US Congress using insider knowledge for personal financial gain. They also mention the Democrats launching FBI investigations without sufficient legal basis and the Republicans attempting to undermine the will of the people by blocking election results. Additionally, the author notes France passing unconstitutional reforms and the UK’s Conservative party allegedly misleading the public about the EU to secure the Brexit vote. The author concludes by criticizing these governments for prioritizing their own interests over serving the citizens.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the concerns about the FBI spying on elected officials and public figures to gather information that can be used for blackmail. It highlights that this kind of activity has existed historically, with government power-brokers engaging in similar practices. The author emphasizes the potential dangers of such concentrated power, even though the technical capabilities of J. Edgar Hoover (former FBI director) were limited compared to the present digital era.
8. ElKaWe – Electrocaloric heat pumps
Total comment counts : 15
Summary
The ElKaWe lighthouse project, led by the Fraunhofer IPM, involves six Fraunhofer Institutes working on the development of electrocaloric heat pumps for heating and cooling. These heat pumps offer higher efficiency and do not require harmful refrigerants. Scientists are developing ceramic and polymer-based electrocaloric materials and innovative system approaches to enable efficient heat dissipation. The project aims to demonstrate that electrocaloric heat pumps can replace compressors in the long term. Heat pumps are important for the transition to renewable energy, but the adoption of compressor-based heat pumps is slow due to poor economic efficiency. The gradual ban on refrigerants under European regulations also makes refrigerant-free technologies more desirable in cooling technology. Electrocaloric materials, when subjected to an electric field, show a heating effect, which can then be dissipated via a heat sink, resulting in cooling. The process can be reversed, allowing for efficient heating or cooling, functioning as a heat pump.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses a lecture on a technology involving perovskite crystals that can generate temperature differentials when an electric field is applied. The process involves heating up the crystals with the field, cooling them down naturally, and then rapidly cooling them when the field is removed. The temperature differential can be harnessed by placing the device between a hot side and a cold side, similar to a container with fluid. The fluid flow pushes the heat to one side, causing the device to heat up, and then pushes it to the other side, cooling the device. The article also mentions the use of a “slapper” device that taps the device to a load when it is cool and another load when it is hot. The technology is compared to other methods like vapor compression and acoustic, and while it is more efficient than vapor compression, it is less efficient than acoustic. The practicality and economic feasibility of this technology compared to others, such as thermo acoustic heat pumps, are still questions that need to be addressed.
Top 2 Comment Summary
This article discusses the topic of banning f-gases in the European Union (EU) and the implications of this decision. The author suggests that the EU’s ban on f-gases led to the establishment of a program of subsidies to search for alternatives. This created a transition market where foreign industries, such as those in China, Japan, and the US, could benefit from EU investments and subsidies. The author also mentions their agreement with the existence of institutions like Fraunhofer and acknowledges the uncertainty of the success of fundamental innovations like these.
9. Confronting failure as a core life skill
Total comment counts : 18
Summary
error
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article encourages individuals to support and appreciate those who take risks and create something, rather than being passive consumers or critics. It discusses the inevitability of failure in starting businesses and the preference investors have for serial entrepreneurs. The author advises entrepreneurs facing failure to accept it, move on, and start anew with a more cost-efficient idea.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author of the article expresses feeling like a failure in every aspect of life. They have lost their loved ones, their possessions, and their ability to code due to burnout. During this period, they spent time at a monastery and reflected on the meaninglessness of existence. Despite all the losses, the author acknowledges that starting anew is the only option. They have gained valuable perspective from their experiences and feel more equipped to achieve success after experiencing such profound failures.
10. AWS networking concepts in a diagram
Total comment counts : 26
Summary
The author of the article struggled to understand the AWS VPC dashboard before March 2023. They read a book called AWS Networking Fundamentals by Toni Pasanen and found that there are many types of connections that can be made in AWS, such as account to on-premise, account to account, VPC to VPC, subnet to subnet, and more. To help visualize the various networking resources, the author created a mind map using Lucidchart. The diagram includes ENIs, security groups, AZs, NACLs, and more. The author also made corrections and additions based on feedback from readers. They provided a link to the Lucidchart diagram for others to access.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author expresses their frustration with dealing with AWS and compares learning AWS to learning technical knowledge versus product knowledge. They mention that they were able to learn and apply technical knowledge from reading the TCP/IP illustrated series, but they find it difficult to learn and understand AWS. The author questions the effectiveness of AWS’s goal to simplify things based on a diagram they encountered.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article criticizes the difficulty of debugging IAM policies and authentication issues on AWS. The author mentions spending hours trying to figure out why they are getting unauthorized errors and expresses frustration with the need to navigate through various different policies. They also mention issues with missing requests when using Athena with CloudTrail and difficulties in querying error messages. The author concludes by suggesting that AWS intentionally maintains a “shitshow” to generate more support contract sales.