1. German court prohibits LinkedIn from ignoring “Do Not Track” signals
Total comment counts : 56
Summary
LinkedIn has been prohibited by the Berlin Regional Court from ignoring “Do Not Track” signals and sharing users’ profiles without their consent. The court ruled in favor of the Federation of German Consumer Organizations (vzbv), stating that LinkedIn’s communication about tracking practices was misleading. The court also banned LinkedIn from automatically making users’ profiles public upon account creation, requiring express consent for profile visibility. The vzbv hailed the decision as a victory for consumer control over personal data. However, while this ruling is a step forward, the author expresses skepticism, stating that real change requires sustained enforcement across the EU and rethinking how sites are built and monetized.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author expresses enthusiasm for a potential solution to getting rid of per-site cookie notices. They propose making Do Not Track (DNT) legally enforceable, which would render cookie notices irrelevant for users who have enabled DNT. The author mentions that their agency, which builds websites for non-profits, already respects DNT by not tracking and not displaying cookie notices. However, they wonder if it might be necessary to present users with a one-time notice stating that tracking has been disabled, as some users may become suspicious if they don’t see a cookie notice.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author expresses confusion as to why websites do not use in-house ad solutions instead of relying on third parties. They argue that major websites often have poorly placed and thoughtless ads, and suggests that ads should be handled more like those in magazines or newspapers, with care taken in their selection and placement. The author also believes that tracking for “good ads” is not effective and that people with taste should choose products that consumers would like to buy.
2. Apple unveils M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max
Total comment counts : 112
Summary
Apple has announced the release of three new chips, the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max, which are built using 3-nanometer process technology. These chips feature a next-generation GPU architecture, faster CPU and Neural Engine, and support for more unified memory. The GPU in the M3 family of chips introduces new rendering features such as hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading, resulting in rendering speeds up to 2.5 times faster than the previous M1 family of chips. The CPU performance cores and efficiency cores are also faster, and the Neural Engine is 60% faster. The chips support up to 128GB of memory and have enhanced AI and video processing capabilities. The M3 Max, in particular, offers the highest performance with a 40-core GPU and up to 128GB of unified memory. The new chips improve energy efficiency and allow the new MacBook Pro and iMac to achieve longer battery life.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses Apple’s new MacBook Pro and 24-inch iMac models that are powered by the M3 family of chips. The M3 chip is designed to offer enhanced performance and power efficiency. This news has generated ongoing discussions on platforms like Hacker News.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article highlights several observations about the increasing complexity of SKUs. It notes that the memory bandwidth has decreased in the M2 Pro compared to the M3 Pro. The M3 Max also has lower memory bandwidth than the higher binned part. Additionally, the low-spec M3 14" model lacks one Thunderbolt port and does not officially support Thunderbolt 4 like its predecessors. The M3 Pro no longer offers an 8TB SSD option, likely due to low demand. Interestingly, the M3 Pro has more E-cores than the Max, which is unusual for a higher-spec part.
3. Android and RISC-V: What you need to know to be ready
Total comment counts : 14
Summary
Google has announced that it is adding support for the RISC-V instruction set architecture (ISA) in its Android operating system. RISC-V is a free and open ISA that has gained popularity in various domains, including embedded systems, servers, and mobile computing. Google has determined an initial set of RISC-V extensions that it considers critical for achieving high performance. While the support is not yet fully optimized, developers can begin building and testing Android applications on RISC-V using the Cuttlefish Virtual Device support. Google is working with the RISC-V software ecosystem, including the RISE Project, to accelerate the availability of software for RISC-V. The project includes collaboration with various companies and organizations, and Google is actively participating in the RISC-V International community to design and ratify specifications. Android’s support for RISC-V depends on contributions from the community, and Google encourages developers to get involved. The company also plans to make it easier for Android developers to target new platforms. Additionally, Google will be hosting a Community Collaboration Breakfast at the RISC-V International Summit.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author believes that expecting developers to prepare for new technologies is a flawed approach, and instead, companies should aim to make the transition effortless, similar to Apple’s approach with their M1 chip. The author references Google’s requests for developers to test their apps on different platforms in the past, but claims that nothing significant came out of it because developers are unlikely to invest their time in such endeavors.
Top 2 Comment Summary
Qualcomm has proposed a new extension for RISC-V called Zics that they claim provides better code density than RV64GC without the downsides of the C extension. This information was shared in a subthread on the HN website, along with a link to Qualcomm’s latest document discussing the extension.
4. I’ve overlayed stays on a light pollution satellite map
Total comment counts : 56
Summary
This tool combines a map of light pollution with hotel and Airbnb availability data to help users find accommodations for nature retreats and stargazing. Due to high traffic, performance may be impacted.
Top 1 Comment Summary
This article highlights the author’s experience of observing a clear night sky without light pollution during winter. They emphasize that it is a mind-bending and visually stunning experience, where one can see numerous stars, colors, and effects that are often unseen without a telescope. The author further mentions that this experience changed their perception of space.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author used to live in a dark area near a radio telescope and made a website for a nearby RV park. They promoted the park as a destination for amateur astronomers but did not receive much interest. However, niche interests can still have a dedicated following on the internet. The author thanks those who appreciate dark skies.
5. RedPajama v2 Open Dataset with 30T Tokens for Training LLMs
Total comment counts : 10
Summary
The article announces the release of RedPajama-V2, a new version of the RedPajama dataset. This dataset contains 30 trillion filtered and deduplicated tokens from 84 CommonCrawl dumps in five languages. It also includes over 40 pre-computed data quality annotations for further filtering and weighting. RedPajama-V2 aims to provide a large, high-quality dataset for language model training. The article discusses the challenges of obtaining suitable data for language models and highlights the features and potential uses of the RedPajama-V2 dataset. It also mentions that the dataset is open source and available on platforms like HuggingFace and GitHub. The article concludes by expressing hopes for community feedback and future improvements to the dataset.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author suggests several additional analysis features that could improve the performance of language models. These features include embedding topic information in summaries, using RAG-based summaries to critically assess training data and answer questions, incorporating named entities for a knowledge base, identifying implicit tasks in text, and using chain-of-thought augmentation to reduce information fragmentation. The author argues that models should not rely solely on organic data for training but should also incorporate synthetic data to improve task solving. The author believes that this deeper analysis of raw data would be costly but beneficial in improving the performance of language models.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article is discussing the process of hosting and accessing a dataset for filtering common crawl data. The author is asking for clarification on how this process works. They believe that the code for filtering the common crawl data is being released, and the resulting filtered data is the dataset. Each person can run their own processing on the data, allowing them to customize the filtering based on their needs. There is no torrent of pre-processed data available. Some files related to the dataset are stored in Git Large File Storage, but it is unclear if these files are already processed or if they are selected from common crawl files for processing. The author is also interested in obtaining a copy of the dataset in case it is taken down in the future. Overall, the author is seeking information and clarification on the dataset and its access.
6. SEC Charges SolarWinds and CISO with Fraud, Internal Control Failures
Total comment counts : 14
Summary
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged SolarWinds Corporation, a software company based in Austin, Texas, and its chief information security officer, Timothy G. Brown, with fraud and internal control failures. The charges are related to alleged cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities known by the company. The complaint states that SolarWinds and Brown defrauded investors by overstating the company’s cybersecurity practices and failing to disclose known risks. The company’s public statements about its cybersecurity practices were inconsistent with internal assessments that highlighted deficiencies and vulnerabilities. The SEC alleges that Brown was aware of the risks but failed to address them adequately. The complaint seeks various penalties, including disgorgement and civil penalties, as well as an officer and director bar against Brown.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses how Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) in most public companies are not considered true C-level positions. They lack certain privileges and benefits such as special contracts, high salaries, and participation in board meetings. The example of Apple is mentioned, where the CISO role was separate from core products and services. Amazon had multiple “CISOs” for different organizations, and Google has a “cloud CISO” who talks to customers but is not in charge of overall security. The article suggests that the SEC wants to change this culture by holding CISOs more accountable for information security risks but argues that they should first elevate the position before taking legal action. It also raises concerns that CISOs may face consequences while executives claim ignorance and avoid liability.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the author’s opinion on Tim Brown, a technologist who may have been instructed to stay quiet during a cybersecurity incident. The author questions why the CEO of SolarWinds received a call from the Mandiant CEO, potentially bypassing the CISO who would have been responsible for vendor contracts. The article also suggests that SolarWinds lacked a cybersecurity committee on their board, indicating a lack of focus on cyber threats. The author raises the dilemma faced by CISOs in situations like this, where their choices could impact their future employability.
7. AV1 video codec gains broader hardware support
Total comment counts : 19
Summary
The article discusses the AV1 video codec, which is an open-source, royalty-free technology developed by the Alliance for Open Media (AOM). It mentions that more hardware support for AV1 is now available. Apple’s M3 chips and the iPhone 15 Pro models feature AV1 decode support. The article also states that the official Android 14 Compatibility Definition now makes AV1 support mandatory, and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset used in Android phones released in 2023 also supports AV1. Finally, it notes that all browsers except Microsoft Edge support AV1.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the lack of AV1 support in Microsoft Edge, noting that while it is supported through a Microsoft Store extension, most normal users wouldn’t bother to install it. In contrast, Chrome has built-in support for AV1. Safari ties AV1 support to a hardware decoder to prevent battery drain, which means support will increase as more devices with new hardware are used. The author believes it is time for the web to have a single audio and video codec choice that is open and widely supported, and proposes support for AV1 and Opus for the Interop 2024 effort.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the amount of silicon needed to add an AV1 decoder to a chip, specifically focusing on the A17 release by Apple. The author mentions that the highlighted areas in the A17 release seemed significant, but questions whether they accurately represent the scale of the silicon needed. A link to an image depicting an AV1 decoder on an iPhone is provided.
8. Firefox got faster for real users in 2023
Total comment counts : 46
Summary
The article discusses the challenges of assessing the impact of software changes on user experience in real-world settings. It highlights the efforts of Firefox to build performance tests that simulate real-world user experiences and drive improvements for users. The article focuses on three key metrics: page load time, JavaScript execution time during page load, and keypress present latency. It explains how Firefox has seen improvements in these metrics throughout the year, resulting in faster page load times, reduced JavaScript execution time, and improved responsiveness when typing. The article concludes by mentioning that Firefox is committed to ongoing optimizations and will share more progress in future posts.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author of the article acknowledges that Firefox appears to be faster recently and appreciates the improvements. However, they express concerns about the methodology used to measure this speed, suggesting that it may be due to other factors such as advancements in hardware or optimization of heavily visited web pages. They question whether the telemetry data can accurately differentiate between these factors.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article urges readers who believe Chromium-based browsers are faster to give Firefox a chance. The author shares their positive experience with Firefox and highlights the importance of maintaining browser diversity for the future of the web.
9. Can you use your “free will”? Try your hand
Total comment counts : 86
Summary
The article seems to mention an “Aaronson Oracle” multiple times, but without providing any context or information about it.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article describes a prediction algorithm and provides a sequence generator that defeats it. The sequence is generated using a Perl script and includes a combination of “d” and “f” characters. The author suggests that increasing the length of the sequence can further reduce the prediction rate.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the concept of “free will” and questions whether being unpredictable is synonymous with having free will. It suggests that being unpredictable is often used to gain attention but does not necessarily indicate free will. The article also explores the distinction between non-determinism and free will, arguing that free will implies having a reason or cause for making a choice, which can contradict the idea of true randomness. It also mentions that making random choices can have value in certain contexts, such as sports.
10. Drugmakers are set to pay 23andMe to access consumer DNA
Total comment counts : 45
Summary
I apologize, but I am unable to summarize the article as you have only provided a prompt to click a box and contact a support team. Please provide the actual content of the article for me to summarize.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the potential for abuse in DNA databases, particularly focusing on the company 23andMe. It highlights that users pay the company to give their DNA samples and then the company gets paid again for passing on their data to other parties without obtaining specific consent. The article suggests that the abuse potential of DNA databases was evident when 23andMe launched, but some people failed to recognize it.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses changes in the contractual terms of 23andMe, a genetic testing company, which allow pharmaceutical research companies access to users’ genetic data. The author questions how the company plans to anonymize or deidentify users’ genetic profiles effectively. Additionally, the author raises concerns about the level of informed consent from the users who have opted in for data sharing, wondering if all 14 million users have provided explicit consent or if it is a broad and vague interpretation by the company.