1. [test, [, and [ (2020)
Total comment counts : 25
Summary
The article discusses the existence of a binary in Unix systems with the symbol “[” as its name. The binary, also known as “test,” is used in Unix shells to evaluate expressions and perform comparisons. The article explains that the reason for having two names for the same binary is likely to make the code look more aesthetically pleasing. The article also mentions that the “[” binary is often implemented as a built-in command in shells for efficiency. Another variation, “[[” is a Bash extension that replaces the use of “[” and has additional features. The article concludes by mentioning that test expressions and shell expressions can be combined in a single invocation.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The original author expresses gratitude for the sharing of their article and suggests adding “(2020)” to the title. They also mention that “test” should not be capitalized as it refers to a command. Additionally, they provide a link to a related article from 2021 that discusses the use of bash’s [[ operator.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article suggests using alternative ways to write if-else blocks in bash scripting. It shows how to replace if-else blocks with shorter, more concise syntax. It also discusses using regular commands within if blocks and how to conditionally print debug output. The author mentions a couple of examples and mentions that there are equal reasons to use either method, as long as performance is not a concern.
2. Luiz André Barroso has died
Total comment counts : 18
Summary
The article discusses the lives and contributions of two individuals in the field of technology.
Luiz André Barroso, an engineer at Google for over 20 years, is recognized for designing the company’s large-scale data centers. These centers house numerous computer servers and disk drives and have played a significant role in advancements such as cloud computing, more powerful search engines, and faster Internet service. Barroso passed away unexpectedly from natural causes. He was born in Brazil, received degrees in electrical engineering, and went on to earn a Ph.D. in computer engineering. Before joining Google, he worked at Digital Equipment Corp. and Compaq. At Google, Barroso developed efficient data center designs using low-cost components and energy-saving techniques, leading to the establishment of multiple data centers worldwide. He also contributed to the design of Google’s AI chips and integrated augmented reality and machine learning into Google Maps. Barroso received recognition for his work, including the Eckert-Mauchly Award and held the position of Google Fellow.
Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao, former director of the Indian Statistical Institute, was a pioneering mathematician and statistician. He spent over four decades at the institute and made significant discoveries in statistics, particularly the Cramér-Rao bound and the Rao-Blackwell theorem. These estimators have been fundamental to modern statistics. Rao began his career at the Indian Statistical Institute and published a paper unveiling these important concepts. He later became a professor and director at the institute. Rao’s work formed the basis of information geometry, a field that combines differential geometry with probability theory and statistics. He subsequently taught at the University of Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania State University, earning the 2023 International Prize in Statistics for his contributions.
Both Luiz André Barroso and Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao made significant contributions in their respective fields, leaving a lasting impact on technology and statistics, respectively.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author expresses their fondness for Luiz, whom they worked with in a datacenter development department. They describe Luiz as one of the kindest individuals they have ever met and mention missing their conversations around the coffee machine. The author refers to Luiz as a great pioneer and human and suggests pouring a coffee in his memory.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article describes a senior manager who had a unique approach to leadership. Unlike other managers, he would engage with engineers by walking the halls and showing genuine interest in their work. This manager even took the time to share his enthusiasm for a bird they were all admiring outside the window. Despite not directly working for him, the author feels saddened by his loss and describes him as a lovely person.
3. Auroratone, a psychedelic 1940s film that helped WWII vets overcome PTSD
Total comment counts : 10
Summary
The article discusses Auroratone films, which were invented by psychologist Cecil A. Stokes in the 1940s as a form of cinematic synesthesia. The films combined soothing abstract visuals with popular music of the time, and they were found to have therapeutic effects on patients, including deep relaxation and emotional release. Bing Crosby contributed recordings for a third of the films and supported their distribution to soldiers during World War II. The process of creating the films involved cutting recorded melodies into short segments, splicing them into tape loops, and using radio waves to stimulate the formation of crystals on glass slides. The films were not only beneficial for PTSD sufferers, but also for individuals with various mental disorders, chronic migraines, and developmental delays. They were shown in department stores, churches, and even proposed for use in maternity wards. However, despite their popularity, the Guggenheim Museum did not show support for the Auroratone Foundation of America’s efforts. Only one Auroratone film has survived to this day, but modern technology allows for the creation of a DIY approximation by pairing specific songs with audio visualizers.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses a lighting effect called Optikinetics Crystal Pulse, which the author encountered in the mid-90s. They mention that the product is no longer commercially available and that it was considered outdated even when they encountered it. The article includes a video link demonstrating the lighting effect.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author of the article describes a frightening experience while watching something on their phone screen. They saw ten creatures that seemed like they wanted to harm them, as well as ghostly skeletal humanoids. The author is disturbed by the thought of watching the same thing on a larger movie screen and contemplates either quitting or starting to use drugs as a way to cope with the terrifying imagery. The main desire of the author is to make the monsters disappear.
4. Developer account removed by Apple
Total comment counts : 43
Summary
error
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author argues that closing developer accounts due to fake reviews is inappropriate because it could be used as a way to eliminate competition by buying fake reviews for competitors. The author also suggests that the large revenue figures of these apps may indicate money laundering or fraud, and criticizes Apple for not being specific in their communications regarding this issue.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article argues that the current power and control that Apple and Google have over app developers is a result of developers themselves enabling these companies. The author admits to building software that could be monetized as an app but refuses to give Apple or Google even more power and control. Despite this decision slowing down the development process, the author is still regularly releasing updates and enjoying the process. However, if financial constraints were to force the author to give in to the power of these gatekeepers, they would strongly dislike it.
5. Fast Llama 2 on CPUs with Sparse Fine-Tuning and DeepSparse
Total comment counts : 12
Summary
error
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article is about Yannic Kilcher interviewing Nir Shavit last year. They discussed a company called DeepSparse, which is on GitHub. The link to the video interview is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PAiQ1jTN5k, and the link to the DeepSparse GitHub repository is: https://github.com/neuralmagic/deepsparse.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses a model that was fine-tuned on GSM8k and suggests that it is possible to remove 60% of the model while still being able to answer GSM8k questions. However, the article raises a bigger question of whether the sparse model can still retain general knowledge.
6. US govt pays AT&T to let cops search Americans’ phone records without warrant
Total comment counts : 29
Summary
error
Top 1 Comment Summary
The user mentions an article about using metadata to find Paul Revere and suggests sharing it with friends who may not understand the dangers associated with it.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article highlights concerns over the secrecy surrounding the government’s use of the Hemisphere program. It suggests that the government is making efforts to keep this program hidden, despite having a legal method to obtain the information it collects. The author finds this concerning because it implies a disregard for the rights of citizens and a possible disconnect with the government’s responsibility to serve and work for its people.
7. Rogue, and other roguelikes for Amiga
Total comment counts : 12
Summary
The article is about games and was posted on November 22, 2023, at 9:54 am. It was also updated on November 23, 2023, at 9:45 am.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the early days of artificial intelligence (AI) and its application in automating rogue playing, referring to a specific paper titled “Rogomatic.” This paper, authored by Andrew W. Appel, explores the concept of programming a computer to play the game Rogue.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author spent a lot of time playing a graphical version of Amiga Larn and also had an Amiga Hack version with a speleologist, but found it difficult and full of bugs compared to Larn.
8. Git Branches: Intuition and Reality
Total comment counts : 30
Summary
The article discusses the concept of git branches and explores the difference between an “intuitive” notion of a branch and how git actually works. The author presents a diagram representing the physical metaphor of a branch of an apple tree, where only the offshoot commits are considered part of the branch. However, in git, a branch encompasses the entire history of previous commits. The article provides an example repository to demonstrate this difference. Despite the technical definition differing from the intuitive notion, the author highlights three ways in which the intuitive understanding aligns with practical usage of git. These include the process of rebasing and how merges and pull requests are handled. Overall, the article concludes that the intuitive idea of a branch is not entirely incorrect and can be useful in understanding certain git operations.
Top 1 Comment Summary
This article explains that branches are essentially pointers to commits, and they are refreshed when new commits are made. Branches are like wandering tags, and the chain of commits that make up a branch are linked by pointing back to their parent commit. The article emphasizes that branches don’t have any special meaning beyond being a chain of related commits with a named entrypoint. Deleting a branch removes the named pointer to a commit, leaving only a chain of commits without a labeled branch. The use of branches like “master/dev/release” is a convention to keep an updated pointer on a chain of commits that contain important changes.
Top 2 Comment Summary
This article suggests a different way of thinking about Git’s model of lineage. Instead of viewing lineage as progressing forward, the author suggests that it is more helpful to think about it in terms of backward pointers. Each commit points to its parent, allowing you to trace the entire history of a branch by following the parent links backwards. A “branch point” is where two chains of parent links converge. Merge commits, with multiple parents, indicate that two histories have fused into one.
9. Three chips in and Google Tensor is on life support
Total comment counts : 20
Summary
The article discusses Google’s use of machine learning and AI in its Pixel smartphones. The original Pixel was the first Android phone to feature Google Assistant and AI-powered computational photography. Google had been using Qualcomm chips to power these AI and ML experiences, but with the launch of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro in 2021, Google introduced its first customized chip called Google Tensor. Their goal was to create their own chip to deliver new capabilities and keep up with advancements in ML. However, the article suggests that Google’s efforts in developing customized chips have not been as ambitious as Apple’s. The first three Tensor chips were semi-custom designs co-developed with Samsung. While Apple has been developing fully customized Arm-based CPUs and GPUs, Google’s Tensor chips still use stock Arm components. The article also mentions that Google is rumored to be designing a fully customized Tensor chip to be fabricated by TSMC, but it is not expected to be ready until 2025. In the meantime, another Tensor chip from the current partnership with Samsung is anticipated.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article suggests that tensor hardware has mostly been disappointing in terms of general performance, but it may be different when it comes to machine learning (ML). The author mentions that ML has been a recent revolution and that in the case of the Pixel8, there was a difficult decision to make regarding running weaker, smaller models on the device or using the more powerful LLM models in the cloud for better results, albeit with slower performance and the need for an internet connection.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The individual is seeking clarification on AI/Machine learning chips. They believe these chips are essentially general-purpose microprocessors with additional instructions to enhance commonly used operations such as matrix multiplication. However, they admit to having some difficulty understanding the topic due to a mix of marketing information and heavy technical details.
10. Polio is on the brink of eradication
Total comment counts : 21
Summary
The article discusses the challenges that may arise after the eradication of polio. While the global health campaign has made significant progress in eliminating the disease, there are concerns about potential reintroductions of the virus from laboratory mishaps or inadequate vaccine supply. The article emphasizes the need for continued vigilance and efforts in order to prevent future outbreaks. Vaccination is the primary tool in eradicating polio, with both inactivated and oral poliovirus vaccines being used. The Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) has been highly effective in preventing polio, and it is cheaper and easier to administer compared to the inactivated vaccine. However, it is important to balance the risks of vaccine-derived polio outbreaks when using the OPV. The article concludes by highlighting the importance of sustained efforts in preventing and containing polio even after its official eradication.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article emphasizes the importance of developed countries assisting less developed countries in order to prevent the resurgence of antibiotic-resistant infections. The scenario described involves someone in a lab getting infected and then traveling abroad, highlighting the need for improved sanitation and water infrastructure in less developed nations. The article argues that providing these basic necessities globally is crucial for developed countries to protect themselves from disease.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author, who experienced the polio epidemic as a child and witnessed the devastating effects of the disease, expresses hope and relief at the prospect of its eradication.