1. Python 3.13 Gets a JIT
Total comment counts : 43
Summary
The article discusses the introduction of a JIT (Just in Time) compiler in Python 3.13. The JIT compiler is a compilation design that compiles code into machine code on demand when the code is run for the first time. This is in contrast to an AOT (Ahead of Time) compiler, which generates machine code once and distributes it as a binary executable. The article explains the process of compiling Python code into bytecodes and how the JIT compiler works by generating machine code directly. It introduces the concept of a copy-and-patch JIT, where instructions are copied and filled in for each bytecode command. The article concludes by comparing the performance of the copy-and-patch method to a “full” JIT compiler.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the copy-and-patch technique developed by Haoran Xu and Fredrik Kjolstad, which is gaining popularity. The author discovered this technique through Xu’s blog posts about his LuaJIT remake project. The technique involves recycling battle-tested techniques and technologies to create something innovative. The author recommends reading Xu’s blog posts for a deep dive into language implementation, noting that they are detailed but manageable. The author also mentions congratulating Xu on the 1000th star of the GitHub repository and Xu’s reassurance that he is still working on the project. The article provides links to the relevant blog posts and GitHub repository.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the consistent but small improvements seen in each version of a particular product. The author expresses their preference for steady 10% improvements rather than risking bigger improvements that may break things. The article emphasizes that these small percentages can accumulate over time.
2. Why does holding a key fob to your head increase its range?
Total comment counts : 41
Summary
This article discusses how holding a car keyfob next to your head can improve the range at which it operates. The author explores different theories for why this occurs, including the possibility that the body acts as an antenna and that cavities in the body, such as the head or chest, act as resonance chambers for the RF signal. The author also provides measurements and observations on the effectiveness of different orientations when holding the keyfob.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article suggests that the theory behind a fob transmitter is that it is tuned to emit a strong signal when near the body. This is its normal use. However, if the fob is tested with some isolation, it becomes out of tune. For example, in a factory, it would be tuned at a specific distance from a “dummy body.” This phenomenon is similar to a walkie-talkie radio, where the antenna needs to be tuned when held in the hand, as the body provides the missing earth or ground-plane. The author suggests an experiment to demonstrate this effect using an antenna, a SWR meter, and a transmitter. By tuning the antenna to have a SWR of 1:1 and then moving the hand close to the antenna, the detuning effect can be observed on the SWR meter.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author recalls a childhood experience where they noticed that the picture quality of their TV improved when they touched the antenna. Curious about the connection between water and TV reception, they placed a glass of water near the antenna and were surprised to see the picture clear up. Unfortunately, this event led to the author becoming the resident IT support person for their family.
3. Turing Complete is a game about computer science
Total comment counts : 32
Summary
The article discusses the topic of logic gates, components, architecture, and assembly in the context of a game where players can learn about these subjects.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author of the article expresses their admiration for a game called Turing Complete. They bought the game and played through several levels, even getting their 14-year-old son to play during the summer break. The son was able to write a program using the pseudo-Assembly language taught in the game to navigate a randomly generated maze. The author highly recommends the game but mentions struggling with the level that introduces memory. However, online hints and solutions are available for those who get stuck. The game was completed over a year ago, but the author mentions that the creator is currently working on rebuilding it to improve performance and allow for more complex CPUs. The author hopes the update doesn’t cause any problems.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article is about the author’s appreciation for a particular genre of game, specifically simulation games. They mention that one game, Turing Complete, has a reliable simulation and well-structured missions but has some user interface issues. They also recommend another game called “Silicon Zeroes” for its better explanation of concepts and problem-solving. They suggest two other games, TIS100 and Shenzhen I/O, for those who enjoy the assembly aspect of electronics. For puzzle lovers, they suggest a game called “Human Resource Machine.” The author mentions that there was a news post in August 2023 about a big update coming soon for Turing Complete, but there hasn’t been any communication since then, and it seems the developer has encountered difficulties with the update. The author also expresses their hesitance to go back to the game until it leaves early access.
4. An overview of distributed Postgres architectures
Total comment counts : 8
Summary
The article discusses distributed PostgreSQL architectures and the trade-offs that come with them. Running PostgreSQL on a single machine is fast and cost-efficient, but it comes with operational hazards such as downtime and data loss if the machine fails. Distributed PostgreSQL architectures attempt to address these hazards while meeting the availability, durability, performance, regulatory, and scale requirements of large organizations. However, these architectures may sacrifice some efficiency and low latency. The article also mentions that network latency can significantly impact transaction duration, and discusses the need to balance rich functionality with latency in distributed database systems.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses several points regarding distributed shared-nothing SQL databases, specifically Spanner, CockroachDB, and YugabyteDB. The author challenges the cons presented for these databases, stating that they are not accurately characterized as just a key-value store, and that they support column-level versioning. They also question the claim that these databases have high latency and lack local joins, pointing out that YugabyteDB has colocated tables and suggesting that CockroachDB and Spanner might also have this feature. The author further notes that these databases are not actually Postgres, but they argue that only Postgres itself can be considered 100% compatible with Postgres. Lastly, they refute the claim that these databases are less mature and optimized, citing their inclusion in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant of the top 20 cloud databases. The author concludes by suggesting that the article’s author may have joined Crunchy to work on their own distributed version of Postgres.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article suggests that while network-attached storage (NAS) offers durability and availability benefits, its performance may be slower compared to other options. However, it points out that PostgreSQL can be faster. The author believes that the slowness of network-attached block storage is often overlooked, and some organizations may be surprised by this when transitioning from on-premises data centers to the cloud.
5. DARPA Moves Forward on X-65: Plane with no moving control surfaces
Total comment counts : 19
Summary
I apologize, but I cannot summarize an article without the actual text. If you could provide the article, I would be more than happy to help you summarize it.
Top 1 Comment Summary
DARPA is conducting tests on a unique flight control system, but the comments on Hacker News are mostly focusing on irrelevant issues and dismissing its viability for propeller drones. The overall quality of discussion on the website is deemed poor.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses active flow control (AFC) techniques, which can be either pneumatic or electric. Electric AFC techniques involve using arrays of electrodes or plasma actuators to discharge pulses of electricity and alter airflow. The article mentions two specific electric AFC techniques: synthetic jets and plasma actuators. Synthetic jets rely on rapid voltage pulses to create oscillations in diaphragms and create airflow effects, while plasma actuators use heat from the electricity to turn air into plasma and thermally alter flow vectors. These AFC techniques have been researched through experiments in laboratories, wind tunnels, and small-scale aircraft.
6. Turing Complete Transformers: Two Transformers Are More Powerful Than One
Total comment counts : 13
Summary
The article mentions OpenReview, a project that aims to improve peer review in science. It is supported by Code for Science & Society and has nonprofit status. The article also mentions that OpenReview is grateful for the support of its sponsors. It invites readers to provide feedback and offers a way to report bugs or request new features through its GitHub repository.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article being reviewed received harsh criticisms, with reviewers stating that the main claim was obvious and had already been stated before. They also criticized the writing for being overly assertive and inaccurate. One reviewer believed that spending half a page demonstrating that {0^n 1^n} is not in the regular language was unnecessary.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article is criticized for being overly lenient in its reviews. The paper is said to excessively focus on proving trivial and irrelevant points while neglecting to explain the model’s architecture. This leads the author to consider the paper as being borderline crackpot territory.
7. The best way to get unstuck
Total comment counts : 24
Summary
The article discusses the common struggle of feeling stuck in entrepreneurship and how it can be difficult to overcome. It emphasizes that being stuck amplifies anxiety and demotivation, preventing incredible creations from being realized. The cure for stuckness is to take action and do something, even if it seems insignificant at first. The article suggests that doing something else does not mean quitting, but rather taking a temporary break and giving oneself permission to step away. During this time, progress can be made on other projects to clear the mind and regain confidence. The article concludes by acknowledging that not every case of stuckness requires a drastic action plan and that sometimes, simply taking a short break or seeking new momentum is enough.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses how gold plating can prevent progress in software engineering. Gold plating refers to the act of adding unnecessary features or embellishments to a project, which may seem like valuable work but actually delays tackling new tasks. This is because new tasks can be intimidating and require additional effort, so some people resort to gold plating to avoid stepping out of their comfort zone. The article emphasizes the need to break this cycle and focus on meaningful tasks instead of getting stuck in a repetition of gold plating.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author talks about a time when they were creatively stuck and decided to challenge themselves to draw every day for 30 days. Even on days when they felt tired, they simply drew a simple character saying they were too tired to do better. Surprisingly, this project, which focused on imperfection and just putting ideas on paper, ended up becoming more popular than their more serious art. This realization was a wake-up call for the author, showing them that being too careful with their work may not always be helpful.
8. Money pours into new fabs and facilities
Total comment counts : 6
Summary
The article discusses the boom in investments in the semiconductor industry, specifically in areas such as fabs, packaging, test and assembly, and R&D. Companies are investing in offshore locations like India and Malaysia to access larger workforces and lower costs while also partnering with governments to secure domestic supply chains. The article highlights the importance of international collaboration, as the semiconductor industry operates as a global system with dependencies on multiple regions. The need for redundancy and multiple hubs is emphasized to mitigate risks from natural disasters and geopolitical turmoil. India and Malaysia have attracted investments due to their favorable R&D landscape, large talent pool, and economic potential. The article also mentions that national security, talent shortage, climate threats, and supply chain issues are among the major concerns for the semiconductor industry.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author of the article doubts that manufacturing will be brought back to the USA, despite recent efforts to bring chip fabrication plants back to the country for security reasons. They highlight the struggles faced by local hacker spaces, electronics shops, and independent hardware stores, which are closing down due to high prices set by private equity firms. The author compares this with the situation in Shenzhen, where everything needed for fabrication is readily available in a small area. They question whether the USA has the necessary political will and ability to replicate the success of Shenzhen, expressing concerns about corruption and political inefficiency.
Top 2 Comment Summary
According to the article, data from mainland China is not readily available, but it appears that the Chinese fab expansion may be the largest among all countries based on orders from western equipment firms. The article suggests that China’s goal of being 70% self-sufficient in semiconductors by 2025 may be achieved due to over-investment in lower-end manufacturing and US bans on high-end imports.
9. www.google.com – The page is blank when accessed
Total comment counts : 35
Summary
The article discusses a bug report related to a web page not loading correctly on Firefox Mobile for Android. The bug is caused by server-side UA sniffing going wrong, resulting in an empty HTML document being displayed. The issue has been reported and confirmed, and a patch is ready to be deployed if necessary. Additionally, Google has been rolling out a fix, and the bug report will be closed once the majority of users no longer experience the blank-page issue on Google Search. The author advises individuals still experiencing the issue to file a new bug report for better visibility.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses a server-side issue involving user agent (UA) sniffing. It explains that when a specific user agent string is used, such as Mozilla/5.0 (Android 10; Mobile; rv:123.0) Gecko/123.0 Firefox/123.0, it results in an empty HTML document being returned by the server. The issue affects all user agent strings with versions greater than or equal to 65, while versions equal to or below 64 do not encounter this problem. The issue can be reproduced using the curl command provided in the article.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article states that there was an issue with Google Search, but it has been fixed and an update has been posted on Google’s search status dashboard. A link to the dashboard is provided.
10. Mode7 Graphics Library for Playdate
Total comment counts : 9
Summary
The article mentions that feedback is carefully considered and that a Mode 7 library for Playdate is being developed.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article briefly mentions an explainer video on how the original SNES Mode7 worked. The video provides animations demonstrating input, settings, and output. The article also recommends the Retro Game Mechanics Explained channel on YouTube for quality content.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The person is asking for feedback on the Playdate, an unconventional game console. They are interested in knowing if it is worth buying as a gaming device rather than just for tinkering with its software development kit (SDK). They also mention considering buying the same kind of LCD screen used in Playdate to tinker with it and an RP2040 instead. They express concerns about the form factor of the device and the crank being gimmicky but still find the concept appealing.