1. Penrose – Create diagrams by typing notation in plain text
Total comment counts : 29
Summary
Penrose is a platform that allows people to create visually appealing diagrams by simply typing notation in plain text. Its goal is to make it simple for non-experts to produce high-quality diagrams and gain a better understanding of complex technical concepts. The platform aims to make the creation of visual intuition accessible to everyone.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the key idea behind Penrose, a mathematical diagram software. It explains that Penrose allows the separation of the “substance” and “style” of a diagram, meaning that the same diagram can be rendered in different styles. The article also mentions that Penrose uses a constrained optimization approach for diagram generation, enabling users to experiment with layouts and sample potential diagrams. The author highlights that these ideas make Penrose unique and hopes for its wider adoption.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article is a collection of links to various discussions and announcements related to CMU’s ‘Penrose’ project. Penrose is a system that transforms complex mathematical notations into beautiful diagrams. The links provided cover different dates from October 2018 to June 2022, each with varying numbers of comments.
2. Inside the Steam Deck’s APU
Total comment counts : 13
Summary
The article discusses the design of the APU (Accelerated Processing Unit) used in the Steam Deck LCD version. The APU, called Van Gogh, combines a high-performance CPU with AMD RDNA 2 architecture-based GPU cores, making it suitable for handheld devices like the Steam Deck. The article provides detailed pictures of the APU, showing the layout and components. It reveals that there are 4 CPU cores and separate GPU cores for graphics processing, including support for limited Ray-Tracing. Additionally, there is an undocumented part on the chip that contains 14 additional cores, speculated to be originally intended for the Magic Leap 2 AR glasses. The article suggests that the newer Steam Deck OLED version may have a different APU design, specifically customized for the Steam Deck. The author speculates that Valve, the company behind the Steam Deck, may have ordered fully customized chips based on their sales projections. The article concludes with a comment suggesting that Magic Leap may have funded the development of this APU design but didn’t utilize it extensively, leading AMD to offer it to other companies like Valve.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the success of the Steam Deck and attributes it to Valve’s efforts in resolving issues related to AMD, Wayland, and Pipewire for their handheld device. These improvements also have a positive impact on other aspects of the device, such as sleep and audio functionality. The article mentions that the writer has observed better software support for Intel compared to AMD in both Linux and Windows, and that this pattern extends across AMD’s product lines. Additionally, it discusses how Intel has outperformed AMD in their ML stack despite having less powerful GPUs.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article suggests that Magic Leap overspent on a custom chip design and ended up with lower sales than expected. On the other hand, Valve underspent by using an existing chip for their device, resulting in a lower build quality but an aggressive price point. However, Valve has now introduced a custom chip for their new generation device, indicating a reversal in strategy. The article predicts that as Valve takes advantage of higher volumes and potentially increases the price, the device will see improvements overall. The author speculates that Magic Leap may also reverse course by adopting cheaper off-the-shelf hardware.
3. Terse: A language with hi-level look-and-feel, low-level control (1995) [pdf]
Total comment counts : 5
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses Randall Hyde’s HLA (High Level Assembly), specifically noting that it is no longer actively being developed. A link to the HLA website is provided.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article was read in Dr. Dobb’s Journal during the time when the person was using Assembly language.
4. A periodic table of visualization methods (2007)
Total comment counts : 22
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The author questions if there have been any applications of the “periodic table” as a visualization method for subjects other than chemical elements. They suggest that while there may be examples of grid or matrix formats that convey common properties, the use of the “periodic table” format is overused. The author suggests that if applied correctly, every Nth element along the X dimension should resemble each other, allowing for common properties along the Y dimension as well.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author of the article expresses confusion and criticism towards a visualization method that attempts to represent information in the shape of the periodic table of elements without actually utilizing the periodic structure of the table. They suggest that grouping the information by type using a tree structure would be more useful and interesting. The author also mentions the idea of a tree diagram representing the relationships of historical development and data structure behavior in relation to different tree data structures.
5. Teach Yourself Programming in Ten Years (1998)
Total comment counts : 32
Summary
The article discusses the phenomenon of books that claim to teach programming languages in a short period of time, such as “Teach Yourself Java in 24 Hours.” The author argues that these books can only provide a superficial familiarity with the language and cannot lead to a deep understanding. The article also references research that suggests it takes about ten years of deliberate practice to develop expertise in any field, including programming. The author concludes that true expertise may take a lifetime to achieve.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article talks about how the author’s passion for programming was shaped by chance encounters with helpful individuals and influential books. They mentioned buying a programming book in 1999 that had an impact on their career, as well as being given another significant book by someone they met at a bookstore. The author expresses gratitude for these experiences and acknowledges the role they played in their career development.
Top 2 Comment Summary
This article is personally meaningful to the author, who first read it as a teenager while learning how to code. The author noticed updates in the article, such as references to Malcolm Gladwell and Ratatouille, indicating that it has been revised since its original posting in 1998. The original version of the article is still available in a shorter form. The author expresses admiration for Peter Norvig’s dedication to maintaining and updating his posts.
6. Leaving Arizona – the Story of the Motorola 6800 part 2 and creation of the 6502
Total comment counts : 8
Summary
The article discusses the development and challenges faced by the Motorola 6800 microprocessor. The 6800 team created a simple single-board computer to demonstrate the product to Motorola’s management. The announcement of the 6800 showed potential for Motorola to lead in microprocessors. However, the team was later moved to Austin, Texas, causing disruption and leading some team members to leave. The move also prompted the start of a competitor’s design. Chuck Peddle, who joined the team later, had intentions of raiding Motorola for engineers. Despite some flaws in the 6800’s architecture, the major concern for customers was its high price.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author expresses their opinion that the 6502 processor was impressive but had limited growth potential. They mention that the 6800 processor led to the development of the 68000, which had virtual memory management and resulted in the creation of several workstation models. The author also mentions their experience with Motorola workstations and shares that they wished the 6800 series had been more widely adopted, as it felt nicer and made sense for those familiar with the PDP-11. Finally, the author muses about their preference for network byte order computers.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the significance of the 6502 microprocessor in the development of the home computer market. Despite using fewer transistors compared to its competitor, the Z80, the 6502 managed to deliver strong performance. The article also mentions that the original Arm team was influenced by the 6502 and that the ARM1 followed in its tradition of maximizing available resources. In conclusion, the article suggests that the 6502 played a crucial role in the emergence of ARM technology.
7. SQLite: Wal2 Mode
Total comment counts : 14
Summary
This article explains the features and differences between “wal” mode and “wal2” mode in SQLite databases. In “wal” mode, a writer appends new data to a separate file called the wal file, which is then copied into the main database file in a process called a checkpoint. However, if a writer writes to the database during a checkpoint, the wal file cannot be overwritten, leading to potential indefinite growth of the wal file in busy systems.
In contrast, “wal2” mode uses two wal files, allowing writers to switch between them and checkpoint one file while writing to the other. This prevents the wal file from growing indefinitely even if the checkpoint process is interrupted. The main difference between “wal” and “wal2” mode is how checkpointing is handled. In “wal2” mode, the checkpointer has to wait for writers to switch to the other wal file before performing a checkpoint.
The article also mentions that using a wal-hook, registered using sqlite3_wal_hook(), can be used to implement checkpointing strategies for both “wal” and “wal2” mode databases. However, it notes that invoking the wal-hook from within the “COMMIT” command may reduce concurrency in systems using BEGIN CONCURRENT.
Overall, “wal2” mode provides a more efficient and reliable approach to handling write-ahead logging in SQLite databases compared to traditional “wal” mode.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The summarized article is about a new mode called “wal2” in a system that uses two write-ahead log (WAL) files instead of one. This mode improves efficiency by allowing writers to switch between the two files, checkpointing one file while writing to the other. The author finds this mode logical and wonders why it was not implemented earlier. They express anticipation for this mode becoming widely available.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the Bedrock branch of SQLite, which is described as being more interesting. Bedrock utilizes a combination of WAL2 and CONCURRENT techniques. Expensify, a company, has used this branch of SQLite to scale their system to handle 4 million queries per second on a single server. The article provides links for more information on Bedrock and Expensify’s use of SQLite.
8. Could inflammation be the cause of myriad chronic conditions? (2019)
Total comment counts : 18
Summary
This article explains that a website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. If a certain word or phrase, a SQL command, or malformed data is submitted, it can trigger a block. In case you are blocked, you can email the site owner and provide information about what you were doing and the Cloudflare Ray ID.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the concept of inflammation, highlighting how the term is often used vaguely without a clear understanding of its various meanings. It mentions that inflammation can refer to chronic irritation caused by autoimmune diseases, the lingering effects of a postviral syndrome, or a nonhealing wound. The article emphasizes that inflammation is a catch-all term with different specific interpretations.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses a surprising finding that reduced inflammation is the main reason why physical activity is beneficial. Although exercise temporarily increases inflammation markers during and immediately after exertion, regular exercise over time reduces inflammation, contributing to about one-third of its overall benefits.
9. How to build a submarine and survive [video]
Total comment counts : 12
Summary
The article is about the challenges and failures faced by Nico and Elias in building a submarine. They invite readers to a technical consultation session where they will share their story and offer advice on building a submarine. They discuss various technical difficulties, such as choosing suitable pressure tanks, constructing a waterproof hatch, wireless underwater communication, building system redundancies, dealing with CO2, and handling unexpected issues like cracks in the windows or police interference. The focus of the talk is on the technical difficulties that are not widely discussed in literature and the mistakes they made so others can learn from them.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author recalls their childhood obsession with designing a mini-submarine. They were inspired by a book on submarine history and the simplicity of the original Turtle submarine. The author incorporated features like a lead ballast, propellers based on electric trolling motors, a car battery, and ballast tanks for pitch trim control. They also experimented with mechanisms for gimballing the motors and different seating configurations. This fantasy, however, never went beyond the drawing board stage due to its impracticality. The author reflects on the intellectual and creative stimulation they may have gained from the project, as well as the potential escape it provided from boredom and isolation.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author recalls hosting a human-powered submarine race while working for the Navy. The competition attracted university engineering teams and featured a variety of homemade submarine designs. The author found it entertaining to see the creative designs and noted that building a submarine that could be accurately steered under propulsion was more challenging than expected. Many participants failed to account for the fact that a submarine can roll in the water unless there are control surfaces or ballast to prevent it. While no one was lost during the race, a few participants had to be rescued by Navy divers.
10. Slashing data transfer costs in AWS
Total comment counts : 32
Summary
The article discusses the costs associated with data transfer on AWS and offers a workaround to avoid expensive cross-Availability Zone (AZ) data transfer charges. It explains that data transfer from AWS to the public internet incurs fees ranging from $0.09/GB to $0.154/GB. Transferring data between AWS regions can be even more costly, ranging from $0.02/GB to $0.147/GB. However, the article suggests using S3 storage as an intermediary to transfer data between EC2 instances in different AZs. By uploading the data to S3 and then downloading it from the other instance, users can avoid the cross-AZ data transfer costs. While the S3 storage has a cost of $0.023/GB per month, by designing the upload/download to ensure data does not persist in S3 for more than an hour, the total cost can be reduced to about $0.03 instead of the original $20.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses how Lightsail instances can be used to “proxy” data from other AWS resources, such as EC2 instances or S3 buckets. It explains that each Lightsail instance includes a certain amount of data transfer, with the $10 instance offering the best value by providing 3TB of traffic. The article also mentions that using the data provided, 3TB of traffic from an EC2 instance would cost $276.48, while 3TB of traffic from an S3 bucket would cost $69. However, it notes that using Lightsail instances has the downside of both ingress and egress traffic counting as “traffic”.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article explains that there are various tricks available to reduce costs and obtain resources for free. However, these methods are not necessarily dependable. These tricks, similar to those used for crypto mining on GitHub actions through OSS repositories, can be seen as a form of hacking. The article advises treating these tricks as an interesting hacking exercise but warns against deploying them in a production environment without the approval of account managers, as there is a risk of having an AWS account terminated.