1. Modeless Vim
Total comment counts : 72
Summary
The article discusses the importance of user feedback and its impact on improving the product. It also mentions the availability of qualifiers and documentation to assist users. Additionally, it mentions the availability of configuration files that can be used to transform vim into a modeless editor.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the benefits of adding features like syntax highlighting to the text editor Vim. While the author acknowledges the logic behind this, they also express a sense of displeasure, comparing it to installing a V8 engine in a Tesla or replacing the pumpkin in pumpkin pie. The author appreciates the effort to make Vim more accessible but dislikes the execution.
Top 2 Comment Summary
This article advises remapping the Escape key to CapsLock for a better experience with the text editor Vim. The author suggests that the Escape key is crucial and should be easily accessible, as it is commonly used in Vim. They argue that the placement of the Escape key is an historical accident and recommend remapping it to CapsLock. The author acknowledges alternative methods such as using Ctrl+[, Ctrl+C, or the “jk” combination but believes that remapping the Escape key is the best solution. They further mention that their mapping is system-wide and benefits other programs like bash, zsh, fish, gdb, and firenvim.
2. Bluesky has launched RSS feeds
Total comment counts : 28
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The author admits to being addicted to Twitter and unable to focus on anything else. They have made the decision to stop using the platform, including not participating in discussions or using alternative features like Threads or BlueSky. They state that they are opting out completely.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article writer tried something new and noticed that as a new member, all the recommended posts they saw were related to US culture wars. They are unsure if this is a common experience or if it could be influenced by the person who invited them to join.
3. We switched to Java 21 virtual threads and got a deadlock in TPC-C for Postgres
Total comment counts : 29
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses a problem related to the usage of synchronized in Java classes, specifically pointing out that numerous core Java classes rely on synchronized, such as BufferedInputStream. The author notes that there are over 1600 usages of synchronized in the java.base package, making it easier to encounter this issue rather than considering it a rare occurrence. The author shares a personal experience where they encountered the problem while using the com.sun webserver with a virtual thread executor. Due to limited CPU resources, the hang occurred when some connections became blocked, preventing further requests from being processed. Overall, the article emphasizes that the problem is not easily resolved and can have significant implications.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author of the article expresses frustration with the use of AI-generated images in blog posts, finding them to be low effort and diminishing the overall quality of the content.
4. Lichee Console 4A – RISC-V mini laptop: Review, benchmarks and early issues
Total comment counts : 19
Summary
I apologize, but I cannot summarize an article without its content. Please provide the article’s content, and I will be happy to summarize it for you.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author of the article claims that the only option for a small laptop is to buy an old UMPC on eBay, but this is incorrect as there are modern mini laptops available. The author purchased a new 8" mini laptop with a folding touchscreen and an Intel N100 CPU from AliExpress. The laptop has specifications such as 12GB RAM, NVME SSD slot, 1280x800 touchscreen with pen support, USB-C port, HDMI, Ethernet, WiFi 6, and Bluetooth 5.2. Overall, the laptop is considered decent for a Chinese device, with features like a backlit keyboard and compatibility with the Microsoft Surface pen. The 1280x800 resolution may be low by today’s standards, but it is satisfactory for the 8" screen. One downside is that some modern apps may be pushed behind the taskbar due to the 800 vertical resolution on Windows 10. The cursor touchpad may not provide precise control, but the touchscreen with pen support can be used for selecting smaller items. The laptop was priced at $245 + tax during Black Friday, and it is suggested to keep an eye out for sales. The UEFI appears to be fully unlocked with various options for adjusting CPU boost and voltage settings, but the author has not been able to get the CPU to pull more than 6.5w. One drawback of purchasing from a non-established company is that the drivers for the device are emailed to the buyer as a .zip file from the seller, which can be seen as sketchy. However, this is a common practice among Aliexpress devices.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article mentions a chip called TH1520, which is the same SoC as the Lichee Pi 4A. It is said to be faster than JH7110 in microbenchmarks but slower in practical applications, possibly because of its smaller cache. TH1520 is also less power efficient and lacks the upstream support that JH7110 has. The article suggests looking at Pinetab-V, a tablet-laptop based on TH1520, or waiting for Milk-V Oasis, which is set to be released in June and is based on SG2380, the first announced RISC-V SoC with serious performance. The Milk-V Oasis is said to have 16x SiFive P670 and 8x X280, all RVA22 compliant, along with the vector 1.0 extension.
5. Venice’s Secret Service
Total comment counts : 8
Summary
The article discusses the existence of organized intelligence in Renaissance Venice during the 1500s and early 1600s. It focuses on the Council of Ten, the state security body under the Doge, and its role in maintaining secrecy and governing the city. Venice’s secret service was seen as special compared to other European powers, such as Spain, due to its superior managerial practices and information flow. Secrecy was used to limit the exchange of information and govern the city, with citizens participating in reporting on and denouncing each other through anonymous tip boxes. Venice’s diplomats used different ciphers for secure communication, often requiring the exchange of keys. The central department of cryptology managed and provided support for encryption and decryption. The nepotism within the department was seen as a way to pass down cryptologic talent within families. Overall, Venice demonstrated a sophisticated secret service and effective communication channels to protect its interests.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses a 17-page publication titled “The secret service of renaissance Venice: Intelligence organisation in the sixteenth century” by the author. The article serves as the basis for a book. The author’s webpage provides a link to the PDF of the publication. The author also has another related paper on the professionalization of cryptology in sixteenth-century Venice, with a link to the paper provided as well.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author recently visited Venice in late November/December and recommends this time of year due to the less crowded atmosphere. They suggest reading the book “City of Fortune” for an overview of Venetian history. They also mention coming across articles by Ioanna Iordanou. The author expresses interest in understanding what life was like in Venice from 1800 to the present day, but notes a lack of contemporary research on the Venetian economy and society during that time period. They provide a link to the book “City of Fortune” for further information.
6. Victorian Glass Fire Grenades (2020)
Total comment counts : 12
Summary
The article discusses the history of glass fire grenades, which were decorative glass bottles filled with a liquid to put out fires. The earliest ones, dated around 1880, were filled with salt water. Later, they began using carbon tetrachloride, a dangerous substance that could cause health issues and react with water to form a poisonous gas. Despite their shortcomings, glass fire grenades were used for around forty years. The London Fire Brigade is planning a new museum where these objects will be showcased, along with the history of fire safety.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the dangers of carbon tetrachloride and its reaction with water to form phosgene gas, which was used as a chemical weapon in World War One. It highlights the high number of deaths attributed to phosgene and emphasizes the importance of modern sanitation, sterilization, and medicine in increasing longevity while avoiding dangerous substances.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article is about the Elide Fire Ball, a device that the author has mounted on the wall of a small room where there is a higher risk of fire due to electronics and hobby items. While acknowledging that it may not be 100% effective, the author believes that having the fire ball present can provide some level of protection in case of a fire.
7. Niklaus Wirth, or the Importance of Being Simple
Total comment counts : 13
Summary
This article explains that a website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. It states that the reader’s previous action triggered the security solution, which could be due to submitting a specific word or phrase, a SQL command, or malformed data. It suggests contacting the site owner via email to inform them about the blocking incident, including details of the action taken when the page was blocked, along with the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of the page. Lastly, it mentions that the website’s performance and security are managed by Cloudflare.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses Philippe Kahn, co-founder of Borland, and his connection to Professor Niklaus Wirth, the creator of the programming language Pascal. Kahn mentions in a podcast that he chose to attend Wirth’s Pascal class, which had fewer students compared to the Fortran class. He describes Wirth as an enlightened and clear thinker, making the class a great experience for him. The author speculates that Kahn’s positive impressions of Wirth may have influenced Borland’s decision to acquire Compass Pascal.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article explains that the limitations and exclusions in the design of the Pascal language allowed for compact implementations and widespread success. However, many successful versions of Pascal had to extend the language in order to overcome these limitations. The author mentions that they initially liked Pascal but later found themselves spending a lot of time trying to work around its limitations. In contrast, the C language eliminated the need for such workarounds and significantly increased the author’s productivity. The article concludes by stating that although C compilers may have numerous extensions, plain C is still a much more useful language than the original Pascal, which is why C eventually became more popular.
8. Speedbump – a TCP proxy to simulate variable network latency
Total comment counts : 16
Summary
The article discusses the use of a TCP proxy to simulate network latency with variable but predictable levels. The author mentions that they value user feedback and provides a link to their documentation for more details on available qualifiers.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author discovered that they already had the necessary tools installed on their machine to test ActivityPub implementations in different network sizes and conditions. They used the tc command, which allows them to add latency on a specific interface. The tc command is easy to use, works well in Docker containers, and offers various conditions such as delay, packet loss, and duplication.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses a tool developed by Netflix called Latency Monkey, which was used to test how their services handle slowdowns and network issues. The tool dropped a configurable percentage of packets, causing delays and packet reordering. This helped identify issues in their error handling code for network access.
9. How a software glitch at the UK Post Office ruined lives
Total comment counts : 33
Summary
A software error in the UK Post Office’s IT system caused innocent sub-postmasters to be wrongfully convicted and bankrupted between 1999 and 2015. The faulty system, called Horizon, falsely showed that money had gone missing from Post Office accounts, leading to criminal charges against 700 sub-postmasters, some of whom spent time in prison. The scandal has recently gained public awareness and outrage following the broadcast of a TV drama highlighting the sub-postmasters’ fight for justice. The government has pledged to pass legislation to overturn the convictions, but important questions remain unanswered, including who should be held responsible and whether Fujitsu, the company behind Horizon, should pay compensation. The Post Office has already paid over £138 million in compensation.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author reflects on their inspiration for pursuing a PhD in information systems, driven by a desire to understand why IT incompetence persists despite advancements in knowledge and technology. They quickly discovered that this topic had already been extensively researched, leading them to conclude that people and organizations are inherently flawed. The author acknowledges that while organizational research aims to lead us towards improvement, it can sometimes feel futile when some individuals remain indifferent. Although the author is no longer focusing on this topic, they find it interesting that this particular case continues to receive media attention, along with other similar examples.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the technical failures behind the Post Office’s Horizon system. One member of the development team, David McDonnell, admitted that out of the eight people on the team, only two were skilled, two were average, and the rest were incapable of producing professional code. The article emphasizes that blame should be placed on management rather than the developers who made coding errors, as they should not be held responsible for the legal consequences that resulted.
10. Many AI safety orgs have tried to criminalize currently-existing open-source AI
Total comment counts : 33
Summary
The article discusses the concern that some AI safety organizations are advocating for bans on open-source AI models. It points out that while many AI safety organizations support open-source tools for AI safety work, there are a few well-funded organizations pushing for bans on certain types of open-source models. The article provides examples of proposed regulations by these organizations, such as defining “powerful AI systems” based on computational resources, parameter count, or benchmark performance. According to the proposals, AI systems that meet or exceed these measures would be subject to requirements that effectively ban open-sourcing them. However, the article also highlights that these organizations claim their proposals only affect a small fraction of the overall AI development ecosystem. The article concludes by mentioning the existence of lobbying organizations and their potential impact on open-source AI models.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author accuses AI safety proponents of being hypocritical because they should advocate for banning all AI if they practiced what they preached. They argue that there are AI systems causing harm, specifically in the form of obfuscating plagiarism and generating spam on the internet. The author criticizes AI safety advocates for not addressing this issue.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article suggests that the end of open source AI might be nearing because once training data becomes licensed, open source AI will no longer be viable. The author expresses concern about this potential outcome and believes it is almost inevitable. They mention that many people are upset with OpenAI and other organizations for using training data without permission, and speculate that politicians may make it a platform issue and rewrite laws to prevent companies from using data freely. The author concludes that even if court cases are decided in favor of OpenAI, the issue may not be fully resolved.