1. SeaweedFS fast distributed storage system for blobs, objects, files and datalake
Total comment counts : 24
Summary
The article discusses SeaweedFS, a fast distributed storage system for storing blobs, objects, files, and data lakes with support for billions of files. It mentions features such as O(1) disk seek in the blob store, cloud tiering, cross-DC active-active replication, Kubernetes support, POSIX FUSE mount, S3 API and Gateway, Hadoop integration, WebDAV support, encryption, and Erasure Coding.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the use of SeaweedFS as a storage solution for various types of files, including XML documents, image thumbnails, and PDF files. It fills the gap between databases and file systems, providing a more efficient option for handling large numbers of objects. Although the documentation and operational tooling may appear somewhat unconventional, they are effective in getting the job done. The author highlights the surprising lack of open-source S3 API blob stores that cater to the specific needs of storing billions of thumbnails. The article also mentions other solutions such as Minio, Ceph, and base64-encoded bytes in databases but emphasizes the advantages of SeaweedFS. The Wayback Machine’s WARC files and CDX are mentioned as being close to what is desired in terms of file concatenation and indexing with range requests.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses SeaweedFS, a storage system built on top of a blob storage based on Facebook’s Haystack paper. While the features of SeaweedFS are still being developed, it offers a new way of programming for the cloud era. The system allows users to allocate space to write to and receive a file ID, which can be used similarly to a pointer to memory. More features, such as a file system and object store, are expected to be built on top of SeaweedFS.
2. Over the edge: The use of design tactics to undermine browser choice
Total comment counts : 39
Summary
Mozilla commissioned independent researchers to investigate Microsoft’s tactics in preventing effective browser choice on Windows. The researchers found that Microsoft places its own browser, Edge, at the center of the operating system and uses harmful design tactics to undermine rival browsers. This behavior is detrimental to competition and can harm consumers. Mozilla has highlighted the issue of self-preferencing by operating system/browser providers in the past. While there have been some improvements, they are incomplete and limited to certain markets. Regulatory action is needed to restore browser choice and competition across all major platforms.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author of the article mentions trying out the Edge browser to test its “efficiency mode” in terms of battery life on their laptop. However, they found it difficult to use Edge as a privacy-respecting browser that allows users to choose their search engine. The default settings include options like “Microsoft Rewards” and “creator recommendations” which the author had to manually change. The selection for a default search engine is buried in the settings, and even after changing it, new tabs still open with an unchangeable page that uses Microsoft’s search engine. Additionally, Edge sends searches to Microsoft unless another default option is turned off. The author also mentions that after updates, Microsoft prompts users to return their default search engine to Bing. Overall, the author finds these factors to be egregious.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article expresses the opinion that Windows has contradictory elements. On one hand, it has a strong operating system core with notable features like Hyper-V and PowerShell, as well as good backward compatibility. On the other hand, it is criticized for having a poor, slow, and inconsistent user interface that includes advertisements, “Rewards” Points, and tracking.
3. Origami Simulator
Total comment counts : 13
Summary
The Origami Simulator is an app that allows users to simulate how any origami crease pattern will fold. It utilizes a simulation method that folds every crease simultaneously rather than following sequential steps. The app was created as a final project for Geometric Folding Algorithms and utilizes GPU computation for fast performance. It can import curved crease patterns and provides options for controlling the degree of folding, rotating the model, and zooming. The app also allows users to upload their own crease patterns in SVG or FOLD formats and export FOLD files or 3D models. The app’s features are further described in the accompanying 7OSME paper and project website. In terms of design tips, the app provides guidance on importing FOLD and SVG files correctly.
Top 1 Comment Summary
This article discusses a new interactive player called Foldmation, which allows users to simulate step-by-step folding. The player supports various actions such as play, replay, forward, back, and restart. The steps are generated by the creator through the user interface and include folds like squash, petal, crimp, rabbit ear, and inside & outside reverse folds. To learn more, readers can visit the tutorial on the create page of Foldmation’s website. The article also mentions that the tool is best viewed on a computer or tablet rather than a mobile device.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article mentions that the person finds the topic really interesting and plans to create some beginner-level origami in real life.
4. A decoder-only foundation model for time-series forecasting
Total comment counts : 13
Summary
The article discusses the use of deep learning models for time-series forecasting. It highlights the benefits of improving forecasting accuracy, especially in the retail industry. The article introduces TimesFM, a single forecasting model that is pre-trained on a large time-series corpus. TimesFM performs well on unseen datasets and has a much smaller size compared to other language models. The article explains the structure and training process of TimesFM, highlighting the use of stacked transformer layers and a multilayer perceptron block. It also discusses the capability of the model to predict a longer length of subsequent time-points than the input patch length. The article concludes by mentioning plans to make the model available for external customers.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The research in the field of time series analysis is conflicting, with different methods claiming to be the most effective. The ETS model, a weighted moving average, performs better than recent deep learning models according to a graph. However, the papers for those deep learning models argue that they outperform ETS and other basic methods by a significant margin. Some researchers support new transformer models as the state-of-the-art (SOTA) for time series analysis, while others claim that transformers are not suitable and propose their own MLP variant as SOTA. Some papers argue that deep learning underperforms compared to xgboost/lightgbm models. Overall, the diverse nature of time series data makes it difficult to determine a universal foundation model for analysis. Transfer learning, which works well in language models, is flawed in time series analysis because most time series data is noisy and lacks sufficient context to transfer information between different time series.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the progress in tabular deep learning and explains that tree-based algorithms like Catboost and XGBoost have been the state-of-the-art (SOTA) models in this area. The article suggests that a new development is seen as a significant move towards achieving a deep learning model that is more generalizable, rather than relying on tree models.
5. Notcurses: Blingful character graphics/TUI library
Total comment counts : 14
Summary
This is a brief statement expressing that the feedback given by users is carefully reviewed and considered. It also mentions the availability of qualifiers and refers to a character graphics/TUI library, stating that it is not curses.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article provides an FAQ about the use of Notcurses. It mentions that Notcurses is licensed under Apache2 and can be used in closed-source programs. The author suggests various creative ways to use Notcurses, including implementing Microsoft Bob, using it in ballistic missiles for LED displays, and taunting Richard Stallman.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article mentions that the same author who wrote the readme/faq has recently published a novel called “midnight’s simulacra.” If you enjoy the author’s writing style in the readme/faq, you may also enjoy this novel, which is suggested as a good vacation read.
6. Full $71M breakdown for The Village by M. Night Shyamalan (2003) [pdf]
Total comment counts : 20
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses various expenses and fees related to the production of a film. It mentions that director Shyamalan received a large fee, which is typically around 5% of the budget. The article also highlights the surprising high cost of hiring a music composer compared to other expenses. It notes that Hollywood budgets can be inflated in certain areas. Examples of specific expenses include a generator operator fee, generator rental fee, matte shots/plates, wrap party allowance, digital intermediate (DI), foley, titles, AVID machine rental, and MIDI file transfer. The article concludes by mentioning that these figures are in 2003 currency.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the importance of Howard’s character in the movie and speculates on why he was able to demand higher pay. It mentions that Howard had been in “Gladiator” prior to this film and had become a sought-after actor. The article also mentions that other actors in the movie, such as William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Adrien Brody, and Brendan Gleeson, were also paid well. Despite receiving negative reviews from critics, the movie was still successful at the box office. The article mentions that renowned film critic Roger Ebert ranked it as the tenth worst film of 2004 and included it in his “Most Hated” list. The author of the article personally enjoyed the film, considering themselves a simple person.
7. Designer News is dead
Total comment counts : 22
Summary
Designer News, a popular online community for product designers, has shut down after being sold to a job board called WeWorkRemotely. The community was known for its focus on text-based discussions, which set it apart from other visually-oriented design forums. In its early years, Designer News had a high-quality membership, but as it opened up to the public, the site’s post quality declined and spam became prevalent. Designer News was created by Layervault, a company that built a version control system for design files. Despite efforts from the new owners, the community gradually declined and became a ghost town. The author expresses sadness over the demise of Designer News and shares a replacement online space for product discussions.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author used to frequently visit Designer News and eventually became a moderator. Initially, being a moderator was enjoyable but also required more effort than expected. They felt pressure to make the right decisions when it came to downranking stories and banning users. However, over time, it seemed that the site’s higher-ups lost interest, and moderation couldn’t solve issues like spam. A couple of years ago, the author briefly returned to the site and cleaned up spam and low-quality posts in hopes of reviving the platform. Unfortunately, this effort was in vain as hardly anyone, except spammers, was contributing to the site at that point.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article is about the shutdown of a platform called Designer News, which was originally launched by the LayerVault team in 2013. It mentions that the platform went offline recently and provides a link for more information. The author expresses disappointment about the shutdown and shares this information for designers and UI engineers who may be interested.
8. Fiber Optics Bring You Internet. Now They’re Also Listening to Trains
Total comment counts : 10
Summary
Scientists are using distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) technology to monitor various activities and phenomena by analyzing vibrations in fiber optic cables. DAS has been used to monitor cicada emergences, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes. Now, researchers are experimenting with using DAS to monitor railroads. When a train runs along a section of track, it creates vibrations that can be monitored using DAS. Any sudden changes in the signal could indicate a problem with the rail, such as a crack or a snapped tie. DAS can also detect gradual changes that may indicate faults in track alignment. Fiber optic cables already run along many railways for signaling equipment or telecommunications, making it convenient to tap into the existing infrastructure to implement DAS. An interrogator device is used to send laser pulses down the cables and analyze the light reflections to measure the distance to a disturbance near the track. By comparing the DAS data over time, any deviations can be identified and addressed before they become a problem. DAS technology has the potential to reduce the human labor required for inspecting railroad tracks, and it can even detect unauthorized activities, such as people walking along the tracks or digging for copper. The challenge with DAS is the massive amount of data it generates, so machine learning is used for automation and analysis.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses how sensors can be used to monitor powerline sag and temperature. It mentions that the full transcript of the podcast is available for those who prefer text. The article provides a link to the podcast.
Top 2 Comment Summary
This article discusses various applications of lasers and glass, including current sensing through Faraday effect, temperature and/or strain measurement with Fiber Bragg Gratings, and displacement measurement through Fabry Perot interferometry.
9. Pkl, a Programming Language for Configuration
Total comment counts : 94
Summary
The article introduces the first release of Pkl, an open-source programming language for creating configuration. It discusses the limitations of static languages like JSON, YAML, and Property Lists when dealing with complex configurations and the drawbacks of using general-purpose languages for configuration. Pkl aims to blend the best aspects of both types of languages by providing a declarative and readable syntax with features like classes, functions, conditionals, and loops. It can be used to create static configuration files or be embedded as a library in other applications. Pkl focuses on safety, scalability, and being developer-friendly with features like type annotations and constraints, package management, and IDE integrations. The article provides examples of how Pkl can be used for defining configuration schemas, generating variations of data, and implementing validation. It also mentions the ability to publish and import packages in Pkl.
Top 1 Comment Summary
This article includes a link to a website called “https://pkl-lang.org/index.html", which is mentioned on a thread from Hacker News. The article also mentions that this thread has been merged.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the benefits of using modules to directly validate types. It mentions that while configuration tends to become more complex, TypeScript and schema validation tools like Effect.Schema or Zod are highly recommended. These tools may require more code, but they offer flexibility and can be adapted as per requirements.
10. Goodbye non-KISS appliances
Total comment counts : 63
Summary
The author shares their experience with multiple refrigerators, highlighting their frustrations with the complexity and frequent repairs of French-door models. They mention the reliability of a side-by-side Kenmore refrigerator they have in their garage, which was bought as a scratch-and-dent model. They then discuss their negative experiences with a French-door Kenmore refrigerator, including multiple repairs for the same issue and the inconvenience of dealing with the company’s extended warranty. They go on to describe their dissatisfaction with a GE Café refrigerator, listing various problems such as a hack to bypass the water filter lock-in, failures of the evaporator fan and condenser fan, and issues with the touch screen LCD. Despite these problems, the author mentions finding hacks and workarounds to deal with some of the issues.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the preference for “dumb” appliances over “smart” or “wifi-enabled” ones. It mentions that while it is becoming difficult to find non-smart refrigerators, some companies like Electrolux, KitchenAid, and LG still produce basic models that can save both money and frustration. The article expresses hope that these companies will continue serving the market of people who prefer simpler technology.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the author’s positive experience with purchasing a reliable and hassle-free Brother laser printer based on advice from an online forum. The author is now seeking similar recommendations for white goods such as fridges, freezers, and laundry machines.