1. On clock faces, 4 is Expressed as IIII, not IV
Total comment counts : 40
Summary
This article discusses the use of Roman numerals on clocks and the unconventional notation of “4” as “IIII” instead of “IV”. It explains that this convention dates back to the late 14th century when King Charles V of France believed that “IV” brought bad luck because it subtracted 1 from his title, 5. The notation “IIII” was used in the Wells Cathedral clock in England and became conventional in the industry due to its visual balance on radial dial plates. The article also mentions the unexpected history of clock numbers using Roman numerals.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the numerical notation of 4 in Roman numerals. It states that while the usual form is IV, the usage of IIII was also common in the Roman Empire, and the two notations could even be mixed in the same document or inscription. The article also mentions that for clock faces, using IIII instead of IV may have simplified the manufacturing process.
Top 2 Comment Summary
This article discusses the reasons behind using a specific engraving method for watch numbers. The method involves mass-engraving a single plate and splitting it into blocks of numbers. By utilizing this technique, watch numbers can be produced efficiently with minimal material waste.
2. Brain waves appear to wash out waste during sleep in mice
Total comment counts : 26
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
This article discusses the newly discovered glymphatic nervous system and its importance for sleep quantity and quality. The glymphatic nervous system explains how poor sleep affects daily cognition, mental health, and age-related declines. The article suggests that Maiken Nedergaard may win a Nobel Prize for the discovery of the glymphatic nervous system.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses a study conducted by researchers at Washington University that explores the role of neurons in removing waste from the brain during sleep. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other organizations, but access to the paper is not freely available. The article criticizes the lack of open access to grant-funded research.
3. Algorithms for Modern Hardware
Total comment counts : 11
Summary
The article is about an upcoming book titled “Algorithms for Modern Hardware” by Sergey Slotin. The book is aimed at performance engineers, algorithm researchers, and computer science students. The book materials are hosted on GitHub, and code is stored in a separate repository. The author welcomes contributions, bug fixes, and feedback. The release date of the book is not specified, but it will be split into several parts that will be completed sequentially. The book will be available online for free, and there may be e-book and printed editions sold on a “pay what you want” basis. The author mentions potential translations of the book and expresses a desire to change the way computer science is taught in colleges, with a focus on performance engineering. The first part of the book covers computer architecture and optimization of single-threaded algorithms, including topics such as caching and SIMD.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article is discussing previous postings on a website called Hacker News, with links to different discussions. The dates range from November 1, 2022, to March 7, 2022, and each discussion had various numbers of comments.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The English version of the article is incomplete and lacks most of the algorithms. The author has provided feedback and plans to open a GitHub issue regarding missing information in the compiler flags section. They mention that the Os optimization for size, LTO, and dead code elimination could be included. PGO (Profile Guided Optimization) should be mentioned as well. The author also suggests discussing AutoFDO, which makes running FDO (Feedback Directed Optimization) feasible in production. They point out that cold annotations and hot/cold code splitting are not mentioned in the article.
4. Affordable Wheel Based Refreshable Braille Display
Total comment counts : 28
Summary
The article discusses a project to create an affordable and easy-to-manufacture Braille reader. The author describes their collaboration with Mahmoud Al-Qudsi, who had previously worked on a device using octagonal wheels with codes. The current Braille readers on the market are expensive and not easily accessible. The author explores different designs and challenges assumptions about criteria for a minimum viable product. They also criticize the high prices of existing devices and the over-engineering of solutions. The author plans to create 4:1 scale models using common materials to evaluate and debug their concepts. The first study involves using a ballpoint pen-like mechanism for each dot. The downside is that the mechanisms are relatively large.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author of the article mentions that as a blind person, they believe that noise, power consumption, and fragility are factors that can be compromised with a braille display. They believe that having a braille display in school and university would have helped with math issues. They state that if a braille display is affordable and functional, it would be a significant advancement for many people. The author also mentions that screen readers are useful for plain text and GUI navigation, but having a physical object like an equation to touch would make it easier to understand.
Top 2 Comment Summary
This article highlights an impressive example of innovation that concerns Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) of large companies. It discusses the potential of an intelligent outsider who uses basic tools like pen and paper, a computer, and a 3D printer to develop a disruptive proof of concept (PoC) within a few weeks. The author expresses their desire for this idea to become a reality and hopes it encourages others to create affordable braille readers. The project’s inspiration came about 48 days ago, and more information can be found in the provided link.
5. An alternate pattern-matching conditional for Elisp
Total comment counts : 5
Summary
The article discusses the efforts to simplify Emacs Lisp (Elisp) by removing the use of Common Lisp features and introducing a new pattern-matching conditional called cond*. Richard Stallman, the creator of Emacs, finds the existing macro, pcase, overly complex and cryptic. He aims to create a more concise and simpler alternative that combines the cond form and let for handling multiple values and variable bindings. Stallman’s proposal led to a lengthy discussion and debate among developers. The article also mentions ongoing efforts to improve the documentation for pcase and resolve confusion related to its use of punctuation marks.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article is about the documentation of pcase, a macro in Emacs Lisp. It provides a link to the official GNU documentation for pcase and another link to a version of pcase with cond*.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article suggests that the “cond” function in a programming language reads more like the “do” notation in Haskell, rather than the “match” function.
6. Telefunken Datenspeicher
Total comment counts : 3
Summary
The article discusses a device found in a school that appears to be a serial arithmetic logic unit (ALU) with registers and storage. The device does not have a program sequencer or storage, but it can input values into the bit storage and potentially perform calculations using the registers. The article speculates about the function of various symbols and buttons on the device, such as AD, EX, AS, and a dial with numbers 7 and 8. The article suggests that the dial functions as a clock circuit, emitting clock pulses based on the value selected. Buttons on the main table allow for data entry and single-step clocking. The article concludes by noting that the device’s functionality is based on assumptions made from the pictures shown and suggests reading the schematics for more precise information.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the past existence of places where engineers and inventors were capable of designing new vacuum tubes effortlessly. Additionally, they were skilled at establishing factories that could produce vacuum tubes in large quantities at affordable prices. The author finds it fascinating how these individuals would apply their expertise to programmable electronics, particularly solid-state technology.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article highlights the appeal of machines that were built during a time when Germans still used their own language to refer to technical items.
7. Self-Printing Machine Code (2005)
Total comment counts : 4
Summary
The article discusses a 12-byte x86 program that writes itself to standard output when executed in a DOS environment. The program is compatible with MS-DOS 6.22, Windows 98, and DOSBox, and can be executed by writing the bytes to a file with a .COM extension. The article also provides instructions on how to demonstrate and verify the program’s output. The program is disassembled to reveal its functionality, which involves reading the program’s bytes and writing them to standard output. The program is then compared to the definition of a quine, which is a program that produces an identical copy of its own source code as its output. Although the x86 program produces identical output, it is not considered a proper quine because it does not meet the requirement of taking no input.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author created something similar to what is being discussed in the article and searched extensively for information on it being a quine. They express gratitude for the information shared.
8. Fuzzing Ladybird with tools from Google Project Zero
Total comment counts : 9
Summary
The article discusses the use of a security research tool called Domato to test and find issues in Ladybird, a web content tool. The author discovers several issues, including a null pointer dereference and incorrect handling of and elements, as well as problems with onfoo event handlers on the element and cyclical references in SVG gradients. The author also identifies a bug in the HTML spec and highlights the process of finding and fixing specification bugs. Fixes for the discovered issues are implemented in Ladybird.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article highlights the importance of having multiple implementations of a specification. It mentions the discovery of a loophole in the specification, and implies that there could be or already have been additional issues found.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article highlights the project’s ability to demonstrate how a small group can create something incredible, emphasizing how difficult this would be to achieve in a company with stakeholders.
9. Cloudflare loses 22% of its domains in Freenom .tk shutdown
Total comment counts : 17
Summary
A large number of domains on TLDs controlled by Freenom (.tk, .cf, and .gq) have been shut down, resulting in a significant decrease in websites hosted by Cloudflare. This represents a 98.7% drop from the previous month. These domains were country code top-level domains for Tokelau, Central African Republic, and Equatorial Guinea, but were rarely used by entities from those countries. The drop in domains is likely due to a series of events that started with Freenom being sued for ignoring abuse complaints. Freenom subsequently paused new domain registrations, and the amount of cybercrime decreased on two TLDs that moved away from Freenom. Freenom announced its exit from the domain name business on February 12, 2024. This loss has affected Cloudflare, as the .tk, .cf, and .gq domains previously accounted for 23.1% of all domains hosted on its platform. The number of SSL certificates issued to .tk domains indicates when the shutdown occurred. The shutdown has led to a decrease in the number of malicious URLs blocked on these TLDs.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author reminisces about their experiences with using the .tk domain as a child, as it was the only way for them to create websites without a bank account or international credit card. They created numerous websites using .tk for classmates, school, and family.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article argues that although there may be complaints about Cloudflare hosting criminals, there would also be complaints if Cloudflare had the power to take down websites it doesn’t like. The author believes that the current outcome is the best because it shows that the system is working, even if it is slow. The author suggests that it is preferable for Cloudflare not to act as the internet police more than necessary.
10. Libraries struggle to afford e-books, seek new laws in fight with publishers
Total comment counts : 20
Summary
Libraries in the United States are struggling to afford the rising costs of e-books and audiobooks. These digital titles often come with a significantly higher price tag than what consumers pay. For example, while a library may purchase a hardcover copy of a book for $18, it costs $55 to lease a digital copy. Additionally, e-books expire after a limited time or a certain number of checkouts. Libraries have been advocating for legislation to address the affordability and restriction issues surrounding electronic materials, but they face opposition from the publishing industry. The pandemic has increased the popularity of e-books, leading to long waiting lists and limited digital offerings. Lawmakers in several states have proposed bills to close the affordability gap, but the publishing industry argues that such legislation undermines intellectual property rights. Libraries are struggling to maintain their collections due to the high costs of replacing expired e-books. Dumping e-books and audiobooks is not considered an option for libraries as many patrons rely on these resources. Maryland and New York have previously attempted to regulate publishing transactions with libraries but faced legal obstacles. Some current legislative proposals aim to allow libraries to negotiate deals with publishers on specific terms, rather than mandating publishers to take certain actions.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article suggests that changing copyright laws to allow book owners to freely convert physical books into digital formats and vice versa could be a solution. Additionally, the article suggests restricting the ability to lease books, so people have complete ownership after purchase. The idea is to allow book owners to donate their books to libraries, which could then scan or purchase scanned copies for restricted checkouts. The Internet Archive is mentioned as doing something similar, but it is unclear if libraries could donate their books to the Internet Archive for electronic versions.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The publishing industry argues that if someone cannot afford to buy or rent a book, they can use a public or university library to access it. However, this argument has become more of a cliché than a valid point. With the rise of e-books, the industry has limited library capabilities, requiring payment for lending and restricting the number of simultaneous lends. Many universities have cancelled access contracts for papers due to high costs, and smaller universities cannot afford these subscriptions. The article suggests that the publishing industry needs more regulation as the free market is not effective in this area.