1. M 4.8 – 2024 Whitehouse Station, New Jersey Earthquake
Total comment counts : 76
Summary
The Earthquake Event Page application recommends using the latest browsers and offers real-time notifications, feeds, and web services.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The round valley reservoir near the author’s location has been undergoing work for years. Last fall, it received authorization to be pumped back to full capacity, a process that was expected to take years. However, due to heavy rainfall, the reservoir has already been pumped back to 92% capacity from 66%. The author is wondering if this increase in water volume has affected the fault’s pressure. They provide a link to the daily operations data of the reservoir. The author also mentions experiencing aftershocks, including a recent 2.0 earthquake. They provide a link to the earthquake’s information on the USGS website.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author strongly felt an earthquake in southern Westchester county, NY, which was different from a previous earthquake in NYC. The author described the vibrations as similar to a large truck passing nearby, but more intense and unpleasant. The earthquake lasted for about 15 seconds. As a result, the author is now inspecting their utilities and checking for any damage.
2. Language models as compilers: Simulating pseudocode execution
Total comment counts : 15
Summary
The article discusses arXivLabs, a framework that enables developers and collaborators to create and share new features for the arXiv website. Both individuals and organizations have embraced the values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy that arXiv promotes. The article also highlights that arXiv works only with partners who adhere to these values. Additionally, the article mentions that arXivLabs encourages individuals to propose projects that would benefit the arXiv community. The article ends by informing readers that they can receive status notifications via email or Slack.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author expresses skepticism about the use of non-deterministic compilers, stating that finding and fixing issues caused by underlying layers can be costly. They believe that long-lived mutable objects (LLMs) have a lot of progress to make before such use cases become appealing.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the potential direction of LLM (Language and Learning Model) research, suggesting that it may move towards a setup where LLMs focus on extracting entities and relations, while the actual logic is performed by a logical engine like Prolog. The writer humorously compares this future scenario to the concept that an advanced LLM would be indistinguishable from Prolog.
3. FFmpeg 7.0
Total comment counts : 22
Summary
The article discusses the release of FFmpeg versions 7.0 “Dijkstra”, 6.1 “Heaviside”, and 6.0 “Von Neumann”. Version 7.0 introduces a native VVC decoder, IAMF support, and a multi-threaded ffmpeg CLI tool. It is not backwards compatible, removing deprecated APIs. The libavcodec library includes a native VVC decoder and the libavformat library can read and write IAMF files. The major components of the transcoding pipeline now run in parallel, improving throughput and CPU utilization. Version 6.1 includes changes to FFT, MDCT, DCT, and DST implementation, optimizations for RISC-V, and improvements to timestamp accuracy. Version 6.0 adds new encoders, decoders, filters, and improvements to the ffmpeg CLI tool. Major releases will now bump the version of the ABI and there are plans for a new major release each year.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the author’s experience using FFmpeg, a software that helps convert video codecs. The author recalls struggling to convert DivX .avi files into an MP4 format for their iPod Video as a young Windows user. They emphasize that FFmpeg was a significant discovery as it provided a free solution to their problem, whereas other options were expensive shareware. The author concludes by stating that FFmpeg remains a reliable tool even after two decades.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the recent addition of large language models to FFmpeg, which allows users to translate their commands into executable FFmpeg commands. The author highlights the convenience and efficiency that this AI assistant provides, especially for those who frequently use FFmpeg.
4. Former University of Iowa hospital employee used fake identity for 35 years
Total comment counts : 29
Summary
A former University of Iowa Hospital employee, Matthew David Keirans, pleaded guilty to federal charges for living under another man’s identity since 1988. Keirans used the name William Donald Woods and obtained employment, insurance, and official documents under this false identity. He also paid taxes and obtained fraudulent identification cards. Keirans worked at the hospital as a systems architect and earned over $700,000 during his 10-year tenure. He obtained multiple loans under Woods’ name, accumulating more than $200,000 in debt. The real William Woods discovered the identity theft when he went to a bank to close his accounts. Keirans was terminated from his job due to the identity theft investigation. He was convicted of false statements and aggravated identity theft, facing up to 32 years in federal prison.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article states that William Woods, who claimed he was not Matthew Kierans, was ruled mentally incompetent to stand trial and sent to a mental hospital in California. Woods received psychotropic medication and other mental health treatment. The author expresses sympathy and hopes that the real Woods takes legal action against the system that caused him harm.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses how University of Iowa Police Detective Ian Mallory tested a father’s DNA against Woods’ DNA and confirmed that Woods was indeed the man’s son. The author questions why this test had to be initiated by the university police and why the Los Angeles police did not do it initially. They also wonder why the judge who sent the real Woods to a mental hospital did not request the DNA test before making their judgment.
5. Fake AI law firms are sending fake DMCA threats to generate fake SEO gains
Total comment counts : 16
Summary
The article discusses a new tactic being used by fake law firms to demand backlinks from website owners. It tells the story of a writer who received a DMCA Copyright Infringement Notice from a law firm called Commonwealth Legal, requesting that he add a credit to their client, Tech4Gods, on his website within five days. However, there are several issues that suggest Commonwealth Legal is not a legitimate firm, such as its questionable registration date and location, as well as the AI-generated faces on its website. The article explains that the motive behind these fake law firms is to obtain backlinks, which are important for search engine optimization. The owner of Tech4Gods admits to buying backlinks for his site and suspects a former contractor may be trying to harm his ranking with spam links. As of the time the article was written, the writer had not heard back from Commonwealth Legal.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article argues that the legal system is inaccessible and non-existent for individuals and small to medium-sized companies. Only large corporations and law firms have the resources to afford using the legal system, which leads to an imbalance of power. Even big tech companies often avoid legal battles due to the high costs involved, but if they do engage, they usually come out victorious. As a result, individuals and smaller entities are vulnerable to abuse in various ways.
Top 2 Comment Summary
This article discusses the issue of copyright claims and settlement offers for online content. The author explains that such claims are common and often accompanied by offers ranging from $200 to $1,000 to resolve them. The author states that approximately 50% of the claims are scams, while 45% are legitimate, resulting in settlements being paid and writers being reminded about citing images and copyright. The remaining 5% of cases are described as the worst, as some photographers with open licenses like CC BY-NC partner with law firms to send demand letters to businesses that improperly use the open license, exploiting nuances of open licenses and confusing writers who may miss the NC part of the license review. The author expresses their disdain for using open licenses like Creative Commons to make money through copyright shakedowns.
6. Show HN: FizzBee – Formal methods in Python
Total comment counts : 9
Summary
FizzBee is a formal specification language and model checker used to specify and verify distributed systems. It allows users to explore all possible behaviors and interactions of the system. FizzBee uses a Python-like language with an imperative style, making it easy to use and productive in a short amount of time. Additionally, FizzBee includes a probabilistic model checker for modeling performance characteristics like latency, throughput, and availability SLAs. The article also mentions the use of cookies to provide a better user experience and to analyze user behavior for website improvement.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the author’s difficulty in finding Python code on a website because it was labeled as “Python-like” rather than “Python.” The author suggests changing the title to accurately represent the content. They also mention not recognizing the *.fizz files as Python.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author is interested in using a particular tool in a real program, but they are unsure how it would work. They have looked through the documentation and did not find any information on how it would interface with other languages. The author suggests using this tool as a domain-specific language interface to a general programming language, specifically Python. However, they are unsure about what the API would look like or the correct way to utilize it. The author asks for any thoughts on this matter.
7. German state ditches Microsoft for Linux and LibreOffice
Total comment counts : 39
Summary
The German state of Schleswig-Holstein has announced plans to switch from proprietary software, such as Windows and Office, to free and open-source systems, including Linux and LibreOffice. The decision is based on the concept of “digital sovereignty,” which aims to protect citizens’ data from foreign companies and promote competition among European tech companies. The move is also driven by concerns about data security, cost-effectiveness, and seamless collaboration. Other countries, like China, have also made similar transitions to Linux in order to have local control over their desktop systems.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the author’s belief that there is no alternative to using LibreOffice due to changes introduced by Microsoft. The author states that Microsoft now requires users to log in with a Microsoft account and has transitioned from a desktop app to a web app. The author, along with conservative users and German state institutions, prefer to use classic desktop apps rather than web apps that rely on the cloud. The article also mentions that LibreOffice has improved since the discussion began.
Top 2 Comment Summary
This article criticizes the use of Microsoft Office in favor of Google Docs. The author shares a personal experience of helping an elderly relative who struggled with finding saved files and had to redo hours of work multiple times. The author also mentions the confusing nature of Microsoft’s cloud-based saving system. Overall, the article questions why people would choose to deal with the perceived complexities and issues of Microsoft Office when there are alternatives available.
8. OpenBSD 7.5
Total comment counts : 16
Summary
The article provides a list of new features and improvements included in OpenBSD 7.5. Some of the highlights include various kernel improvements such as support for binary modulo operator, additional timeout flags, font enhancements, and improvements to out-of-swap checking. The article also mentions updates to the Direct Rendering Manager, graphics drivers, VMM/VMD improvements, and various bug fixes and tweaks in the userland. Additionally, new features are introduced in the userland, such as improved backtrace support in malloc, additional options in cksum and ps, and support for various file formats in pax and tar.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article suggests checking the new pinsyscalls(2) for OpenBSD. The author prefers OpenBSD over GNU/Linux but encourages readers to do their own research and consider different viewpoints. The full article can be found at https://isopenbsdsecu.re/mitigations/pinsyscall/.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The user is asking for opinions on the OpenBSD security model in 2024. They want to know if it is more secure than minimal Linux distros like Ubuntu Minimal or Debian Stable. They find it challenging to compare OS security these days due to varying opinions. They are looking for input from someone with a security background.
9. XDP for game programmers
Total comment counts : 12
Summary
The article introduces a new blog called Más Bandwidth that focuses on game network programming and scalable backend engineering. It discusses topics such as games with thousands of players, virtual worlds, performance in virtual spaces, overlay worlds in augmented reality, telepresence and remote working in virtual reality, and game streaming. The author predicts that with the advancement of internet speed in the next 10 years, there will be significant changes in game development and usage of bandwidth. The article also explains the use of XDP/eBPF technology, a kernel bypass technology for achieving maximum bandwidth for applications. It provides an overview of how XDP/eBPF works, what can be done with it, and includes example code for simple XDP programs. The article also mentions the eBPF technology that allows for compiling, linking, and running XDP programs in the Linux Kernel. There are instructions provided on how to set up the machine for compiling and running eBPF programs.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article suggests calling eBPF “kernel shaders” in order to confuse people in the graphics, OS, and GPGPU fields.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author of the article claims to have developed a high-performance metaverse client that can download half a gigabit per second or more. They argue that the XDP (eXpress Data Path) technology, which is designed to improve network performance, is addressing the wrong problem for the metaverse. They explain that most of the traffic in a metaverse consists of downloading bulk content, with highly interactive traffic over UDP (User Datagram Protocol) being minimal. The author also mentions that latency is important for interactive traffic but not as crucial for large file transfers. Practical issues such as data caps are mentioned, and the author warns against using game-specific code in the kernel due to security concerns.
10. Letting go of the idea of keeping up
Total comment counts : 21
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
This article discusses the stress of keeping up with spare time reading. The author argues that while the stress of keeping up with technology or research stems from professional obligations and competition, there is not much stress associated with hobby reading. Therefore, the conclusion of the article, which advises not to worry about keeping up with spare time reading, is targeted towards a small audience of professionals in the field of books where staying up-to-date is important.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author discusses their experience working on a team where reading was highly valued and expected. Despite reading regularly, they felt uncomfortable because their preferences for technical content and shorter works were not seen as sufficient by their colleagues. Their lack of participation in reading discussions was even raised as an example of their negative attitude.