1. Atomic nucleus excited with laser: A breakthrough after decades
Total comment counts : 31
Summary
Physicists have achieved a major breakthrough by exciting the “thorium transition” using lasers. This discovery opens the door to revolutionary high precision technologies, such as nuclear clocks. The thorium transition is a specific state of thorium atomic nuclei that has been sought after by scientists for years. By using a laser to transfer the atomic nuclei into a higher energy state and tracking its return to its original state, researchers can combine quantum physics and nuclear physics. The key to this success was the development of special thorium-containing crystals. This achievement has significant implications for precision measurements and fundamental questions in physics.
Top 1 Comment Summary
Two different groups have confirmed the measurement of a nuclear transition using Thorium-doped crystals. This is significant because impurities in the crystals can cause fluorescence that may be mistaken for a signal from the Thorium ions. The fact that two separate groups have observed the same signal in different crystals adds to the credibility of the discovery. The article confirming the measurement can be found at the following link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.12311
Top 2 Comment Summary
This article discusses the limitations of our understanding of the internal structure of the proton or nucleon. It highlights the challenges of detecting and interpreting data from high-energy collisions in quantum chromodynamics (QCD). The author expresses excitement about the potential of using photons and lasers to uncover new information and improve precision in this field.
2. I found one of my first programs (Java, 2011) on the Wayback Machine and it runs
Total comment counts : 41
Summary
The article discusses the author’s early program that was designed to find valid English crossword fills based on a grid pattern using beam search. The author recently found the program as a jar file on the Wayback Machine and was able to run it successfully on their MacBook Air. Although the source code was not originally shared online, someone was able to recover a similar version using a decompiler. The author encourages readers to download and enjoy the program or compile and run the decompiled source.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the author’s experience of creating a publishing workflow management system for a major newspaper using Perl 4. Despite being limited to Perl 4 and not being allowed to use a database, the author managed to develop a software that routed page images to presses, generated PDFs of each page and edition, and published them on a static website. The system also included a postscript parser to extract data from completed newspaper pages. The author was initially told that the software would only run temporarily until a commercial product replaced it, but it has been functioning since its launch in January 2002. The software currently handles about 80% of its original intended functions and is still in use by hundreds of people daily. Various attempts to replace it have failed over the past 22 years, possibly due to both the author’s unconventional code and the resistance of their old boss, who still works at the newspaper.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article reflects on the author’s experience with the Wayback Machine, expressing nostalgia and amazement at how it captures and preserves memories from different moments in their life. The Wayback Machine allows the author to revisit old pictures, landing pages for their previous companies, and blog posts from deleted sources. The author finds this ability to access and relive past moments to be incredible.
3. Common DB schema change mistakes in Postgres
Total comment counts : 14
Summary
The article discusses the topic of schema migrations in relational databases, specifically focusing on the challenges, mistakes, and risks associated with making schema changes. The author shares their personal experience and highlights the importance of automated testing and cloning of databases for development and testing purposes. They advise readers to refer to GitLab’s documentation and promote the upcoming PGCon-2022 conference. The term “DB schema migration” is defined, and the three categories of schema migration mistakes are discussed. The article provides an example of a common mistake and suggests ways to address it.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author of the article expresses their appreciation for Postgres but mentions that one aspect they find challenging is managing roles. They describe the interface as confusing and insufficiently documented, requiring trial and error to figure out how things work. The author suggests the need for a comprehensive “cookbook” to make working with roles easier, stating that if even just one person can use it without frustration, it would be valuable.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article advises using “lock_timeout” when running schema migrations in production. Even seemingly harmless modifications, such as dropping a table with foreign keys or dropping a foreign key, can cause lock conflicts in a heavily-used production database. The ALTER command will wait for the lock of the first transaction, which in turn prevents any queries from running against the locked table. Therefore, it is recommended to use “lock_timeout” to avoid blocking all other queries and to allow the migration to fail after the specified timeout. The article highlights that encountering these conflicts is inevitable when dealing with PostgreSQL at scale.
4. Husband and wife outed as GRU spies aiding bombings and poisonings across Europe
Total comment counts : 16
Summary
The article discusses the role of GRU Unit 29155, a Russian assassination and sabotage squad, in blowing up ammunition warehouses in Czechia. It reveals that a family of deep-cover Russian spies, Elena and Nikolai Šapošnikov, served as arms dealers and facilitated these bombings. The Šapošnikovs operated from Villa Elena, a hotel in Greece, which served as a safehouse for members of Unit 29155. The Czech Intelligence Center for Counter-Terrorism and Organized Crime recently released the results of its investigation into Unit 29155’s involvement in the destruction of weapons depots in Czechia. It implicates operatives Alexander Mishkin and Anatoly Chepiga, who gained international attention for attempting to murder Sergei Skripal in England in 2018. The Šapošnikovs not only facilitated access to the warehouses in Czechia but also communicated directly with the founding commander of Unit 29155, General Andrei Averyanov. The article further reveals that the wife, Elena Šapošnikova, was directly affiliated with Unit 29155 and likely directed and supervised her husband’s activities. The family’s duties ranged from intelligence-gathering to logistical support for the GRU’s operations. Elena Šapošnikova even possessed a secret Russian service passport and received the Hero of Russian Federation title from Vladimir Putin. Czech authorities have declared the Šapošnikovs “persons of interest” and requested their questioning by Greek authorities. Nikolai Šapošnikov passed away in Greece in February 2024.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article is a recommendation for the TV show “The Americans” on the FX network. It is a spy drama set in 1980s Washington DC, featuring KGB agents posing as travel agents. The article suggests that the show is surprisingly good and is available for streaming on Hulu.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the case of a woman named Šapošnikova who used sophisticated techniques to avoid leaving a digital trace in European authorities’ databases. She booked her trips and purchased plane tickets using her Czech passport, but when crossing the Russian border, she used her secret Russian passport. This allowed her to bypass the process of obtaining a Russian visa as a Czech citizen and avoid leaving a digital footprint associated with the visa application. The article raises questions about whether the Greek airline and Greek exit immigration control would have checked for a valid Russian visa for a Czech passport, as well as the possibility of her Russian passport being scanned into the system.
5. Webb captures iconic Horsehead Nebula in unprecedented detail
Total comment counts : 34
Summary
The James Webb Space Telescope has captured high-resolution infrared images of the Horsehead Nebula, revealing its complex structure. The Horsehead Nebula is located in the Orion constellation and formed from a collapsing interstellar cloud. It is illuminated by a nearby hot star and is estimated to have about five million years left before it disintegrates. The nebula is a photon-dominated region, where ultraviolet light from young, massive stars creates a warm area of gas and dust. The new images focus on the illuminated edge of the nebula and show small-scale structures as well as a network of striated features containing dust particles and ionized gas. Astronomers intend to study the spectroscopic data obtained from the nebula to understand its physical and chemical properties. The James Webb Space Telescope is a collaboration between NASA, ESA, and the Canadian Space Agency.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article describes an incredible astronomical discovery made using a consumer-grade 8" Newtonian telescope. The details of the discovery and further information can be found at the provided link.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses two images of the Horsehead Nebula taken by the NIRCam and MIRI instruments. The author expresses excitement about the NIRCam image and highlights the ability of MIRI to reveal the internal structure of the nebula. The article provides links to view the images and a comparison between the two instruments.
6. 6502 – Guideline to Reverse Engineering (how to read die shots) [pdf]
Total comment counts : 2
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the availability of a PDF and a DOCX version of a document related to reverse engineering the 6502 microprocessor. The PDF version can be accessed through a download link, while the DOCX version is compatible with LibreOffice.
Top 2 Comment Summary
This article discusses the legal status of reverse engineered designs and whether they can be used commercially. It explores the complexities surrounding intellectual property rights and how reverse engineering can potentially infringe on those rights. Additionally, it highlights the importance of understanding and respecting copyright laws when utilizing reverse engineered designs for commercial purposes.
7. Reentry – An Orbital Simulator
Total comment counts : 8
Summary
The article is about a space flight simulator called Reentry. In the game, players create an astronaut and complete missions in space to gain levels and experience. They are able to access both real-life and fictional missions. The game focuses on the realistic operation of spacecraft, providing players with flight manuals and checklists to learn how to operate different types of spacecraft. The simulator aims to strike a balance between realism and gamification. Players can explore space in a high-resolution environment and experience the challenges and solitude of being an astronaut. The article also mentions the complexity of operating a spacecraft and the learning curve associated with it. The game includes lessons and a certification process for players to gradually learn and master spacecraft operations. Each spacecraft has its own campaign of missions for players to complete after completing the Academy for that specific spacecraft.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the Apollo 11 VR experience and suggests that it provides a sense of the cramped conditions inside the capsules. The author compares this experience to the previously mentioned VR headset experience of Apollo 11.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author expresses surprise at a game that surpasses their expectations.
8. Pdf.tocgen
Total comment counts : 13
Summary
pdf.tocgen is a set of command-line tools for automatically extracting and generating a table of contents (ToC) for PDF files. It works by using the font attributes and position of headings to determine the structure of the file. The process involves using the pdfxmeta command to create a recipe file, using pdftocgen to generate the ToC, and then importing it back into the PDF file. The tool is designed to work with software-generated PDFs, not scanned documents. It is free software and written in Python 3. The tools can be installed via various methods, such as pip or AUR. The intended use is for readers to easily navigate lecture notes or drafts, rather than for authors to generate ToCs for their own manuscripts. The design of pdf.tocgen is influenced by the Unix philosophy, with the three separate programs representing the three steps needed to add a ToC to a PDF file. To create a recipe, pdfxmeta is used to extract metadata from the PDF file, and the attributes of headings can be specified in the recipe file.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author of the article explains that they have settled on using ChatGPT’s GPT-4v’s multimodal capability to generate a text file containing the titles and pages based on screenshots of the table of contents (TOC). They then use a pikepdf-based Python script to add the TOC into the PDF. This approach is advantageous because it works for both text-based and scanned PDFs. However, it requires adjustments to the PDF, such as including any missing empty pages and calculating offsets for prologs and covers. Manual intervention is also necessary in this process.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the author’s discovery of a slow function called getToc in PyMuPdf. They informed the developers about it on their discord channel, and within a day, the issue was fixed, resulting in a significant speed improvement. The author mentions using PyMuPdf for their project called pdftomp3. They also mention another function called Pdf.tocgen but express uncertainty about using it due to concerns about the license.
9. DEC PDP-1 emulator running “Spacewar”, the earliest known digital video game
Total comment counts : 14
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The author’s dad worked at Eastman Kodak and invented the Bayer filter for digital cameras. In 1962, the author saw a computer for the first time and briefly played a game on it. Later that year, the author used spring clothespins as toggles to learn binary arithmetic, much to the surprise of their dad.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the impressiveness of a game from 1962 and how the author expected the first game to be simpler, like tic-tac-toe. The circular screen of the game is mentioned, raising the idea of using circular displays today and how it may yield creative solutions for UI layout. The author finds it interesting to imagine how the UI would look on circular screens, even though circular screens are currently mostly found in watches.
10. The Myth of the Second Chance
Total comment counts : 73
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The article suggests that individuals who have more opportunities to fail are more likely to succeed. It uses the example of starting a business, where those with a safety net are able to try multiple times and eventually achieve success. The author shares their own experience of being lucky to have many chances to fail and credits those opportunities for their current success.
Top 2 Comment Summary
This article discusses the concept of life being path-dependent and the fear-based paralysis that can arise from worrying too much about making mistakes. It references a quote from Sylvia Plath’s novel “The Bell Jar,” where the protagonist compares her life to a branching fig tree and expresses the fear of choosing one path and losing out on others.