1. Atari’s Mike Jang
Total comment counts : 10
Summary
Mike Jang, a long-time Industrial Designer at Atari’s coin-operated division, has passed away. He joined Atari in the 70s and remained with the company through the 80s, witnessing the rise of Atari during the Golden Age of arcade videogaming. As an Industrial Designer, his main role was refining the ergonomics of arcade cabinets and ensuring the physical interface was perfect. He brought his artistic flair to his designs, creating iconic cabinets. Mike was responsible for many of Atari’s patents and played a key role in the design of Missile Command, overcoming challenges and making necessary changes. He was approachable and always willing to share his knowledge and insights into industrial design processes. Mike’s work contributed to Atari being industry leaders in cabinet design. He will be remembered for his contributions to the gaming industry.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author describes the Star Wars arcade cabinet as the most immersive gaming experience they have ever had, sparking their imagination. They admit to being bad at the game but felt like a Starship Pilot while playing it. They also mention being able to play Missile Command with their feet while sitting on a stool. The author acknowledges the death of someone named Mike and believes that he lived a full life.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article reflects on the nostalgia of the author’s early experiences with programming in their pre-teen years. They reminisce about learning to program on a TRS-80 Model 1 and being proficient in BASIC and Z80 assembly. The author also recalls playing space invaders and acknowledges that they owe their successful career to the pioneers of the video game and personal computer industry. However, the article also acknowledges that these pioneers are getting older and passing away, highlighting their foundational and inspirational contributions.
2. Vera Rubin’s primary mirror gets its first reflective coating
Total comment counts : 14
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The Rubin Observatory is set to produce 15 terabytes of data per night, resulting in a total uncompressed data set of 200 petabytes. The camera used by the observatory consists of a 3.2-gigapixel focal plane array comprising 189 4Kx4K CCD sensors. These sensors enable the entire array to be read out in just two seconds. The combination of extensive data and advanced hardware is expected to create remarkable scientific possibilities.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the accomplishments of Vera Rubin, an astronomer known for her discoveries in the field of astronomy, particularly her work on the rotation of galaxies which confirmed the existence of dark matter. She is also recognized as a trailblazer for women in astronomy. The article mentions the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which honors her legacy and continues to study dark matter.
3. Automated integer hash function discovery
Total comment counts : 17
Summary
This article discusses a tool for automated integer hash function discovery. The tool generates billions of integer hash functions using reversible operations and evaluates their avalanche behavior. The article also mentions the prospector’s ability to generate both 32-bit and 64-bit integer hash functions. It provides instructions for using the tool and describes the different classes of hash functions discovered. The article concludes with information about generating 16-bit hash functions and provides some examples and considerations for using the tool.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article mentions a person whose code the author likes. The person has developed various libraries, including a JSON library, option parsing libraries, a branchless UTF-8 decoder, a lock-free stack, and a trie library. The author also appreciates the licensing of the code, which is released under The Unlicense. The article provides links to each of the libraries mentioned.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author of the article is amused that the multiply-shift-xor method, known as MurmurHash, has remained effective over time.
4. Time-Based CSS Animations
Total comment counts : 13
Summary
CSS now has enough Math functions, such as mod(), round(), and trigonometric functions, to allow for animations based on time ticks. This time-based animation approach can be useful in shader programs and other areas. To track time in milliseconds, a custom variable can be defined with the CSS Houdini API. By incrementing this variable by 1 for each millisecond, animations can be created based on the change in the variable. The update frequency for smooth animations is typically set at 60 frames per second (FPS), but this can be manually controlled using the step() function if desired. The value of the variable can be restricted or manipulated using functions like min() and mod() to control the animation duration or create custom easing effects. The @t function can be used to represent the time variable in expressions, making the code more readable. CSS-doodle, a tool for creating animations, has also incorporated support for simple Math expressions. Overall, using time as a variable in CSS animations provides a flexible and diverse approach compared to traditional keyframe animations.
Top 1 Comment Summary
This article recommends using negative animation delay values in CSS if you want to control the progress of an animation using JavaScript. By using negative animation delays, you can start the animation immediately but jump to a specific time within the animation. Controlling this value with JavaScript allows you to effectively scrub through CSS animations, making them compatible with game-engine style compute-update-render tick loops. For more information, you can refer to the link provided in the article.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the limitations of using basic easing functions and keyframes for advanced animation. The author recommends using Theatre.js, a library that consists of a studio UI and a runtime for editing and interpolating keyframes and bezier curves. The library is recommended for coordinated animations.
5. Xmake: A cross-platform build utility based on Lua
Total comment counts : 22
Summary
The article discusses Xmake, a cross-platform build utility based on Lua. It explains that Xmake can be used for building source code or generating project source files, and it also includes a package management system for integrating C/C++ dependencies. The article mentions various features and options of Xmake, such as fetching and installing dependencies, using different toolchains for compilation, and utilizing plugins for tasks like compiling JNI libraries. It also mentions resources like documentation, GitHub and Gitee repositories, the xmake-io/xmake-repo, and the xmake-plugins repository. The article concludes by highlighting the support and contributions from users and developers that have helped the Xmake project.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author of the article recently started using xmake and finds its workflow to be amazing and fast. With xmake, they can easily create and compile projects without having to create a CMakeLists.txt file or deal with installing and including dependencies manually. The author is considering using xmake for new projects, although CMake is currently the standard. They highlight xmake’s dependency management tool, xrepo, as a major advantage.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the use of Zig as a tool and whether it is reasonable to use more of it. The author mentions seeing Zig being used in passing and provides a link to an example on GitHub.
6. Using a LLM to compress text
Total comment counts : 15
Summary
The article discusses the possibility of extracting training text from large language models (LLMs) and using the models to reproduce text that they haven’t directly been trained on. The author experiments with using the llama.cpp technology to compress and decompress text. They test it on the first chapter of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and achieve good compression results. The compressed text is only about 8% of the original size. The author also decompresses the text successfully. They conclude that while the method works better on data that the model has been trained on, there is still some reduction in size for other texts.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses a method for compressing data using the probability distributions generated by a Language Model (LLM) as output. The author mentions experiments conducted by Fabrice Bellard using transformers. The idea is that accurate probability distributions over the next bit/byte/token can be used for compression with entropy compressors like Huffman encoding, range encoding, and asymmetric numeral systems. These compression algorithms all rely on modeling probability distributions.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the process of pre-training compression on text without using a Language Model (LLM). It demonstrates how to pre-train compression using a normal compression algorithm called Zstandard (ZSTD) on a small training set. The article also mentions that for more efficient compression, it is recommended to train the algorithm on a larger dataset such as the entire Gutenberg library. Additionally, the article provides an alternative method using a sample of full texts and provides links to further resources for tuning and understanding Zstandard compression. The advantages of using Zstandard compression include smaller storage requirements, the ability to re-train the algorithm for specific data, deterministic compression and decompression, and minimal GPU resources usage.
7. Understanding Stein’s Paradox (2021)
Total comment counts : 10
Summary
The article discusses Stein’s paradox, which is a surprising result in statistics. The paradox involves guessing the mean of a Gaussian distribution based on a single sample. In one dimension, the best guess is simply the sample given. However, in higher dimensions, a better guess is to use the James-Stein estimator, which is a function of the sample and the dimensionality of the Gaussian. The article explains the concept of parameter estimation and loss functions, and how different estimators can be evaluated using risk. The paradox highlights the importance of considering the dimensionality of the problem when choosing an estimator.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the arbitrariness of the origin in statistical estimation. It challenges the notion that the origin is not arbitrary by referring to the James-Stein estimator, which allows estimation to be pushed towards any chosen point. The author’s conjecture involves imagining sampling points from a 3-D Gaussian distribution and adjusting them towards a chosen point using the James-Stein formula. The result is that, on average, the points move closer to the center of the distribution. The author questions the implications of this result and suggests that mean squared error as an error metric may not be meaningful.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article argues that Stein’s paradox is invalid. It provides an example from Wikipedia to illustrate the paradox, which suggests that simultaneously using unrelated measurements can provide a better estimate for a set of parameters. However, the article suggests that this idea is mathematically true but irrelevant in the real world. It claims that believing in this concept is comparable to believing in telepathy and astrology.
8. Superfest – The almost unbreakable East German Glass (2021)
Total comment counts : 18
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The article mentions a recent Kickstarter project from a German company for glass bottles based on a new technology called “ultraglass”. The technology makes the bottles stronger and lighter by incorporating ion technology. The research for this technology was done at the University of Bayreuth in Germany. German television also reported on the background of the project.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the durability of toughened cocktail glasses made by Utopia, a commercial company. The author recounts an incident where they accidentally dropped an empty glass onto their kitchen floor, only to witness it bounce on its rim and rebound back into the air without any damage. The author expresses their astonishment and mentions that the glass is still in use after five years. They also mention that they bought a box of 12 glasses, but typically only use two, implying that the box will last them for 20 years or more. Overall, the author praises the incredible durability of these glasses.
9. Cylon: JavaScript framework for robotics, drones, and the Internet of Things
Total comment counts : 11
Summary
Cylon.js is a JavaScript framework for robotics, physical computing, and the Internet of Things (IoT). It allows users to create solutions that incorporate multiple hardware devices. The framework supports various programming languages such as Node.js, Ruby, and Golang. Cylon.js has support for different API plugins, including http/https, mqtt, and socket.io for remote interaction with robots. It also provides a command-line interface (CLI) called Gort for accessing important features. The framework can be run in-browser, on Chrome connected apps, or in PhoneGap mobile apps. Cylon.js has extensive documentation and is continuously adding more platforms and drivers for different devices.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the use of high-level languages in embedded systems for IoT projects. It mentions that while these languages are suitable for hobbyist projects, they require more RAM and resources for mass-production devices compared to C or C++. The article also highlights the effectiveness of a project called esphome, which converts high-level logic specified in YAML to native C and/or C++ code for embedded devices. Additionally, the author shares their experience using a special compiler to run a PLC type language on a microcontroller, allowing for efficient use of flash memory.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article compares the pros and cons of something, likely in relation to Johnny-Five. However, the content of the article is not provided.
10. Judge mulls sanctions over Google’s destruction of internal chats
Total comment counts : 20
Summary
During the closing arguments in the Google monopoly trial, US District Judge Amit Mehta considered whether sanctions were necessary due to Google’s alleged destruction of evidence. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) accused Google of instructing employees to turn off chat history by default when discussing sensitive topics related to Google’s revenue-sharing and mobile application distribution agreements, which the DOJ claims maintain Google’s monopoly over search. The DOJ argued that Google destroyed potentially hundreds of thousands of chat sessions not only during their investigation but also during litigation. Google’s attorney argued that the DOJ should have been aware of Google’s policy and that there is no evidence that the missing chats would have provided new information. The DOJ requested the court to issue orders sanctioning Google, including presumptions that the deleted chats were unfavorable and that Google intended to maintain its monopoly. The DOJ also wants to prohibit Google from using the absence of evidence as an argument. The judge questioned Google’s attorney about the company’s intent and whether its conduct indicated an intent to hide evidence. The case continues.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article highlights an important point that commenters have missed: The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure mandated Google to halt its auto-delete practices in 2019 due to anticipated litigation. However, Google did not comply with this requirement. Instead, Google shifted the responsibility of preserving potentially relevant chats to individual custodians, who failed to manually change the default setting from off to on. As a result, Google systematically destroyed a whole category of written communications every day for nearly four years.
Top 2 Comment Summary
Google has been accused of implementing a policy that encourages employees to turn off chat history when discussing sensitive topics, such as revenue-sharing and mobile application distribution agreements. The company did not ask employees to destroy evidence, but rather to avoid retaining it in the first place. While this approach is reasonable to prevent sensitive information from being logged or backed up, it may hinder legal proceedings.