1. 2D Rigid Body Collision Resolution
Total comment counts : 24
Summary
This article discusses the physics of collisions in video games. It explains the concept of rigid body physics, where objects do not deform when subjected to forces. The article breaks down the process of handling collisions in a video game engine into two phases: collision detection and collision resolution. Collision detection involves checking if two shapes are intersecting or overlapping, while collision resolution determines what needs to happen to colliding bodies based on their movement directions, speeds, materials, etc. The article also explains the concept of velocity and displacement in physics, and how they are used to calculate the positions of objects in a game loop.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author plans to write a series of blog posts about rigid body physics. This post is aimed at non-game developers who may not have a strong math background. The author spends time explaining concepts that may seem trivial to experienced individuals in this area. The author welcomes any questions.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article mentioned is well-researched, deeply-explained, and interactive. The author initially thought it would be similar to another article about mechanical watches, but it turned out to be different yet of similar quality. The article discusses the mystery behind the “.ski” top-level domain.
2. Perplexica: Open-source Perplexity alternative
Total comment counts : 21
Summary
Perplexica is an open-source AI-powered search engine that uses advanced machine learning algorithms to provide clear answers to user questions. It offers features like image and video search and can be installed with or without Docker. Users can provide feedback and contribute to the development of the search engine. The article also mentions the importance of using Docker for simplified setup and provides instructions on fixing Ollama connection errors. Perplexica aims to make AI and large language models accessible to everyone and encourages users to join their Discord server for personalized help and support. The search engine is constantly being improved, and users are encouraged to check for updates and new features.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author expresses enthusiasm for a concept called “intelligent search,” which involves using a language model (LLM) to ask complex questions and search the web, preferably by voice. They see this as one of the few practical uses for LLM. The author prefers to have this function performed locally on their device rather than in the cloud to safeguard their data. They plan to try out as many of these intelligent search solutions as possible in the near future.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author is expressing excitement about a new serverless technology and contemplating making it deployable with CDK or Terraform. They are considering taking it up as a side project.
3. ICQ will stop working from June 26
Total comment counts : 185
Summary
The article explains that VK Messenger allows users to chat with friends, while VK WorkSpace enables communication with colleagues.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author expresses a sentimental attachment to the messaging platform ICQ, reminiscing about the sounds and graphics it had. They enjoyed the ability to connect with people from different countries and share a sense of connection, especially as a teenager with autism. The author believes that alternatives like MSN were inferior and that ICQ had a better user experience. They long for the simplicity of the 90s and associate ICQ with fond memories of events like Brazil winning the World Cup and Ayrton Senna’s influence. The author concludes by stating that ICQ will always hold a special place in their heart and played a role in their love for the internet.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author expresses sadness over not being able to access their ICQ account that they haven’t used for 20 years. Despite this, they reminisce about the relationships they built on ICQ and acknowledge how times have changed.
4. Why did Tom Lehrer swap fame for obscurity?
Total comment counts : 28
Summary
The article discusses the impact of Tom Lehrer’s songs in the 1950s and 60s, which were known for their irreverence, wit, and nihilism. The author shares their personal experience of discovering Lehrer’s music while attending a strict Jesuit boarding school. Lehrer’s songs provided relief from the oppressive and gloomy atmosphere of the school. The article also mentions Lehrer’s early career, where he independently produced and sold his own record due to record companies’ refusal to release his songs. Despite his success, Lehrer abruptly stopped writing and performing in 1960, only briefly re-emerging in 1965. The article highlights Lehrer’s clever satirical songs, including those that criticized religion and nuclear weapons. Overall, the author credits Lehrer’s music for making their life more bearable.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article is about Tom Lehrer, who at around age 70 is planning to take a math course on infinity. He wants to study how infinity is relevant in various fields such as calculus, algebra, probability, and geometry. He mentions his interest in learning how perspective drawing uses infinity. Lehrer has been teaching a course for non-mathematicians for years and finds joy in it. The article also includes a link to a math lecture performance by Lehrer.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the author’s perspective on fame and their admiration for musicians Tom Lehrer and Flanders & Swann. The author mentions that being famous would be tedious and prefers the quiet fame that Lehrer achieved. They express their love for Lehrer’s math-based songs and also mention their fondness for songs like Oedipus Rex and The Vatican Rag. The author also discusses Flanders & Swann’s songs, noting that while they may not have the same scientific background as Lehrer, their songs were sharp satires of the time. They highlight that some of Flanders & Swann’s songs have not aged well, but overall they are great and knowledge of British history is helpful in understanding them.
5. Lewis Carroll – computing the day of the week for any given date (1887)
Total comment counts : 16
Summary
This article is a letter from Lewis Carroll to the magazine Nature, dated March 31, 1887. In the letter, Carroll describes a method he devised for mentally calculating the day of the week for any given date. The method involves breaking the date into four parts (centuries, years, month, and day) and performing various calculations to determine the final result. Carroll provides examples to demonstrate the application of the method. The letter also mentions that the time taken to perform these calculations can vary depending on the individual’s computational speed.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses different methods for quickly calculating the day of the week for a given date. The author mentions a method they use, which is similar to the one used by Art Benjamin. This method takes about 10 to 15 seconds and requires some practice and memorization. The author also mentions a different technique used by JH Conway, which they prefer for calculating days in the current year but find harder to use for other years. The article includes an example calculation and some additional information on mnemonic codes for each month and the computation process.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the difference between Old Style and New Style dates and what occurred in 1752. In England, the legal year used to begin on 25 March, known as Lady Day. This meant that there were cases where dates such as 24 March 1707 would be immediately followed by 25 March 1708, while the day after 31 December 1708 would be 1 January 1708. However, in 1752, the Calendar (New Style) Act was enacted, bringing about a change in the calendar system.
6. Advancing Our Bet on Asymmetric Cryptography
Total comment counts : 17
Summary
Google has enabled the latest Kyber draft specification for TLS 1.3 and QUIC on all desktop Chrome platforms to protect users from the risk of future quantum computers. This rollout uncovered bugs in several TLS middlebox products, and Chrome is offering a temporary enterprise policy to help with the deployment of fixes. Google’s post-quantum strategy focuses on quantum-resistant key exchange in HTTPS and increased agility in certificates from the Web PKI. The goal is to prioritize deploying post-quantum cryptography in systems at risk of being compromised by quantum computers. Chrome’s launch of Kyber, a hybrid post-quantum cryptographic key exchange, addresses the urgent threat of store-now-decrypt-later attacks. While migrating to post-quantum authentication is also important, it presents challenges due to the larger size of post-quantum cryptography. Google suggests focusing on enabling trust anchor agility to address the authentication requirements of HTTPS.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the need for agility in PKI deployment due to the introduction of potentially interesting variations of PQ (Post-Quantum) signatures and hybrids. It suggests using trust expressions consisting of a set of certificate indexes against a trust store database, instead of trust store versions and exclusion labels. In this model, a trust store is a centrally managed list where each certificate is assigned a unique 64-bit index. The server constructs or retrieves a trust chain from one of the listed roots and sends it to the client. Intermediate certificates can also be stored in the trust store database and cached on the client. This approach reduces complexity on the client side and shifts some work to the server. The client only needs to state which certificates it has and what algorithms it supports, and the server returns the shortest chain that the client can use as proof.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the likelihood of quantum computers breaking encryption technology that was developed in the year 2000. The author doubles down on their belief that no one reading the article will live to witness such an event.
7. Forebruary
Total comment counts : 15
Summary
The article discusses a wall calendar called Forebruary, which does not need to be replaced every year. The calendar has a movable frame that can display the current month, and has a red stripe to highlight weekends. Alternative frames can be made for countries like the United States, where the week starts on Sunday.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author’s fiancée compares weekdays to books and weekends to bookends. In the United States, where the week starts on Sunday, the weekends are considered a part of the weekend. The author’s fiancée sees the weekdays as the middle of the week, while the weekends are the beginning and end. The analogy is similar to circling the ends of a line segment - there are two spots to circle. Although time has a beginning, the fiancée’s logic is based on the idea of weekends as bookends.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article criticizes a minimalist wall calendar called Forebruary. The author highlights the impracticality of the calendar, as it only has space for a single month. They argue that in order to plan for multiple months, individuals would need to purchase multiple separate calendars. Furthermore, the article points out that the calendar offers no way to mark the current date and does not provide information about the number of days in each month. Overall, the article concludes that Forebruary is not a functional or practical calendar solution.
8. 300k airplanes in five years
Total comment counts : 24
Summary
The article discusses the significant role played by the United States in World War II through its enormous industrial output. Before entering the war, the U.S. provided equipment worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the Allies. During the war, U.S. manufacturing output tripled, resulting in the production of numerous cargo ships, landing craft, trucks, machine guns, and ammunition. Aircraft production was particularly crucial, with the U.S. producing more airplanes than Germany, Japan, and Italy combined. The U.S. aircraft industry experienced a substantial transformation during the war, increasing its production capacity and adopting new methods of production. The growth of the industry was influenced by large orders placed by Britain and France before the U.S. entered the war. These orders rescued companies from bankruptcy and allowed them to expand their workforce. Overall, the U.S. aircraft industry played a vital role in the Allies’ victory in World War II.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article highlights the fact that during World War I, the United States had to borrow rifles from France due to its lack of preparation. It points out that although people assume the US would quickly mobilize and respond after an attack, this was not the case in World War I. Unlike in World War II, the US did not become a major weapons manufacturing power overnight. The article suggests that if a conflict were to arise with China, it is not guaranteed that the US would experience the same rapid transformation as it did in World War II.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the level of government control and mobilization of the US economy during World War II. The author is amazed by how quickly factories were converted to produce war goods and highlights the minimal production of commercial cars during that period. The author questions whether such a high level of centralized government control would be possible in the present day, considering the potential challenges faced by the modern economy and supply chains.
9. Regular expression functions in Excel
Total comment counts : 25
Summary
Microsoft is introducing three new Excel functions that use Regular Expressions (regex) to parse text more easily. The functions are REGEXTEST, REGEXEXTRACT, and REGEXREPLACE. REGEXTEST checks if a pattern matches any part of the provided text, REGEXEXTRACT returns substrings that match the pattern, and REGEXREPLACE replaces substrings that match the pattern with a replacement string. These functions are currently in preview and their signature and results may change. There will also be a way to use regex within XLOOKUP and XMATCH in the future. Microsoft is seeking feedback from users on these new functions.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the back-and-forth competition between Google Sheets and Excel. Google Sheets initially focused on compatibility but later introduced innovative features, which were quickly replicated by Excel. Some notable features include spill formulas (introduced by Google and adopted by Microsoft), # notation for spill formulas (only supported by Excel so far), regular expressions (introduced by Google and adopted by Excel), and check boxes (introduced by Google and adopted by Excel). The article suggests that this competitive dynamic will likely continue with both sides attempting to create unique extensions that cannot be replicated by the other.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the combination of Excel’s production reliability with the clarity of regular expressions and the simplicity of matrix slices.
10. Voxel Displacement Renderer – Modernizing the Retro 3D Aesthetic
Total comment counts : 14
Summary
The article discusses the development of a custom real-time renderer that uses small voxels to create a visual style reminiscent of classic 90’s 3D games. The author explains how they approach rendering voxels in a unique way, using conventional art assets such as low-poly triangle meshes and textures. They aim to modernize the look and feel of retro games while retaining their distinctive aesthetic. The author also discusses the challenges and limitations of using voxels in game development and proposes their solution for adding voxel-like surface detailing to classic 3D game environments.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The person finds the aesthetic of the video appealing, potentially due to nostalgic reasons. They felt evocative while watching the video, particularly when there was a low roof, which made them feel claustrophobic. The person also mentions that the rock and sandy-floored caverns, as well as the cavern with boulders, are beautiful and make them think of playing adventure games like Myst or LucasArts-style using the renderer. They express excitement to see what comes next.
Top 2 Comment Summary
I’m sorry, but I am unable to access external websites or view specific articles. If you provide me with the text from the article, I would be happy to help you summarize it.