1. How do our brains adapt to control an extra body part?
Total comment counts : 33
Summary
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a robotic device called the Third Thumb, which is a controllable prosthetic thumb that can be used to pick up and manipulate objects. The thumb is worn on the opposite side of the palm to the biological thumb and is controlled by pressure sensors placed under each big toe or foot. Over the course of five days, the researchers tested the Third Thumb on 596 participants ranging in age from three to 96 years old. Almost everyone was able to use the device successfully, with 98% of participants able to manipulate objects within the first minute of use. The researchers believe that this technology has the potential to benefit both healthy individuals who want to enhance their productivity and people with disabilities who can use it as a tool to interact with their environment. The study highlights the importance of inclusivity in the development of new technologies.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The individual in the article broke their Achilles tendon and had to undergo full reconstruction. During the procedure, a tendon formerly responsible for moving their big toe was used to rebuild their Achilles. Initially, the person had difficulty relearning movements as trying to move their toe would result in other parts of their foot moving instead. However, following their doctor’s orders of three months of bed rest and leg elevation, their muscles became weak. After months of physiotherapy in the pool and gym, the individual regained control, and their brain adjusted to the fact that the muscle now moved their foot instead of their toe. This adjustment occurred naturally without any explicit effort.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the concept of the “curb-cut effect,” where a change made to accommodate people with a specific disability ends up being more widely useful than originally anticipated. It gives examples such as ramps at intersections and closed captioning. The author wonders if the opposite could also be true. If a technology is developed for healthy individuals and becomes popular, it could potentially benefit those who actually need it. The article suggests that because healthy individuals make up a larger audience, the technology may have a broader impact when it is widely adopted.
2. Parable of the Sofa
Total comment counts : 45
Summary
The article discusses the experience of getting a sofa repaired instead of buying a new one. It highlights the decline in the quality of modern sofas and attributes it to globalization, cheap labor, and profit-driven practices. The author praises a small local business called Luxcious that provides high-quality repairs at a fair price. The article argues for the importance of resilient and humane “lifestyle businesses” and expresses a desire for political parties that support and promote such businesses.
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This article discusses the difference between small businesses and big brands. It argues that the perception that small businesses offer better quality at a higher price is not necessarily true. The main issue between the two is predictability. While small businesses can provide excellent service, it is not guaranteed for every business. This leads to an unsustainable system where some neighborhoods are better served than others. Additionally, the article mentions that when a small business gains popularity, they may struggle to meet the demand, potentially resulting in refusing customers or raising prices. In conclusion, the article suggests that the criticism of small businesses as “lifestyle businesses” is meant to highlight their elitist nature and lack of scalability compared to big brands.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the author’s curiosity about the origin of sofas and whether they were originally a luxury item for royalty. They express a preference for leaving their own IKEA sofa behind if they were to move, opting to sit on the floor instead, influenced by their time in Japan and limited finances. They also appreciate an article about valuing local repair shops and share their own experience of paying for repair services and getting to know craftsmen. The article seems to be a response to another article or discussion about the value of repair services.
3. Unlocking the Duron and Athlon using the pencil (2007)
Total comment counts : 18
Summary
The article explains how to overclock Athlon and Duron CPUs using a method called “The Pencil Trick.” Overclocking involves changing the CPU clock multiplier, and while Intel CPUs are overclocked by adjusting the FSB, Athlon CPUs require this modification. The article provides step-by-step instructions on how to use a mechanical pencil to reconnect the L1 bridges on the CPU, unlocking its full potential for overclocking. The procedure is described as safe and relatively simple to do, and the article concludes by stating that the modification is minimal and the chance of ruining the equipment is almost zero.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author shares a nostalgic story about purchasing Celeron 300A processors from a local retailer, not realizing it was operated by Russian mobsters. They were able to get the processors for a cheap price and were impressed when they hit 450 stable with a simple BIOS setting change. The author used the processors in their first SMP system to host various games but ended up selling it when they couldn’t use it anymore. They express regret over that decision.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author reminisces about their fascination with computers, particularly during the race to 1GHz. They mention memorable moments like when AMD put the memory controller on die, and their experiences with various processors such as durons, coppermines, and dual Celerons. The author also mentions their first computers, a Commodore 64 and a hand-me-down 486, and nostalgic elements like loud and hot SCSI drives. Overall, the author reflects on what they describe as a beautiful time to be a nerd.
4. Signal: Will leave the EU market rather than undermine our privacy guarantees
Total comment counts : 48
Summary
error
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses a proposed regulation that would require users of apps and services with chat functions to accept scanning of their privately shared images, photos, and videos. The scanning would be done using artificial intelligence technology and could result in reporting of the content. Users who refuse the scanning would be blocked from sending or receiving images, photos, videos, and links. End-to-end encrypted services like WhatsApp would need to implement automated searches prior to transmitting messages. The proposed scanning of text messages for indications of grooming and voice communication would be scrapped. The article notes that there may be exemptions for chats of security authorities and the military. Overall, the article highlights the unusual nature of the proposed regulation.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The user is asking for advice on any mainstream party that strongly opposes the upcoming European Parliament elections. However, they acknowledge that the Pirate Party, though opposed to the elections, is unlikely to win any seats in their country.
5. Show HN: Open-source load balancer for llama.cpp
Total comment counts : 3
Summary
This article discusses an open-source load balancer and reverse proxy called Paddler that is specifically designed to optimize servers running llama.cpp. It explains that typical load balancing strategies are not effective for llama.cpp servers due to their need for continuous batching and concurrent requests. Paddler overcomes this by maintaining a stateful load balancer that is aware of each server’s available slots, ensuring efficient request distribution. It also uses agents to monitor the health of individual llama.cpp instances and supports dynamic addition or removal of servers for integration with autoscaling tools. The article provides instructions on how to download or build Paddler and install the agent alongside llama.cpp. It mentions that the load balancer collects data from agents and exposes a reverse proxy to the outside world, and provides information on enabling a dashboard to monitor the status of the agents.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses a stateful load balancer that is capable of recognizing the available slots on each server. The user expresses curiosity about the concept of a “slot” in this context. They inquire whether it is a specific application-layer state provided by llama.cpp or inferred by the load balancer, and if the latter, they inquire about the method used for inference.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article describes a platform called “https://aihorde.net” which functions as an open-source load balancer with queuing capabilities for LLMs.
6. Arduino FDX-B (animal ID chip) reader built from discrete components
Total comment counts : 8
Summary
The article discusses the creation of a hardware/software project that can read RFID tags implanted in animals using the FDX-B protocol. The project aims to generate a carrier frequency using an Arduino and the PWM-capable timers. The circuit simulation involves creating a square wave, controlling a push-pull amplifier, and driving an LC resonator. The resonator needs to be tuned to resonate at the carrier frequency. The article also discusses extracting transmitted data from the carrier using filters and calculating optimal frequencies for the envelope detector. The signal is then amplified to the logic level of the Arduino using an LM358 dual op-amp.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the author’s interest in building something similar to the item mentioned on the front page. They mention that they had wanted to create it after chipping their cat, but something similar recently became available.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article being referred to describes how an RFID chip can be used to identify and track pets. The author explains the process step by step, which makes it interesting even if the reader is not intending to build the device themselves. The data extracted from the RFID chip is likely an ID number that requires access to a closed database, generally available only to professionals such as veterinarians. The ability to check for the presence of a chip can still be valuable in certain situations. Additionally, the article mentions that the RFID technology can be integrated with other local projects, like a smart cat door, to help identify pets.
7. Python notebooks for fundamentals of music processing
Total comment counts : 7
Summary
The article discusses the FMP notebooks, which are educational materials that closely follow the textbook Fundamentals of Music Processing (FMP). The notebooks cover topics in Music Information Retrieval (MIR) and provide detailed explanations of techniques and algorithms, along with Python code examples for implementation. The FMP notebooks are suitable for studying theory and practice, generating educational material, and providing baseline implementations for MIR tasks. The material is licensed under Creative Commons, and the Python package libfmp is licensed under MIT. The article also mentions how to access and execute the notebooks, and acknowledges the contributors and sources of code examples.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The user is asking for a recommendation on a resource to learn about digital audio processing algorithms, such as compression and reverbs.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article is a valuable resource for audio Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and Machine Learning (ML), primarily centered around music but applicable to other types of audio like speech and environmental sounds.
8. CSS written in pure Go
Total comment counts : 23
Summary
The article discusses a project that allows developers to write CSS in the Go programming language. The author explains that they wanted a way to easily control CSS from the server side without using JS frameworks, preprocessors, or linters. They emphasize that the project is just for fun and to see if it was possible to write CSS in Go. The author plans to add more features to the CSS package, including support for additional CSS properties and mixins. They also provide examples of how to use the project and encourage contributions from other developers.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article states that as a front-end developer, the author is happy with a recent development that allows them to focus on their main job responsibility, which is writing HTML files in pure Haskell.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses a dissatisfaction with CSS, specifically the limitation of rules being selectors only. The author expresses a desire for the ability to compose and inherit classes. They provide an example of wanting to create a new class that inherits fields from existing classes, but are unable to do so without copying and pasting. The lack of reusability in CSS is highlighted, as well as the need for a build step to achieve reusability. The article concludes by stating that this approach is not compatible with other build steps and does not offer any advantages.
9. Copy-and-Patch: Fast compilation for high-level languages and bytecode (2020)
Total comment counts : 11
Summary
The article discusses arXivLabs, a framework that enables collaboration for the development and sharing of new features on the arXiv website. It mentions that both individuals and organizations working with arXivLabs are aligned with arXiv’s values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. The article also encourages readers with project ideas that can benefit the arXiv community to learn more about arXivLabs. Additionally, it mentions that arXiv provides status notifications through email or Slack.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The given text is a link to a webpage that promotes the knowledge and usage of the ar5iv tool found on arxiv.org. It seems to be encouraging readers to access the HTML version of a specific article (2011.13127) on the ar5iv tool.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article mentioned is not visible in the provided text. Please provide the article you would like me to summarize.
10. How to Distribute Postgres Geographically
Total comment counts : 3
Summary
This article discusses a pattern for distributing Postgres databases to multiple regions or clouds. The pattern involves separating the data into “tenant” data and “control plane” data. The control plane data, which includes tables like users and memberships, is kept in a central region, while the tenant data is distributed based on the region with which each tenant has an affinity. This allows for faster access to tenant data by connecting to the appropriate region. The article provides an example of how this pattern can be implemented for a multi-tenant SaaS service.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the use of partitioned tables and the postgres_fdw method for sharding tenant-clustered tables. However, the approach was found to be unwieldy, and routing queries in the application was deemed more preferable due to greater control and flexibility. The article also highlights the risks involved with complex routing in Postgres, particularly in handling issues that may arise during load-bearing cross-Postgres-instance queries. The author expresses confidence in their team’s ability to write fault tolerance in the application rather than relying on Postgres internal logic.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author raises concerns about the manageability of sharding data into loosely coupled silos. They question how to handle consistent backups, locking mechanisms, zone/region failures, hot spots, and schema changes in a distributed system. The author suggests using a system that is designed for such use cases, like CockroachDB’s multi-region feature, to ensure reliability and security. The author acknowledges that full data domiciling would require even stricter measures, but they are not aware of any system that can span the globe while remaining performant without sharing metadata or caching between regions.