1. The XAES-256-GCM extended-nonce AEAD
Total comment counts : 10
Summary
The article announces the existence of the XAES-256-GCM specification, which is an authenticated encryption with additional data (AEAD) algorithm. It has 256-bit keys and 192-bit nonces. The algorithm was designed with the goal of enabling safer and more user-friendly APIs for automatically generating fresh nonces. It is compliant and compatible with various settings where alternative large-nonce AEADs are not an option. XAES-256-GCM is an extended-nonce construction on top of AES-256-GCM and can be described using a standard NIST SP 800-108r1 KDF and NIST AES-256-GCM AEAD. The article concludes by stating that XAES-256-GCM is designed to be a safe, compliant, and interoperable AEAD.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses a clever design that uses AES-CBC and CMAC to derive keys when lower-level primitives are not available. The design involves several steps, including generating an AES-CBC-256 key, deriving additional keys, and using AES-GCM with the derived keys. The author provides a JavaScript implementation based on the WebCrypto API that supports all CryptoKey features.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses a modification to the AES-GCM encryption algorithm to address the issue of nonce collision, which can be exploited by attackers to sign arbitrary messages. The modification involves using two primitives, a counter-based key derivation function (KDF) and the vanilla GCM, to ensure compliance with the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). This modification eliminates the need to rotate keys frequently if a random nonce is used, which is typically recommended.
2. Imhex: A hex editor for reverse engineers
Total comment counts : 21
Summary
The article is about ImHex, a hex editor specifically designed for reverse engineers, programmers, and people who work at late hours. ImHex uses a custom programming language called the Pattern Language, which allows users to define structures and data types in a C-like syntax. It also supports format patterns, libraries, magic, and constant files. The article provides information on the system requirements, installation process, and compilation guide for ImHex. It also mentions the option to develop plugins for ImHex using a template project and provides details about the licensing of ImHex.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the benefits of using ImHex as a hex editor. The author mentions three reasons why ImHex is the best hex editor they have used. Firstly, it has file templates that automatically highlight sections of known file types. Secondly, ImHex shows how selected bytes can be interpreted as various data types all at once. Lastly, it is significantly faster than other editors when working with large files. The downside mentioned is that the imgui user interface can be buggy at times, but the author still prefers ImHex over other hex viewers like HexFiend and hexa.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author is asking if a particular editor has the capability to display ASCII bytes as CP437 glyphs. They prefer reading binary files in this format because it is faster for them to comprehend than hex values. They find that using dots to represent non-printable characters is not very informative.
3. The loneliness of the low-ranking tennis player
Total comment counts : 33
Summary
The article is a personal account of the author’s experience as a professional tennis player and the challenges of life on the lower tiers of the sport. The author recounts their dedication and sacrifices in pursuit of success, including playing tournaments back to back and traveling extensively. They describe the different tiers of men’s professional tennis and their aspiration to move up. The author also shares a moment of observation and reflection when they saw Andre Agassi, a top player, at a tournament and realized the loneliness that comes with the sport.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author recounts a conversation with a coach for a young player in women’s professional tennis. The author questions why people choose to pursue professional sports, to which the coach responds with the word “glory.” The author ponders whether this notion of glory is enough for the young player, who seems to have a lonely expression. The author still struggles to understand the allure of professional sports.
Top 2 Comment Summary
This article discusses the intense focus and commitment many parents have towards their children’s junior tennis careers. It highlights the sacrifices made by these parents, including extensive travel, hotel stays, and competing in numerous tournaments from a young age. Education often takes a backseat as these young athletes are home-schooled to accommodate their demanding training schedules. The article notes that while some may achieve success and the opportunity to pursue professional tennis, many end up unable to make a career out of it and miss out on a proper education and stable job.
4. Producing fuels from 1,500 degrees of solar heat
Total comment counts : 19
Summary
Germany has opened the world’s first industrial plant that uses solar heat to produce fuels. The plant, called DAWN, uses mirrors to focus the sun’s heat onto a tower, generating high process heat that is used to convert CO2, water, and methane into syngas. The syngas can then be processed into fuels such as kerosene, diesel, and petrol. Synhelion, the developer of the technology, plans to produce greener fuel for transportation and low-carbon cement. The company aims to scale up production to 1,000 t/y by 2025 and eventually reach 1 million t/y by 2033 while producing fuels at around $1/liter. The plant was built in Jülich, Germany, in collaboration with the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and Aachen University’s solar institute. Partners in the project include Lufthansa and Swiss Airlines, with potential customers for the fuel. Synhelion is also working with Cemex to explore using the technology for low carbon heat in cement production.
Top 1 Comment Summary
David Doty, a respected figure in nuclear magnetic resonance, focused on finding a solution to an impending energy crisis. He explored the Fischer-Tropsch process as a way to convert excess renewable energy into an energy-dense liquid fuel. Despite his meticulous efforts to improve the fuel synthesis process, the economics remained unfavorable. Doty’s work has been recognized through patents and presentations.
Top 2 Comment Summary
This article discusses the efficiency of a fuel production installation, which claims to produce several thousand liters of fuel annually. However, the author argues that the production rate seems low compared to the size of the installation. They note that a liter of gasoline is equivalent to 10KWh of energy, and if the installation receives five hours of full sunlight per day, it would only produce 2KW of energy, which is similar to the output of five standard solar panels. As a result, the author questions whether the installation is inefficient or if they have miscalculated.
5. Show HN: Safe Routes. real time turbulence data, ML predictions with an iPad
Total comment counts : 12
Summary
The article promotes the use of the SkyPath app for pilots to navigate turbulence more safely and efficiently. The app provides up-to-the-minute turbulence data, PIREP reports, and ML predictions to give pilots early notifications about imminent turbulence, allowing them to make informed decisions and take timely actions. By accurately measuring turbulence, maintenance can validate records and eliminate redundant inspections. The app also offers potential cost savings through efficient dispatch routing, informed contingency fuel decisions, and minimized in-flight altitude adjustments. Testimonials from users highlight the app’s accuracy in predicting turbulence and enhancing safety. The SkyPath app can be accessed as a standalone app, web platform, or integrated with other common platforms.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses a person’s positive experience using Sky Vector, a product used by a major airline. The person expresses the desire for Sky Vector to partner with Delta Airlines to access their data. They also mention that their colleagues do not use the Jepp integration feature due to the overwhelming amount of data displayed and hope to hear any ideas for a possible solution.
Top 2 Comment Summary
SkyPath offers a solution to address Clear Air Turbulence without the need for additional hardware on aircraft. By utilizing the accelerometers on airline-issued iPads that pilots already use for various tasks, SkyPath measures and monitors turbulence in real time. Through the internet, data is collected and processed using machine learning models in AWS. This information is then used to generate customized alerts for each flight that subscribes to SkyPath’s service regarding upcoming Clear Air Turbulence before it occurs.
6. A bunch of programming advice I’d give to myself 15 years ago
Total comment counts : 51
Summary
The article offers advice to programmers based on the author’s own experience. They emphasize the importance of considering potential mistakes and finding ways to make them harder to make. The author provides an example of a problem they encountered and solved in their iOS development work. They also discuss the mindset shift needed to address issues that may have been overlooked or accepted by the team. The article highlights the trade-off between implementation speed and bug-free code, suggesting that the context should determine the level of acceptable bugs. The author shares their different experiences working on projects with varying levels of bug tolerance. They also provide tips for being a more efficient and proficient programmer, including knowing shortcuts, being a fast typist, and familiarizing oneself with relevant tools. The article concludes with a mention of a manager who encouraged the author to think critically about the difficulty of implementing tasks.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article advises readers not to take their job personally and emphasizes the importance of not being afraid to leave if they’re not fitting in with their company. The author shares personal experiences of leaving jobs due to reasons such as bad managers, increased compensation, and bad code. They encourage walking away from a company if the code being written is of poor quality and could cause future problems. The author also suggests not embarrassing anyone or escalating the issue to a manager, but instead simply leaving the company. They conclude by stating that life is too short to deal with incompetent people.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author emphasizes the importance of solving bugs at a deeper level rather than just applying surface-level fixes. They highlight that understanding the root cause of a bug is crucial to effectively solving the issue. They also mention that failing to do so can be a sign of working beyond one’s expertise.
7. Klára Dán von Neumann
Total comment counts : 10
Summary
The article is about Klára Dán von Neumann, a Hungarian-American mathematician and computer scientist who was one of the first computer programmers. She made significant contributions to the field of programming, including work on the Monte Carlo method, ENIAC, and MANIAC I. She was the first woman to execute modern-style code on a computer. The article also discusses her personal life, her immigration to the United States, and her work at Princeton University and Los Alamos National Laboratory. After her husband’s death, she wrote the preface to his Silliman Lectures and an unpublished memoir. Dán’s story is featured in a season of the Lost Women of Science podcast.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article describes how Dán met her future husband, John von Neumann, at a casino in Monte Carlo. Von Neumann claimed to have discovered a foolproof way to win at roulette, but ended up losing all his money while attempting to prove it. The author finds this situation amusing for reasons they can’t explain.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses how the wealth of Dán’s family paved the way for her to pursue science without financial burdens. This aspect is often overlooked in scientists’ biographies, but it allowed Dán to focus on her work without the worry of financial instability.
8. Out of sight, ‘dark fungi’ run the world from the shadows
Total comment counts : 8
Summary
I’m sorry, but I’m unable to summarize the given text as it appears to be an incomplete or incorrect input. Please provide a valid article or text to summarize.
Top 1 Comment Summary
I’m sorry, but I am unable to visit external links or access specific articles. However, if you can provide a brief summary or key points from the article, I would be happy to help summarize it for you.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses slime molds and their unique characteristics. Slime molds are organisms that exhibit traits of both plants and animals, leading some to speculate that they have been the dominant life form on Earth. These organisms are abundant and if they were to fully decide on being either a plant or animal, they could potentially overpower humans. The article also quotes a character from the movie “Spinal Tap” who jokingly suggests that slime molds could be responsible for accidents or injuries.
9. Category theory using string diagrams (2014)
Total comment counts : 7
Summary
arXivLabs is a framework that enables collaboration and the development of new features for arXiv’s website. It is open to both individuals and organizations who share arXiv’s values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. ArXiv is dedicated to these values and only collaborates with partners who uphold them. Individuals with ideas for projects that benefit the arXiv community can find more information about arXivLabs. Additionally, arXiv provides status notifications via email or slack.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article recommends two resources for learning about programming with categories and category theory for programmers. The first resource is a website called “Programming With Categories” by Brendan Fong. The second resource is a blog post titled “Category Theory for Programmers” by Bartosz Milewski. There is also a YouTube playlist available for the second resource.
Top 2 Comment Summary
This article discusses the author’s experience with Scala and their belief that category theory will not become popular. They mention that while mainstream languages have adopted some concepts from category theory, implementations typically are not pure. The author suggests that they would now focus on Rust and its hype in order to learn more about memory management and safety.
10. The ‘pay phone bandit’ who baffled the FBI in the ’80s
Total comment counts : 13
Summary
The article focuses on the story of a notorious safecracker known as the “pay phone bandit” or “telephone bandit” who operated in the 1980s. Standing at approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall, the man with a ponytail would pay for his food or his room with rolls of quarters, which he obtained through breaching pay phones and collecting the money stored within. He meticulously targeted pay phones located in various states, using specialized locksmith tools to pick the locks and remove the coin receptacle without raising suspicion. By the time the missing money was discovered, the bandit would have moved on to a different location. Despite extensive efforts by law enforcement, the pay phone bandit remained elusive, earning him the reputation of being a smart and organized criminal.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article talks about a person who was caught committing a crime and suggests that getting rid of the stolen coins would have been difficult for him. It mentions that he had appeared on America’s Most Wanted twice and had a habit of paying for hotel rooms with rolls of quarters. The article also suggests that he could have used a laundromat or video arcade as a way to launder the stolen money.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article talks about a story shared on HN (Hacker News) about a cyclist who couldn’t qualify for the Olympics. Instead, he turned to robbing banks using his cycling skills to escape. This happened in the 80s or 90s, and the robber would give away the stolen money. Unfortunately, there is no available link to the original story.