1. GE Aerospace Successfully Develops and Tests New Hypersonic Dual-Mode Ramjet
Total comment counts : 7
Summary
GE Aerospace has successfully demonstrated a new hypersonic dual-mode ramjet, which could enable high-speed flight and longer range for multi-mission aircraft. The testing exceeded performance expectations, achieving a threefold increase in airflow compared to previous hypersonic technology demonstrators. The rapid development and testing of the ramjet were made possible through collaboration between GE Aerospace’s engineers, Innoveering (a company specializing in hypersonic propulsion), and GE Aerospace’s Research Center. Further testing and technology demonstration will be conducted to continue the development of integrated high-speed propulsion solutions. GE Aerospace is a global leader in aerospace propulsion, services, and systems with a focus on innovation and ensuring safe flights.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the development and testing of a dual-mode ramjet in less than 11 months. This achievement was made possible through collaboration between GE Aerospace’s team of engineers, Innoveering (a company acquired by GE Aerospace in 2022 specializing in hypersonic propulsion), and GE Aerospace’s Research Center. The article mentions that it may seem impressive if they started from scratch, but it suggests that they may have purchased a company with a mostly ready design and created a prototype. The author also expresses a desire for a detailed explanation of how the technology works.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the development of RDE (Rotating Detonation Engines) technology by GE Aerospace. It mentions that the company has been working on this technology for several years and provides links to other articles and press releases about the topic. The author advises caution when considering the timeline for implementing this technology and notes that RDEs have been gaining attention recently. They also mention a YouTube video by Scott Manly discussing RDEs.
2. Using S3 as a Container Registry
Total comment counts : 22
Summary
The author of the article discusses their experience developing a custom container image builder in collaboration with Outerbounds1. They share a surprising discovery that S3 can be used as a container registry, allowing users to docker pull from an S3 bucket. The author explains the technical details and benefits of using S3 instead of traditional container registries like ECR. They conducted a benchmark test and found that S3 is up to 8 times faster than ECR for uploading layers. The performance advantage is due to S3’s ability to support parallel chunked uploads, which maximizes bandwidth usage. ECR, on the other hand, follows the OCI Distribution Spec and requires sequential uploads. The author also reveals that docker pull is essentially downloading files through HTTP, leading to the possibility of using any static file server as a container registry. However, the author notes that the use of S3 as a container registry is experimental and requires careful configuration.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The OCI Distribution Spec is criticized for not being well-designed. The specification states that layer pushes must happen sequentially, even when uploaded in chunks. However, chunked upload is broken in implementations such as DockerHub and GHCR, where the entire blob/layer is uploaded at once. The spec also does not follow the RFC7233 format for the Content-Range value. Additionally, there is no standardization for pagination of listing tags, as some text was accidentally deleted from the standard. As a result, different registries have implemented their own approaches.
Top 2 Comment Summary
Cloudflare has open-sourced a container registry server called R2. It is a registry for serverless functions and can be found on GitHub at https://github.com/cloudflare/serverless-registry. The article asks if anyone has tried it.
3. Floppy8 – A Tiny Computer, in a Floppy Drive (2023)
Total comment counts : 17
Summary
The article discusses the design and creation of the Floppy8, a microcomputer and cartridge system that fits inside a floppy drive. It plays 4K movies and games on custom cartridges, features wireless controllers, motorized cartridge ejection, and status lights. The author was intrigued by the industrial design of a floppy drive he found on eBay and decided to repurpose it. The project involved 3D printing, electrical engineering, and creating a new media format. The drive arrived from Australia and was smaller than expected. The author aimed to retain the floppy disk hole in the front cover for the new cartridge format.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses a device called the “Access A1200,” which is a clone of the Amiga 1200 computer that can fit into a 5.25" floppy drive bay. The author recalls the excitement within the Amiga community about this device, but laments the lack of information available about it now, aside from an archived webpage advertising used versions.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The Ampro company began by creating a cp/m computer that could be mounted on a 5 1/4" floppy drive. This eventually led them to develop the PC104 SBC motherboard standard. For more information, you can visit this link: https://oldcomputers.net/ampro-little-board.html
4. StreamVC: Real-Time Low-Latency Voice Conversion
Total comment counts : 11
Summary
Google strives to create an environment that supports various types of research, at different time scales and risk levels. Their researchers drive advancements in computer science through both fundamental and applied research, aiming to impact technology used by billions of people. They regularly open-source projects, collaborate with the research community, and apply their developments to Google products. They make products, tools, and datasets accessible to foster collaboration and support the next generation of researchers. Engaging with university faculty and the broader research community through events is crucial for progress. Their teams focus on speech processing and machine intelligence, advancing the field through research, systems engineering, and collaboration within Google.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article provides links to two GitHub repositories that contain unofficial implementations of StreamVC.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The given article contains a link to released samples related to a topic called “Stream-VC” from the Google Research GitHub page.
5. Arm Accuracy Super Resolution
Total comment counts : 11
Summary
Arm Accuracy Super Resolution (Arm ASR) is an open-source solution for upscaling graphics on mobile devices. The article discusses the importance of graphics in creating immersive gaming experiences and how complex graphics can tax GPUs and draw more power. Upscaling techniques like Arm ASR can help address these challenges by rendering frames at a lower resolution and later scaling them to higher resolutions. The article mentions AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution 2 (FSR2) as a solution that inspired the development of Arm ASR. It explains the differences between spatial and temporal upscalers and the decision to focus on temporal upscaling for better image quality. The article also highlights the performance improvements and power savings achieved with Arm ASR, along with a collaboration with MediaTek to validate these benefits. Overall, the article introduces Arm ASR as a solution to enhance graphics on mobile devices and improve gaming experiences.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author states that they do not play mobile games because touchscreens are not as good as controllers and because the way mobile games are monetized is usually unreasonable. Graphical fidelity is not mentioned as a reason for not playing.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses two methods of inferring data in image resolution: spatial and temporal. Spatial inference involves analyzing data from nearby pixels in a single frame, while temporal inference involves analyzing data from previous and next frames. The author notes that this is different from “AI super resolution,” which utilizes similar data from other photos/videos. The author expresses surprise that this area of research is still active and asks if there are any open source implementations available, particularly for photography. The author mentions a commercial software called “PhotoAcute,” but states that it is not very effective.
6. Windows NT for Power Macintosh
Total comment counts : 21
Summary
This article discusses the porting of PowerPC Windows NT to Power Macintosh systems. The source code for the ARC firmware and its loader is available in a repository. The ARC firmware is compatible with certain Power Macintosh systems, but there is currently no loader for Old World systems. The article mentions compatibility issues with different versions of Windows NT, with NT4 being supported and NT 3.51 potentially becoming compatible in the future. The article also provides instructions for creating additional Mac partitions and replacing certain files in the release image.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the search for a new operating system by Apple during a time when they were struggling to compete with the dominance of the Wintel platform. The options they considered were licensing Windows NT or Solaris and adding a Mac-like interface, continuing their Copland project with a narrowed focus, acquiring Be and using BeOS, or acquiring NeXT and using OpenStep.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses how a developer successfully ported PPC NT 4 to the Wii. The port was achieved last year and a YouTube video showcasing the achievement is provided.
7. AT&T says criminals stole phone records of ’nearly all’ customers in data breach
Total comment counts : 100
Summary
AT&T, the U.S. phone giant, has suffered a data breach that allowed cybercriminals to steal the phone records of “nearly all” its customers. The stolen data includes phone numbers, AT&T records of calls and text messages, and metadata such as the total count of calls and texts and call durations. The breach, which occurred between May and October 2022, also includes call records of customers with phone service from other cell carriers that rely on AT&T’s network. AT&T will notify around 110 million customers of the breach and is working with law enforcement to apprehend the cybercriminals involved. This is the second data breach AT&T has disclosed this year.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the illegal practice of phone service providers in Europe saving phone records beyond what is necessary for their operation. This practice is deemed incompatible with the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms unless there are active threats to national security or temporary measures overseen by a court. The article suggests that legislation should be implemented to make it illegal for service providers to keep these records.
Top 2 Comment Summary
AT&T has 110 million customers, and if each customer only spends one extra minute managing their account due to a break-in, that would result in over 209 years of lost time. The article argues that laws related to data breaches should be more strict in order to encourage companies to take data security more seriously. Suggestions include criminally prosecuting those who are negligent in preventing breaches and implementing massive fines that would hold company leadership and stockholders accountable.
8. JSBen.ch – Performance benchmarking playground for JavaScript
Total comment counts : 6
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The author plans to use jsbenchit.org for their code snippets. If the website goes down, they have all the snippets in gist form and a repository to self-host.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author is expressing happiness that something has returned and wondering if all the benchmarks are back. They also mention their desire for all the links from Stack Overflow to start working again.
9. So you want to rent an NVIDIA H100 cluster? 2024 Consumer Guide
Total comment counts : 8
Summary
The article discusses the criteria to consider when renting a large GPU cluster, specifically a 256 H100 cluster. It emphasizes the importance of reliability over price and covers factors such as commit size, commit duration, upfront payment, and additional costs such as support, storage, and egress. The article also discusses the significance of the interconnect in the cluster, comparing Infiniband and Ethernet options and highlighting the superior performance and stability of Infiniband. It mentions the possibility of GPU failures and the need for spare nodes in case of issues. The article concludes with a mention of the importance of node colocation and the need for sufficient data storage to keep the GPUs busy.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the author’s plan to build a cluster of 16 Dell XE9680 servers with 128 AMD MI300x GPUs. The servers will be connected using 8 Broadcom cards running at 400G, all connected to a Dell PowerSwitch Z9864F-ON. The author chose Ethernet over InfiniBand due to lead time issues and their belief in open standards. They express excitement about benchmarking the system and mention their partnership with Dell for support. Lastly, they mention that their datacenter is environmentally friendly and hope to make an announcement soon.
Top 2 Comment Summary
This article lacks information regarding the cost, which is an essential aspect. The rest of the article provides metadata and could have been presented in a clear table with vendor options, prices, and features. The article could have been more concise and to the point.
10. Making Python Less Random
Total comment counts : 12
Summary
The article discusses a developer’s experience with debugging a game prototype written in Python that relied on randomness. The author encountered difficulties in fixing a bug due to the randomness involved. Initially, they attempted to mock the random functions but discovered a third-party library that also had random calls. Instead of refactoring the code or using unittest.mock.patch, the author took a detour to modify system calls to getrandom using strace. They explain the process of using ptrace, a system call, to intercept and modify syscalls to achieve deterministic randomness without requiring code changes. The article provides examples and a link to the source code for implementation.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The suggestion made in the article is to implement a custom stateful pseudorandom number generator (PRNG) in Python and then patch the os.urandom function to use that PRNG. This would allow for greater control over the PRNG’s behavior, such as being able to seed it during unit tests without making system calls or modifying external processes.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses a way to achieve more sources of non-determinism by running Python code under Meta’s Hermit. The article provides a link for more information.