Links für 2023 KW 36#
Zusammengefasst von LlongOrca.
Memories from old LAN parties:
The article shares memories from participating in LANs (Local Area Network) events during the 2000s, focusing on the unique experiences and quirks of that time period. These unrelated stories highlight odd incidents like having to reinstall Windows, navigating through multi-round tournaments, using pirated games, sharing CD keys through ICQ numbers, and more.
Restrictions on geographic data in China:
Under Chinese law, the use of geographic information in China is restricted to entities that have special authorization from the administrative department for surveying and mapping under the State Council. Consequences of these restrictions include fines for unauthorized surveys, lack of geotagging information on many cameras when the GPS chip detects a location within China, incorrect alignment of street maps with satellite maps in various applications, and the criminalization of crowdsourced mapping efforts such as OpenStreetMap. The Chinese government states these restrictions are to „safeguard the security of China’s geographic information“.
Public restrooms are hard to find in America. That’s a problem.:
The article discusses the challenges faced by people with debilitating bowel conditions, such as chronic pain and bouts of diarrhea, emphasizing „toilet anxiety“ as a major emotional issue. The author shares their experience of ulcerative colitis and mentions that inadequate public toilets in the United States pose problems for various individuals with medical conditions, along with those who are homeless, elderly, pregnant, and more.
Every Type of Plastic Used By LEGO - BrickNerd - All things LEGO and the LEGO fan community:
This article discusses various plastics used in LEGO bricks throughout history, such as CA, HIPS, Bakelite, ABS, SAN, PP, PC, MABS, PA, POM, TP, PE, MTPO, TPU, SEBS, and PET. The article also covers future plans for more sustainable materials in LEGO production, as well as alternative building materials that have been used by various companies.
Investors account for 30 per cent of home buying in Canada, data show:
Investors have become more prevalent in Canada’s housing market, accounting for 30% of all residential real estate purchases in the first part of this year, according to new data from the Bank of Canada. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, investor buying has grown as soaring home prices ramped up interest in residential properties as an asset class. Meanwhile, the percentage of first-time homebuyers and repeat buyers has shrunk over time. The increased presence of investors can amplify house price cycles during booms or add downward pressure on housing demand and prices when stable or declining. So far, the federal government has not addressed individual domestic real estate investors as it tries to come up with policies to deal with the lack of affordable housing.
Wie lässt sich Zahnschmelz regenerieren?:
The article discusses the development of ameloblasts from stem cells and the creation of mini-tooth organoids that can produce enamel proteins, potentially leading to regeneration of damaged teeth. Hannele Ruohola-Baker’s team at the University of Washington discovered a way to develop Ameloblasts in laboratories using stem cells and create miniature teeth capable of producing multiple enamel protein structures. The study results were published in „Developmental Cell.“ Regenerating dental enamel is essential not only for repairing damaged teeth but also for genetic disorders that cause defective tooth enamel, such as Amelogenesis imperfecta. This condition makes the teeth more susceptible to cavities and temperature sensitivity, resulting in them appearing yellow or gray-brown. The researchers hope to use their findings to develop stem cell-based treatments for regenerating damaged teeth fully and replacing lost ones.
⚕ Weight-loss drugs seem like another bit of sci-fi becoming fact:
The article discusses the significant impact of weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy on Danish GDP. Produced by Novo Nordisk, these drugs have led to a rapid rise in Denmark’s economy due to high profits from increased sales. The anti-obesity medications have turned Novo Nordisk into Europe’s most valuable company. The potential of similar drugs is also mentioned for treating Type 1 diabetes, where they could help reduce or eliminate the need for insulin injections while improving blood sugar control and increasing C-peptide levels. The future outlook sees a vast market opportunity with further expansion into obesity treatments, potentially leading to a $50 billion opportunity by 2030.
Can you guess the GitHub repository from the code?
Google gets its way, bakes a user-tracking ad platform directly into Chrome:
The article discusses Google’s controversial „Privacy Sandbox“ feature that has been implemented in the latest Chrome update. This feature tracks users‘ web pages visited and generates a list of advertising topics that are shared with websites upon request, built directly into the browser. The implementation of this invasive ad platform is opposed by non-advertisers worldwide. Users should see a pop-up informing them of its rollout.
Editorial: There’s no way out of Chicago parking meter disaster:
The article discusses Chicago’s notorious parking meter deal under ex-Mayor Richard M. Daley and its consequences for the city. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the agreement with Chicago Parking Meters LLC (CPM), stating that while the deal might have been „foolish, short-sighted, or worse,“ Chicago was within its rights to undertake it. The article also mentions the lawsuit brought by motorists alleging a price-gouging monopoly created by the deal, but the court dismissed these claims. The contract requires Chicago to maintain at least 30,000 meters and pay CPM for „lost“ revenue if the city cuts parking fees or reduces spaces. Additionally, the article highlights the negative impact of the deal on the city’s ability to change with the times due to its commitment to metered parking at the expense of initiatives that de-emphasize motor vehicles and improve public health.
Cal Newport: Overstimulation Is Ruining Your Life:
This article discusses Cal Newport’s advice on overcoming digital addiction. He suggests avoiding things that overstimulate us, such as social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. To focus and live without distractions, Newport advises getting rid of these triggers to allow room for enriching habits. Additionally, he recommends replacing online news scrolling with curated weekly newsletters.
Monthly Review | Why Socialism?:
This article discusses the importance of Albert Einstein’s charcoal and watercolor drawing by Alexander Dobkin, as well as the idea that it is advisable for those not expert in economic and social issues to express views on socialism. It suggests that methodological differences between astronomy and economics make general law discovery difficult in the latter field, but highlights how socialism aims to overcome and advance beyond the predatory phase of human development. The article also argues that socialism is directed towards a social-ethical end, with science being limited when it comes to tackling human problems.
Ask HN: Is there a data loss bug lurking in MS365 backup solutions?:
The article discusses an issue the author has encountered in two different MS365 backup products, Veeam Backup for MS365 and Synology Active Backup for MS365. The problem occurs when reconciling a backup set against live data, causing some files to go missing. Though this happens consistently with one of the author’s tenants, they are unable to reproduce or provide a cause for it. The author believes that frequent reorganization of the tenant’s data may be linked to the issue.
Ask HN: Does Instagram suspend accounts just to get their phone numbers?:
The article discusses an incident where the author registered for an Instagram account, only to be suspended due to violating community guidelines shortly after signing in. After appealing and providing a phone number, they were unsuspended with a message indicating that their account complied with the Community Guidelines. The author speculates if this is a tactic to gather user phone numbers without making it seem mandatory during registration.
„Waterfall“ doesn’t mean what you think it means:
I appreciate the thorough analysis of the „Waterfall“ paper and its significance in software development processes. The emphasis on documentation, prototyping, and iteration throughout various stages is critical to success in modern software projects. Implementing these practices can improve overall efficiency, manage risks, and optimize resource allocation in development. Additionally, I agree with the notion that modern day interpretation should consider updating Royces‘ methodology accordingly, ensuring its applicability to contemporary software engineering practices.
Google Chrome pushes browser history-based ad targeting:
Google has started rolling out Chrome’s „Enhanced Ad Privacy“ feature, which allows websites to target adverts based on the user’s browser history. This technology is part of Google’s Privacy Sandbox project and has been available in the July release of Chrome 115, alongside support for the Topics API. A small percentage of Chrome users are being gradually added to the Topics API regime, and they may not have noticed or received any notification about this change. The implementation varies depending on where the user lives due to regional privacy laws. This move is intended to replace third-party cookies, which store browser data for ad tracking purposes, but have been detrimental to user privacy.
OWASP Top 10 API Security Risks – 2023:
The article discusses various risks associated with APIs, including broken object level authorization (API1), broken authentication (API2), broken object property level authorization (API3), unrestricted resource consumption (API4), broken function-level authorization (API5), unrestricted access to sensitive business flows (API6), server-side request forgery (API7), security misconfiguration (API8), improper inventory management (API9), and unsafe consumption of APIs (API10). These risks can compromise API security, leading to data exposure or manipulation, resource exhaustion, and unauthorized access.
Poor people ‚surviving not living‘ as UK social contract collapses, says report:
The Poverty Strategy Commission has released an interim report highlighting that millions of low-income families in the UK are experiencing extreme levels of poverty. The report states that a „more of the same“ approach to tackling poverty will fail and urges for immediate action on this pressing issue. The estimated annual cost to significantly reduce poverty is around £36 billion, which involves benefits increases, wage rises, investments in lower housing and energy costs, and improved health services. The final report of the commission is expected to be published at the end of the year.
Hashicorp has changed the license of Terraform to a source-available license, BSL1.1, which is not an OSI-certified „open-source“ license. This change impacts contributors and users who may have been operating under different assumptions regarding the open-source nature of the project. The change highlights the importance of transparent licensing practices for collaborative projects in ensuring that all parties involved understand and agree with the terms set forth.
This article provides a method for recovering lost text on a website by using the ‚gdb‘ debugger tool. The process involves finding the Firefox PID, attaching ‚gcore‘ to it, dumping its core memory, and then searching through the coredump using ‚strings‘. This technique has been claimed to work 99% of the time
Cory Doctorow: Interoperability Will Save the Open Web:
In his new book, The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation, author Cory Doctorow argues that forcing interoperability between platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Amazon can break down their dominance and make the internet more democratic. This is possible through voluntary or mandatory interoperability that allows for better communication between systems and platforms, resulting in a virtuous cycle that extends beyond the tech sector.
*Privacy Not Included: A Buyer’s Guide for Connected Products:
The article discusses the privacy concerns surrounding modern cars, as they have become „computers on wheels“ with advanced features that collect personal data from users. The author notes that all car brands researched received a warning label for poor privacy practices, including excessive data collection and sharing. Many companies also sell or share this information without clear consent, and there is limited control over the data being collected. The article urges readers to demand better privacy policies from car manufacturers.
The article discusses how Southern California and Florida were marketed as paradises in the late 19th century, offering escape from harsh winters and promising a place in the sun for industrious Americans. The unique climates played an essential role in establishing these states‘ reputations as ideal destinations in the United States. As railroads reached Southern California and the Florida peninsula in the 1870s and 1880s, promoters worked to challenge beliefs that people could only thrive in colder climates. They argued that sun-kissed climates would not be detrimental to individuals‘ health. This marketing strategy led to booms in settlement and tourism during the 1880s for both regions.
However, the article also highlights that the very climates that made these states attractive are now posing significant challenges due to climate change. In California, residents face heatwaves, droughts that threaten water supply, and uncontrollable wildfires, while in Florida, sea-level rise leads to increased risks of high-tide flooding and storm surge from hurricanes, making the region hotter and more humid. Consequently, both states are at the top of the list of states most at risk from climate change.
In conclusion, the article reflects on how historic visions of economic growth and a sun-kissed good life based on unique climates in California and Florida may need to be reconciled with their changing, less sustainable futures due to the impacts of human-induced climate change.
The article discusses the decline in quality of modern furniture due to its cheap materials and construction methods, resulting from the need for retailers to keep prices low. Consumers often seek trendy pieces, which further perpetuates the cycle of disposable furniture. Some designers offer custom-made, higher-quality options at a higher price point, while others recommend buying fully assembled or domestically made products.
About Google’s penalty | The Online Slang Dictionary:
The article discusses the experience of a website that was penalized by Google and how it affected the site’s visibility in search results. The author explains the background of the penalty and details his attempts to have the penalty removed or reduced, including removing citations from the website and appealing for help from Matt Cutts, who was in charge of the webspam team at Google at the time. The article also touches upon potential reasons behind the manual penalties imposed by Google.
Librum is an online library app that allows users to access their books from any device, saving files in the cloud. It offers a simple and straightforward interface, customization options for a personalized look and feel, and open-source code for potential feature improvements or contributions. The platform’s primary focus is on providing an efficient and valuable user experience while respecting time and avoiding poorly designed applications.
Zahlen, bitte! Der Amen Break: 6 Sekunden, die die Musik veränderten:
The Amen Break, a six-second drum solo sample from the song „Amen Brother“ by The Winstons, has become one of the most used samples in music history and even defined musical styles. Its worldwide success was unexpected, but its use can be heard in songs by artists such as David Bowie, Salt’n’Pepa, The Prodigy, Oasis, Linkin Park, and more. Gregory S. „GC“ Coleman played the Amen Break, making it one of the most used drum samples in music history.
Turning two lives into one, or, things that worry me about Bess, after I’m gone:
This article discusses the author’s perspective on their relationship with Bess as they both face their respective challenges. The author is facing death due to cancer and is worried about the emotional impact on Bess, who will continue living after his passing. The author highlights some of the ways in which they have grown together, sharing ideas, interests, and knowledge that has enhanced each other’s lives. The article also mentions specific concerns related to Bess finding support and comfort during her grieving process, as well as how their shared experiences will evolve after the author’s death.
C# REPL is a cross-platform command line tool that allows developers to rapidly experiment and explore C# code, offering features like syntax highlighting, intellisense, NuGet package installation, and referencing local .NET projects and assemblies.
TDD Doesn’t Force Good Design:
The article discusses the claim that automated testing and TDD (Test-Driven Development) forces you to produce better designed systems. The author argues that this claim is not strictly true, as it oversimplifies the matter. Although TDD is a great design tool for creating rapid feedback loops about the quality of your design, writing testable code is not the only way to test your system. Some languages and frameworks like JavaScript allow for mocking frameworks and dependency orchestration hacking, making bad code work without necessarily being designed well. Testing can enable good design but does not force it. The key is recognizing when a system’s design is poor so that efforts can be directed towards improving it.
The Usefulness of a Memory Guides Where the Brain Saves It | Quanta Magazine:
The brain sorts memories by determining their usefulness and generalizability, according to a new theory backed by experiments using artificial neural networks. The theory suggests that predictable memories are stored in the neocortex, while less predictable ones are saved in the hippocampus. This sorting method may optimize the reliability of memories for helping us navigate novel situations. The authors propose that many memories of predictable things, such as facts and useful recurring experiences, are saved in the brain’s neocortex, where they can contribute to generalizations about the world. Memories less likely to be useful, like unique tastes or experiences, are kept in the seahorse-shaped memory bank called the hippocampus. This research provides insights into how memory formation is a multistage process and offers potential implications for cognitive neuroscience and artificial intelligence.
battle-of-hodow-when-400-poles-repelled-40000-tatars-in-1694:
In 1694, during an invasion by a 40,000-strong Tatar horde seeking slaves and booty, 100 winged hussars and 300 heavy cavalrymen barricaded themselves in Hodw village. Despite being vastly outnumbered and not fit for defensive action, the Poles constructed makeshift fortifications and managed to fend off the attackers for hours before negotiating a retreat. This battle, due to its large disproportion of forces, is often called the Polish Thermopylae.
Schule, berufliches Wissen, Hobbys: Zehn Apps, die schlauer machen:
This article discusses various learning apps that make it easy for people to study from home or remotely. These digital solutions cover a wide range of subjects and cater to both personal and professional development. They provide tools and resources that enable lifelong learning, with many apps being free of charge. Some examples include Edurino for children’s educational games, Anton for reading practice, StudySmarter for creating customized study materials, and GoStudent offering virtual tutoring sessions in various subjects. Additionally, there are apps like Zubido that aim to replace the paper-based training reports with digital alternatives, as well as Lern-Apps such as Coursera that offer Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) from various universities worldwide.
Don Norman’s book „The Design of Everyday Things“ presents five key design principles for SaaS UX product design. These principles are Affordance, Signifiers, Mapping, Feedback, and Conceptual Model. Affordance refers to how users interact with a product; signifiers are the features that allow users to activate or use affordances. Mapping involves the spatial distribution of signifiers within context. Feedback means providing immediate feedback for user actions, and a conceptual model helps users become familiar with the product quickly due to similarities with other products they know.
Everything I know about floppy disks:
Floppy disk drives are an essential part of computer history and were used in early personal computers before being replaced by other storage devices like CD-ROMs, DVDs, USB drives, and flash drives. These disks, also known as floppies or simply disks, contain magnetic particles that can store data when exposed to a strong magnetic field. Floppy disk drives are characterized by their various sizes such as 8“, 5.25“, 3“ and 3.5“.
There were four main sizes of Floppy Disk: 1. The 8“ floppy disk, which was the oldest and dates from the very early 1970s. It is a black plastic sleeve around 200mm by 200mm, encasing a thin disc of flexible magnetic material known as a biscuit. 2. The 5.25“ Minifloppy or Mini Diskette is like an 8“ disk but smaller in size. It also has the same kind of sleeve and biscuit but with varying amounts of data storage depending on their design and specification, from 180 KiB to 1200 KiB. 3. The 3“ Compact Floppy Disk (CF-2) is like a hard plastic shell surrounding the biscuit and has an access window that can be covered by a metal shutter. This disk also has different amounts of data storage depending on its design, from 180 KiB to 720 KiB. 4. The 3.5“ Micro Floppy Disk (MF2) also features a plastic shell somewhere between the 5.25“ and 3“ in terms of stiffness. It has a metal shutter but is placed outside the sleeve rather than within it, which can be easily moved by hand to access the biscuit.
Each floppy disk physical format involves an outer shell, which does not move, and a biscuit, which rotates typically clockwise when viewed from above. The biscuit is made of a magnetic material, basically a thin layer of rust stuck to a thin sheet of plastic, much like a cassette tape.
A floppy disk must be placed into a floppy disk drive before it can be read or written to. The drive will rotate the biscuit past a head which is the component used to measure or alter the magnetic patterns in the material. When reading, the head generates an electrical signal according to the magnetic patterns contained within the material. When writing, the head is given an electrical signal causing magnetic patterns to be recorded into the material.
The drive can read or write multiple tracks on a single disk by moving the head in towards the center of the disk with precision and repeatability provided by the stepper motor. The head usually moves using a stepper motor which drives a worm-gear for precise and repeatable positioning. 8“ and 5.25“ disks usually have 35 or 40 tracks, while 3“ and 3.5“ disks can be either single-sided (SSD) or double-sided (DSD).
The data stored on floppy disks is encoded using various schemes such as Frequency Modulation Encoding (FM), Modified Frequency Modulation Encoding (MFM), Double Density (DD), and High Density (HD) to improve storage density. The storage capacity of a floppy disk is typically measured in kilobytes (KB) or megabytes (MB).
In conclusion, floppy disk drives were a critical component of early computing systems, enabling data storage and transfer through the use of magnetic biscuits within plastic sleeves that could be read or written by specialized drive mechanisms. The evolution of these drives and their associated technologies greatly contributed to the development and growth of the computer industry as we know it today.
Twenty is an addictive game of numbers that offers various fun modes such as Zen, Bubbles, Flip Flop, and a frantic two-player mode. The app can be downloaded for free on iOS, Android, and Windows Phone devices and allows users to save/resume when interrupted.
Microsoft Edge is starting to annoy me big time:
The article discusses the author’s dissatisfaction with Microsoft Edge, citing issues such as misleading buttons and intrusive advertising. The author expresses frustration with Edge’s user experience changes over time, including features like the Discover/chat sidebar, which they consider unnecessary and detrimental to browsing efficiency. Additionally, the author laments that other Chromium-based browsers may still have their own set of annoyances, such as Google’s quiet introduction of features without asking users. The conclusion is that the author may need to find a new secondary browser to use, given that Edge seems to be moving in an undesirable direction and the other options have their own drawbacks.
Are deep blue seas fading? Oceans turn to new hue across parts of Earth, study finds:
A recent study published in Nature reports that Earth’s oceans have changed color over the past 20 years, particularly in the tropics. Low-latitude oceans have become greener during this time period. Researchers analyzed two decades of satellite data and concluded that around 56% of the ocean surface has changed its hue compared to before the turn of the century. This shift is believed to be a result of human activity and may impact marine food webs, but more research needs to be conducted to determine specific causes and effects on the ecosystem.