TL;DR summary of stories on the internet
Ibn Tufail’s 12th-century Arabic philosophical novel, Ḥayy ibn Yaqẓān, follows a boy named Ḥayy who grows up on an island, isolated from humans. He learns languages of animals, studies the stars, and gains knowledge in natural science, philosophy, and religion through exploration. Ḥayy concludes a great creator exists. The novel, highly influential in Islamic philosophy […]
Read more »
The author reflects on their recent writing hiatus, attributing it to failed writing projects and a busy schedule. They delve into the forgotten realm of Microsoft At Work, a product from the ’90s that aimed to revolutionize office machines. MAW integrated Windows architecture into fax machines and printers, with grand visions of a paperless office. […]
Language models benefit from using filler tokens to solve hard algorithmic tasks, even if not in a human-like manner. However, learning to use filler tokens effectively requires dense supervision. The study reveals that additional tokens can offer computational advantages regardless of their content. Concerns arise regarding the potential for large language models to conduct hidden, […]
Japan’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) has impressively woken up once again after three lunar nights, much to everyone’s surprise. Defying the odds, SLIM managed to take a picture of the lunar surface using its navigation camera, despite some malfunctioning electronics and battery cells. While the lander lacks heaters to keep its electronics warm, […]
The author presents a unique method of embedding a user-space program directly into the Linux kernel image to be executed from there. While this may seem unconventional, it can be useful in scenarios where the kernel needs to run helper programs. By using the User Mode Driver API and assembly files, a program can be […]
The author discusses the RISC-V specification, pointing out its multiple parts like the Instruction Set Manuals, Test Suites, Spike ISA Simulator, and SAIL model. They express concerns about the natural language text in the specification, lack of precision, and disconnect between artifacts. They propose creating a machine-readable specification for easier use and updating of artifacts […]
In June 2022, Ángela Astudillo and colleagues discovered a massive clothes dump on fire in Chile’s Atacama Desert. This dump formed due to fast fashion and brutal consumerism that lacked sustainable waste practices, with imported clothing flooding in from various countries. Efforts by environmental advocates like the Dress Desert nonprofit aim to tackle this crisis, […]
In early 2008, the iPhone changed the world of smartphones, starting as a powerful and exciting device but eventually becoming just a tool for many. As Apple’s fortunes largely rely on iPhone sales, the company has taken defensive measures to maintain its dominance, such as keeping iMessage exclusive to iOS users. Apple’s strict control over […]
The author discusses their approach to managing small websites as a hobby, focusing on a DIY mentality with a middle ground solution. They provide insight into their setup, including using a Linux server and static site builders like Astro. The author outlines their search for a form solution that aligns with their criteria, ultimately choosing […]
Market Village is a mall that has been gone for 5 years, but still remains on Google Maps and Yelp. The mall was unique, resembling a village and filled with regular businesses. Some visitors shared experiences of rude customer service and crowded aisles. Despite plans for a new mall, construction delays have left the site […]