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Most physicists teach partial differential equations poorly, especially when it comes to topics like thermodynamics and analytical mechanics. The way the Legendre transform is traditionally taught in textbooks lacks clarity and elegance. The typical explanation is often muddled, resulting in confusion regarding the connection between Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics. However, a clear and concise definition […]
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Ten years post-Malaysia Airlines Flight 370’s disappearance, Seabed 2030 embarks on a mission to map and reveal Earth’s mysterious ocean floor. A partnership between GEBCO and Nippon Foundation, the project aims to support UN Sustainable Development Goal 14. Recent discoveries, like massive seamounts near Central and South America, confirm the necessity for these mapping efforts. […]
The BigDL project has transitioned into ipex-llm, a PyTorch library designed for efficient LLM execution on Intel CPUs and GPUs with minimal latency. Integrated with Intel Extension for PyTorch (IPEX), ipex-llm offers seamless collaboration with various technologies like llama.cpp and HuggingFace transformers. Boasting over 50 optimized models, including popular ones like LLaMA2 and Mixtral, ipex-llm […]
Raymond Chen explains how older computers operated without stacks or heaps for dynamic memory allocation. To simulate variable-sized data, fixed-size memory buffers were used, with global variables representing function parameters, return addresses, and local variables. Function calls happened by assigning values to these secret global variables. Recursion was impractical due to overwriting return addresses. Some […]
Investigative journalism in uncovering the true owners of shell companies is like looking for UFOs, but tools exist to track those hiding assets. Shell companies are set up for strategic purposes like tax avoidance or hiding identities. Investigative journalists use specialized techniques to uncover information. ICIJ shared tips at NICAR24 on tracking shady empire leaders […]
In the 16th century, the incredible Artificio de Juanelo was built by Juanelo Turriano in Toledo, Spain, to supply the city with water. It utilized two water wheels to lift water from the Tagus River to the Alcazar. Despite challenges in construction due to various obstacles and the death of Charles V, Turriano persevered and […]
In the Brazilian Amazon, a group of armed men known as the Specialized Inspection Group (G.E.F.) works to dislodge illegal miners from Yanomami territory. Their mission, Operation Xapirí, aims to protect the rain forest and Indigenous communities from environmental devastation caused by rampant illegal mining. Led by Felipe Finger, the G.E.F. faces challenges such as […]
The author delves into the complexities of NAND flash in SSDs, highlighting misconceptions and outlining how SSDs work. The physical internals of SSDs are examined, explaining the storage of data in arrays of cells made from floating-gate transistors. The differences between SLC, MLC, and TLC cells are discussed, with the author emphasizing that all NAND […]
Ross Anderson, a brilliant and opinionated cryptographer and security engineer, unexpectedly passed away at his home in Cambridge. Known for his comprehensive book “Security Engineering” and his insights on security and economics, he was a generalist who started conferences and fought against surveillance. He was the first to make connections between security and economic problems […]
At least eight states are planning to ban sales of new gas-powered cars after 2035, with more considering joining them. These bans will require only zero-emission vehicles to be sold in participating states starting from the 2035 model year, with California leading the way. These rules are part of a larger effort to combat climate […]