TL;DR summary of stories on the internet
Switching to Firefox is an important New Year’s resolution, as it is the only remaining ethical web browser. Unlike its competitors, Firefox is not built by a company that profits from advertising or selling personal data. This means that it prioritizes user privacy and avoids shady tracking technologies. Additionally, using Firefox helps prevent a browser […]
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The author presents a custom firmware for the Xiaomi Mi Band 8, emphasizing that it is a minimal demo and not visually appealing. They provide a YouTube link for a video demonstrating the general function of the firmware. Building each example requires entering the “gcc” folder and using the make command, or using the “flash.bat” […]
Tom Smothers, one-half of the iconic Smothers Brothers comedy duo and co-host of “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” has passed away at the age of 86 after battling cancer. The show, which premiered in 1967, was a groundbreaking program that challenged social norms and tackled controversial subjects such as the Vietnam War. Despite facing censorship […]
Welcome to OsmAPP, a universal OpenStreetMap app that aims to provide a convenient interface for everyday use. With map data sourced from OpenStreetMap, which operates similarly to Wikipedia, you can trust the accuracy and reliability of the information provided. The application currently offers various map layers, POI editing, and a basic search engine. Exciting features […]
The Shire of Quairading in Western Australia has put up signs warning drivers not to rely on Google maps for directions due to GPS-based instructions leading to unsafe roads. The council has attempted to have the online maps corrected, but with little success. The specific road in question, Old Beverley Road, can be dangerous in […]
In a blog post, the author discusses their mathematical modeling of the game of dreidel. They explain the rules of the game, where players spin a dreidel and take certain actions based on the outcome. The author recounts how a previous simulation of the game found that it took an average of 860 spins to […]
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed a lightweight foam made from carbon nanotubes that can absorb the kinetic energy caused by an impact nearly 30 times better than current helmet liners used in the US military. The foam has the potential to significantly reduce the likelihood of concussions in military personnel and sportspeople. […]
Autorize is an extension for Burp Suite that helps security testers with automatic authorization and authentication tests. It was developed by Barak Tawily, an expert in application security. To install Autorize, you need to download Burp Suite and Jython standalone JAR. Once installed, the Autorize tab will be available in Burp and you can configure […]
In this article, the author investigates the randomness of xkcd’s “random” button. They explain that randomness is important in things like cryptography and there are several ways to test the randomness of a random number generator. The author used the NIST Statistical Test Suite to test 10,000 xkcd-random numbers and found that they all passed […]
In this web content, the author discusses the use of soft gradients in graphics programming despite their design flaws. Soft gradients often produce color banding, or posterization, which can be visually unappealing. The author presents WebGL examples to illustrate the issue of color banding on different types of screens. They introduce a one-line solution using […]