TL;DR summary of stories on the internet
Default installations of Linux distributions now mount more filesystems, making it harder to understand the output of commands like df, lsblk, and mount. However, there are ways to make the output more readable by removing irrelevant devices. For example, in Ubuntu 22.04, the df command can exclude tmpfs with the option -x tmpfs. Similarly, lsblk […]
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E-ink devices are like a hacker’s dream come true, taking us back to the magical days of computers in the 80s and 90s. With low power consumption, simple architecture, and a focus on simplicity, these devices offer a refreshing alternative to modern technology. The software ecosystem for e-ink devices is homebrew, with enthusiasts creating and […]
Inflammation in the lungs can sometimes become excessive and unchecked, causing acute lung injury and even death. However, researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have discovered cells in the lungs that can help counterbalance inflammation. These cells, known as alveolar macrophages, are able to reduce inflammation by removing cellular debris, ingesting harmful bacteria, and […]
Packaging open source software is often overlooked as a simple task, but recent events in the Linux distribution world have emphasized its importance. As a sysadmin, I have seen the consequences of not properly packaging software and keeping up with updates. The process of packaging involves identifying dependencies, testing the system, conforming to specific standards, […]
The author discusses the challenge of working with data in tabular format and the recent use of Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) to handle this type of data effectively. However, GNNs often produce black-box models that make it difficult for users to understand the logic behind the predictions. To address this issue, the author proposes a […]
The digital advertising industry is undergoing a major shift in response to privacy-related changes. Apple’s App Tracking Transparency framework, Google’s deprecation of third-party cookies, and the implementation of privacy legislation like the California Privacy Rights Act and the EU General Data Protection Regulation have all had a significant impact. The EU has been particularly aggressive […]
Prof. Robert Boice offers a series of rules and advice for writers to improve their productivity and well-being. Some key points include working in short, regular sessions and taking breaks, spending time on pre-writing and rewriting, and socializing about writing with other writers. Boice emphasizes the importance of not getting caught in reactive self-talk and […]
Every time we pack a bag, we are faced with tech-focused decisions, from choosing the devices we need to packing chargers and cords. While I used to travel with just an iPad, the arrival of Apple silicon has led me to bring both an iPad and a MacBook Air. Many of my colleagues who previously […]
Web scraping is a legal domain riddled with hypocrisy. Companies like Meta and Microsoft prohibit web scraping on their own platforms while engaging in it themselves on other companies’ properties. Web scraping is about accessing data, and while some data is protected by copyright or other intellectual property rights, most of the data on the […]
The Yann LeCun et al. (1989) paper on Backpropagation Applied to Handwritten Zip Code Recognition is a significant piece of deep learning history. Despite its age, the paper’s content remains remarkably modern, outlining dataset creation, neural network architecture, optimization techniques, and classification error rates. The author set out to reproduce the paper’s results using PyTorch […]