Gary Boone, a Texas Instruments (TI) engineer, developed the first microcontroller due to boredom and family issues while working on calculator chips. The first calculator chips drastically reduced the number of integrated circuits needed to build a working calculator. Initially, customers were resistant to the idea of buying similar calculator chips differentiated only by some […]

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Microsoft recently open-sourced MarkItDown, a program converting Office files to Markdown, which quickly trended on GitHub. To aid non-technical users, the author proposed using WebAssembly to enable Python code running directly in the browser via Pyodide, a CPython port supporting Python syntax and popular packages like NumPy, pandas, and more. Utilizing a JavaScript ⟺ Python […]

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Over the years, I’ve delved into various projects using luminous paint and UV LEDs to create unique displays on a large scale. Named after the biblical story of Belshazzar’s feast, these installations were originally showcased at Maker Faires and EMF Camp. Inspired by Rembrandt’s wireframe design from 1635, I decided to create a luminous clock […]

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In Fall 2020 (or Fall 2022), the pilot course ROB 101 will introduce first-year undergraduate students to the unified world of mathematics and computation, essential for modern engineers. Through linear algebra and Julia programming language, students will engage in practical computational tools and tackle complex problems related to robotics and intelligent systems. The course challenges […]

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In this book, we will guide you through building your own operating system step by step. Despite the intimidating reputation of OS development, the basics are surprisingly simple. Linux, for example, started with just over 8,000 lines of code. We will cover context switching, paging, user mode, a shell, device driver, and file operations in […]

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Fidget is a versatile library designed for handling large-scale math expressions, particularly for implicit surfaces. Unlike typical representations, Fidget focuses on closed-form implicit surfaces, making it ideal for shapes. The library is built in Rust, allowing easy compilation and refactoring. Its frontend capabilities include building math expressions, represented in a deduplicated directed acyclic graph. The […]

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In a study examining SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records of the top 1M websites, over 1,700 DKIM keys shorter than 1,024 bits were discovered, revealing a security risk despite being deprecated. Attempting to crack one of these keys, researchers succeeded by using a cloud server and open-source tools. The process involved factorizing the RSA modulus, […]

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Quanta delves into the intricate collaboration between physics and mathematics in the realm of quantum field theory, highlighting the mysterious quantum fields that shape the physical world. Despite the success of the Standard Model in describing our universe, it falls short in explaining certain cosmic phenomena like dark matter and energy. Physicists seek to move […]

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The 2024 recipients of the annual Shkreli awards have been revealed by the Lown Institute, highlighting the worst cases of profiteering and dysfunction in the healthcare industry. The No 10 spot was given to the University of North Texas for selling body parts without proper consent. Outdated practices like baby tongue-tie cutting and shady billing […]

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The author discusses the development of SAT solvers since the 1990s, highlighting Kissat’s domination in the 2024 SAT Competition with three gold medals. Core techniques like congruence closure and clausal equivalence sweeping are mentioned. The author also touches on the SAT problem, stating that it involves finding a satisfying assignment to a logical normal form. […]

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