Bonum Certa Men Certa

Links 21/08/2022: Comments for Ghost (Static Site Generator)



  • GNU/Linux

    • Audiocasts/Shows

      • VideoWireplumber Takes Pipewire To The Next Level! - Invidious

        Pipewire with Pipewire media session is totally usable however if you want to take it to the next level take a dive into Wireplumber and start messing around with the plugin framework to see what fun stuff you can achieve.

    • Instructionals/Technical

      • Make Use OfWhat Is a Login Shell in Linux?

        You might use the Linux shell every day, but how you use it determines a lot about its behavior. You might have heard about the difference between a login shell and a non-login shell. And while it may not come off as obvious at first, there are several differences between the two shell types.

        Here's everything you need to know about login shells on Linux.

  • Distributions and Operating Systems

    • Devices/Embedded

      • [Old] Evaluating DDS, MQTT, and ZeroMQ Under Different IoT Traffic Conditions

        This paper empirically evaluates the performance of three pub/sub technologies: OMG DDS, MQTT and ZeroMQ for representative IoT scenarios (high-frequency, periodic, and sporadic). DDS provides more comprehensive and modularized QoS support than others, and also demonstrates better overall latency and throughput in most evaluated scenarios. Specifically, DDS gained higher throughput than ZeroMQ and MQTT in the high-frequency data-flow use case. In periodic data-flow, ZeroMQ has lower latency than DDS for small(64B) and medium(2KB)messages. DDS latency outperforms ZeroMQ when sending large messages(32KB). MQTT is more sensitive to the in-parallel sporadic data-flow, and DDS can successfully shield the interference. Our results also reveal that DDS’s Multicast QoS can effectively improve throughput in multi-subscriber scenarios. The TurboMode property can intelligently decide appropriate batch size with regard to different payload and significantly improve throughput for small messages. And The AutoThrottle property results in lower throughput and latency and higher CPU utilization.

      • HackadayPicoStepSeq Is Small But Perfectly Formed

        The Paspberry Pi Pico is what you might call the board of the moment, thanks to its combination of affordability, features, and continued availability during the component shortage. We have seen plenty of great projects using it, and the latest to float past is [todbot]’s PicoStepSeq, an extremely compact MIDI sequencer.

      • HackadayBuilding A Spot Welder From 500 Junk Capacitors

        [Kasyan TV] over on YouTube was given a pile of spare parts in reasonably large quantities, some of which were useful and allocated to specific projects, but given the given the kind of electronics they’re interested in, they couldn’t find a use for a bag of 500 or so low specification 470uF capacitors. These were not low ESR types, nor high capacitance, so unsuitable for power supply use individually. But, what about stacking them all in parallel? (video, embedded below) After a few quick calculations [Kasyan] determined that the total capacitance of all 500 should be around 0.23 Farads with an ESR of around 0.4 to 0.5 mΩ at 16V and packing a theoretical energy total of about 30 joules. That is enough to pack a punch in the right situation.

      • HackadayZ80 Single-Board Computer Looks Like It Could Have Been A Killer Product

        Most retrocomputer builds seem to focus on either restoring old machines or rebuilding them from scratch. Either way, the goal is to get as close as possible to the original machine, and while we certainly respect those builds, there are other ways to celebrate the computers of yesterday, as this Z80 single-board computer nicely demonstrates.

  • Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

    • Comments for Ghost

      Any Ghost publication with comments enabled displays a commenting area at the bottom of each post, where members are prompted to start or join the conversation by subscribing or signing in.

  • Leftovers

    • SANSA Quick VoIP Experiment

      Even without exposing a VoIP service, there is always a trickle of SIP traffic, probing if something is listening. Here is a random packet from my home network: [...]

    • HackadayDream Projects Face Reality

      Do you ever get a project stuck in your mind? An idea so good you just keep thinking about it? Going over iterations and options and pros and cons in the back of your mind, or maybe on paper, but having not yet subjected it to the hard work of pulling it into reality? I’ve had one of those lurking around for the last couple weeks, and it’s time for me to get building.

    • Hackaday2022 Cyberdeck Contest: Extruded Rig Exudes Coolness

      When we came up with the cyberdeck contest, we figured we would see all kinds of builds, and so far, y’all haven’t disappointed us. Take for instance this tidy but post-apocalyptic build by [facelessloser]. It has that “I used what I could find among the rubble” appeal, yet it looks so clean. Now why is that?

    • HackadayDeepdeck: Going Beyond The Macro Pad

      We’re used to the idea of a macropad, a small extension keyboard for your computer whose keys can be programmed to the functions of your choice. They can be made in many ways, but they all follow a similar functionality. Deepdeck from [Nick Velasquez] is another matter, an attempt to make a macropad with functionality that goes way beyond simply pressing keys.

    • Science

      • Omicron LimitedA superconducting diode without an external magnetic field

        Superconductors are the key to lossless current flow. However, the realization of superconducting diodes has only recently become an important topic of fundamental research. An international research team involving the theoretical physicist Mathias Scheurer from the University of Innsbruck have now succeeded in reaching a milestone: the realization of a superconducting diode effect without an external magnetic field, thus proving the assumption that superconductivity and magnetism coexist. They report on this in Nature Physics.

    • Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

      • Helsinki TimesCalorie-free sweeteners affect microbiome and glycemic response: study

        "The results were quite striking," says Elinav. "In all of the non-nutritive sweetener groups, but in none of the controls, when we transferred into these sterile mice the microbiome of the top responder individuals collected at a time point in which they were consuming the respective non-nutritive sweeteners, the recipient mice developed glycemic alterations that very significantly mirrored those of the donor individuals. In contrast, the bottom responders' microbiomes were mostly unable to elicit such glycemic responses," he adds. "These results suggest that the microbiome changes in response to human consumption of non-nutritive sweetener may, at times, induce glycemic changes in consumers in a highly personalized manner."

      • MIT Technology ReviewWe may never fully know how video games affect our well-being

        The reality, a new study suggests, is that we simply don’t have a good grip on how games affect our well-being, if at all.

        The research, described in the Royal Society Open Science journal last month, found little to no evidence for a causal connection between game play and well-being, meaning that time spent playing video games had neither a negative nor positive effect on players’ emotional health.

      • RTLLet's celebrate everyone's favourite pollinators!

        Want to learn more about the bees that call Luxembourg city home? The Ville de Luxembourg has created a bee walking trail, so visitors can experience first-hand the vital role bees and other critters play in a healthy and thriving ecosystem.

    • Security

      • Privacy/Surveillance

        • EFFNonprofit Websites Are Full of Trackers. That Should Change.

          If you are a nonprofit organization, you may be part of the problem. Unfortunately, a 2021 report from The Markup showed that many nonprofits don’t take threats to privacy seriously. That may be changing: Planned Parenthood, for example, has suspended the use of marketing trackers on some portions of their website in response to the dangers they could create for people seeking information on abortions. Hey Jane, an online provider of abortion pills, has also removed the Meta (Facebook) tracking pixel.€ 

    • Defence/Aggression

    • Environment

      • SalonHow to destroy a "forever chemical": Scientists are discovering ways to eliminate PFAS

        The latest breakthrough, published Aug. 18, 2022, in the journal Science, shows how one class of PFAS can be broken down into mostly harmless components using sodium hydroxide, or lye, an inexpensive compound used in soap. It isn't an immediate solution to this vast problem, but it offers new insight.

        Biochemist A. Daniel Jones and soil scientist Hui Li work on PFAS solutions at the Michigan State University and explained the promising PFAS destruction techniques being tested today.

      • Common DreamsOpinion | Investments in Projects Over People: An Equity Point of View on the Inflation Reduction Act

        The United States has crossed a threshold after decades of intrepid attempts to build political will for climate action. While it is important to recognize the shift in momentum, and its value, we can’t dismiss that it prioritizes investments in projects over people, again.

      • Energy

        • MixterlaJack Sparrow's Compass

          I navigate London on a bicycle for the sole reason that it is the fastest way to travel. Motorbikes may have the advantage in terms of top speed, but that's irrelevant when the limiting factor is so often the traffic. Bicycles have the unique ability to stop being a vehicle: by getting off and walking, you become a pedestrian, and can take the crossings and shortcuts that are available to them. Bikes can even be taken on the overground trains, and some of the underground ones, so if the route makes sense you can hop onto a train for part of it, and cycle at each end. London is not exactly Holland, but I have tried almost every way of navigating the city, and consistently conclude that the bicycle is king.

        • [Old] IEEEPlasma Jets May One Day Propel Aircraft Plasma thrusters could help jet planes fly without fossil fuels

          Now researchers have created a prototype thruster capable of generating plasma jets with propulsive forces comparable to those from conventional jet engines, using only air and electricity.

          An air compressor forces high-pressure air at a rate of 30 liters per minute into an ionization chamber in the device, which uses microwaves to convert this air stream into a plasma jet blasted out of a quartz tube. Plasma temperatures could exceed 1,000 €°C.

        • [Old] Interesting EngineeringA New Electric Jet Engine Actually Works Inside the Atmosphere

          Plasma-based thrusters are usually thought of as a potential form of spacecraft propulsion. Such engines differ from ion thruster engines, which generate thrust by extracting an ion current from its plasma source. These ions are then accelerated to high velocities using grids or anodes.

        • TruthOutEurope Is Trying to Solve Its Energy Crisis With Fossil Fuel Projects in Africa
        • HackadayBatteries Get Tiny

          Steve Martin had a comedy routine that focused on the idea of “getting small.” That probably didn’t inspire the researchers at the Institute for Integrative Nanoscience when they set out to create a sub-square-millimeter microbattery. As you might expect, you won’t be starting your car with a battery the size of a grain of sand anytime soon, but these batteries do have a surprising capacity.

      • Wildlife/Nature

        • The ConversationWhy you should have more sympathy for seagulls – and how to stop them stealing your chips

          I designed a study to test this idea, and timed how long it took gulls to peck at a sealed bag of chips I had placed on the ground in front of me - once when I was looking at them and once when I was looking away. I found gulls took longer to peck at the chips when I was watching them. I also found gulls are attracted to food they have seen humans handling, probably because they have learned we often leave food waste lying around.

          What does this mean for our interactions with gulls? Well, we can reduce unwanted encounters by disposing of our food waste properly. If we choose to eat our food in a gull hotspot being vigilant will help: look for where gulls are and watch them. Check behind you, sit under an umbrella or by a high wall so that gulls can’t swoop in from out of your sight.

      • Overpopulation

        • [Old] UNThe Global Population Will Soon Reach 8 Billion—Then What?

          Later this year, on 15 November 2022, the world population is projected to reach 8 billion. Seventy years ago, in 1952, it stood at 2.5 billion; and 70 years from now, by 2092, it will have grown by another 2.5 billion over current levels. Global population growth has been the overarching demographic story for decades and will remain a predominant trend for many years to come. Underneath this trend, however, lies growing demographic diversity. It is necessary to come to terms with this diversity to understand and address the increasingly divergent concerns of countries with demographic shifts, and we must support sustained and sustainable development.

        • [Old] World population to reach 8 billion on 15 November 2022 [EN/AR/ZH]

          “This year’s World Population Day falls during a milestone year, when we anticipate the birth of the Earth’s eight billionth inhabitant. This is an occasion to celebrate our diversity, recognize our common humanity, and marvel at advancements in health that have extended lifespans and dramatically reduced maternal and child mortality rates,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “At the same time, it is a reminder of our shared responsibility to care for our planet and a moment to reflect on where we still fall short of our commitments to one another,” he added.

        • [Old] Pew Reseach CenterGlobal population projected to exceed 8 billion in 2022; half live in just seven countries

          China has the world’s largest population (1.426 billion), but India (1.417 billion) is expected to claim this title next year. The next five most populous nations – the United States, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria and Brazil – together have fewer people than India or China. In fact, China’s population is greater than the entire population of Europe (744 million) or the Americas (1.04 billion) and roughly equivalent to that of all nations in Africa (1.427 billion).

    • Finance

    • Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

    • Civil Rights/Policing

    • Digital Restrictions (DRM)

    • Monopolies

      • The EconomistCan the Visa-Mastercard duopoly be broken?

        At first glance their position appears insurmountable. Already dominant, in recent years the firms have been boosted by a covid-induced rise in online shopping. American consumers used credit or debit cards for 45% of their transactions in 2016; by 2021, that had reached 57%. The migration from cash is “a significant and long-running tailwind,” says Craig Vosburg of Mastercard. Yet two threats loom. The first comes from Washington, where legislators hope to smash the duo’s grip on payments. The second is virtual. Payments have been transformed in Brazil, China and Indonesia by cheap, convenient app-based options from tech giants like Mercado Pago, Ant Group, Tencent and Grab. After a long wait, new entrants now look like they could shake up America’s market.

      • Copyrights

        • Torrent FreakNew UFC Copyright Lawsuit Rejects Fair Use Defense For Documentary Makers

          The UFC's ruthless approach to IP disputes often matches the brutality seen in the Octagon. UFC chief Dana White is famous for his rants against streaming pirates but this week documentary makers are feeling the heat. Their film features former UFC champion Michael Bisping and lots of unlicensed UFC action clips. Fair use, perhaps? Don't even try it, UFC warns.

  • Gemini* and Gopher

    • Personal

      • (spoilers) Madoka Magica

        Pretty much all except one main character has been introduced, with the pink hair girl being the what I'd describe as the 1st main character (have fun with me describing them by their hair colour/characteristics).

      • Re: Anglophone Deficiencies



        I love stuff like this. Spaniards, Serbs, Finns, and Germans actually do 'muck-up' every sentence thrown at them if the sentence is in a different language. Each language has its own phonotactics, that is, which arrangements of sounds are acceptable in a given language. Perhaps sociolinguistically, English speakers are more obnoxious about it because of all the diphthongs and Americans; I don't really know though.

    • Technical

      • Re: How many computers?

        A rough inventory of our personal computing hardware, inspired by ew0k's "How Many Computer's do you Have?"

      • A Licence is Not a Virus

        I find something comical about people who refer to FOSS licences as 'viral licensing'. In order to refer to it as a virus, the following has to occur:

        1. Soydev wants to charge money for his amazing software idea, but doesn't want to write the software. 2. Finding a slew of MIT-licensed (and therefore free to use) software, he cobbles together enough libraries to achieve his goal, and the mega-bucks app lies within sight. 3. Tragedy strikes as one of the 'free' projects he's copied in fact uses the GPL, which then makes his project also GPL.

      • Social media

        First, it makes sense that people come to the internet looking for connection and community. These are things that we need, and this hegemonic society deprives us of them (sometimes it feels like that’s by design — they make us miserable and use our misery to goad us into buying crap and obeying leaders — but it could be an emergent property, and this is an unnecessary digression). Those of us who recognize these human needs, and who have found our own needs occasionally fulfilled on the internet, probably do have a collective responsibility to look out for each other. So in that regard I absolutely agree with the sentiment of the post.

        On the other hand, I believe that modern social media platforms have made addicts of most of us. All this “engagement” (likes, boosts, replies, follows, etc.) is designed to feel rewarding, occasionally thrilling, so it’s natural that we come online seeking these feelings. But this is a habit that we’re well served to break. Like most addictions, people often get caught up in unhealthy behaviors seeking these signals, and they suffer because of it. But maybe worse than that, our engagement with this cycle gets in the way of actually building the sort of community which we came online to find in the first place. The relationships we need to build happen through different kinds of interactions than the ones facilitated by social media platforms. I think this is true even for “good” social media platforms that have good cultures, are well moderated, and full of nice and interesting people.

        [...]

        ...be careful not to fall into a trap of mistaking social media engagement from the actual community-seeking that you need.

      • Using systemd to make a Minecraft server to start on-demand and stop when it has no player [Ed: Using Microsoft systemd to become a slave of Microsoft]
      • Science

        • Horus Calendar Program Progress

          I've made some more progress on my calendar program (currently called Horus). I've added code to locally calculate the sunrise, sunset, solar noon, dusk, and dawn of a date given a location (longitude and latitude) and timezone. This will be used in the program to provide these features for the whole calendar, calculating the values on demand as you select dates in the calendar, or as today's date changes, rather than being precalculated. The Astronomical Calculations happen to be fairly quick (certainly within a second for all calculations for one date). These


* Gemini (Primer) links can be opened using Gemini software. It's like the World Wide Web but a lot lighter.



Recent Techrights' Posts

This New Determination on a Case Echoes the Modus Operandi of Microsoft's Serial Strangler vs Techrights (Its Online Decision/Judgment Says Truth and Public Interest Defend the Publisher)
Noel Anthony Clarke hopefully has enough money left to pay his victims, which include the publishers
 
Panama: Windows Down From 97% "Market Share" to Less Than 30%
In 2009, Windows was measured at 97.24% (compared to 62.32% right now or less than 30% if one also counts Android)
The UEFI 9/11 - Part I - Introduction to Impending Catastrophe (Microsoft Preventing People From Booting Non-Windows Systems)
eight-part series
Why Techrights is Slow Today (Bot Floods)
We don't know if those bots are connected to LLMs (we have not checked), but that is a possibility
Slopwatch: DDoS Slop, LinuxBSDos.com Spam, and Slopfarms in Google News, Including webpronews.com
Among the news we also found fakes, albeit not so much today
Links 26/08/2025: "Ballooning Debt" in France and "Transnational Repression in the UK"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 26/08/2025: Listening to Alcest and Google Doing Evil (Users Installing Software is "Sideloading" and Prohibited)
Links for the day
Links 26/08/2025: DNS Tampering and TikTok Layoffs
Links for the day
Microsoft's Windows "Market Share" Overestimated
Microsoft's income sources are shrinking
We Shall See...
My wife and I are hardly the first victims of Brett Wilson LLP
Going Offline
There was life before the Net
The Register MS Has Apparently Shut Down Its Office
It is basically a fake address on the face of it
There Are Also Expectations of IBM Layoffs Very Soon With "Narrative Control."
Some of them mention Red Hat and how IBM failed to achieve anything substantial with that acquisition
After at Least Two Rounds of Mass Layoffs in August Microsoft Said to Have "September Layoff Confirmed - Performance Based"
Those "M5 level meetings" sound plausible
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, August 25, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, August 25, 2025
Slopwatch: Slopfarms All Over Google News and Real News Sites Pushed Out of Visibility
Google News is dying (as a tool of value)
Gemini Links 25/08/2025: Numeric-only VM and Alhena 5.3.0
Links for the day
Links 25/08/2025: ‘Panama Playlists’ and Live Nation/Ticketmaster Suit Aims at Class Action
Links for the day
Gemini Links 25/08/2025: Empathy Towards Autistic People and Old Gadgets
Links for the day
Links 25/08/2025: Datacentres Versus Water Supplies and "The IPv6 Divide"
Links for the day
Links 25/08/2025: Data Breaches, Politics, and Financial Strain
Links for the day
GNU/Linux Distros Ought to Replace Firefox (and Firefox ESR) With Something Like LibreWolf
Perhaps it's come to replace Firefox
Father of Julian Assange Said the US Government Was Trying to Bankrupt WikiLeaks, Now the Assange Family Promotes Fake Currencies
Using the name for bad purposes?
Bailing Out GAFAM, Giving Taxpayers' Money to Failing Companies, and Trying to Outlaw Lawsuits Against Them
What would the late Lincoln have said?
Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) Inc. Lost 2 Million Dollars Last Year and Its Chief Took a Salary Increase of Almost $6,000
Another year or two like this... and the SFC will be bankrupt [...] Hallmark of mismanagement
The "New Techrights" Turns Two Very Soon
Accomplishing something each year is what's important, not merely "finishing" another year
Gulf Nations Leave Microsoft Behind
How much lower will Microsoft stoop in an effort to raise money from oil-rich lenders?
How to Combat IRC Trolls (in Our Experience)
Today I want to share my experience (or knowledge) of how to deal with IRC trolls
The Register MS Needs to Stop Participating in the "Hey Hi" (AI) Hype, But It Gets Paid to Participate in This Hype
the publisher (The Register MS) wants to have it both ways
Gemini Links 24/08/2025: Living With Your Parents, Zürich Zoo, and Macondo
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, August 24, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, August 24, 2025
Gemini Links 24/08/2025: Signal on OpenBSD and Keyboard Layouts Compared
Links for the day
Men Who Abuse Women Should Never Spend Over 3 Years of the UK High Court's Time
This demonstrates that we need a reform in the UK
Links 24/08/2025: Microsoft Settles Data Breach Lawsuits and Climate Change Causes Heatwaves, Water Shortages
Links for the day
CachyOS is Rising Fast, But Slopfarms Are 'Googlebombing' It
CachyOS receives more media attention
No Reason for Red Hat Relief Yet (Layoff Rumours)
the execution could be stalled, delayed, or scheduled for some time after people come back from holiday
GNU/Linux 6%, Windows 60% in Venezuela, Suggests statCounter
The cash cows are dying
Mass Layoffs Continue at Microsoft This Month (Remaining Workers See Conditions That Deteriorate)
So far this month (one week remaining) we saw at least two waves of layoffs at Microsoft
How SPAM E-mails With Windows-Centric Files Get Twisted as Linux Threats, Then Slopfarms Spread the Word
Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt/Fear-mongering/Dramatisation
Links 24/08/2025: Heatwaves Threaten Workers, Maldives Versus Press freedom
Links for the day
Gemini Links 24/08/2025: Digital Cameras and Printers
Links for the day
Links 24/08/2025: GAFAM Lie About Pollution and Slop's Carbon Footprint, The Guardian Says Slop ("Hey Hi") is a Bubble That Will Send Stock Markets Into a Freefall
Links for the day
80% of the Sponsored (Fake) Articles in The Register MS Are Promotions of Ponzi Schemes (Unethical Money), the Rest is Banned Chinese Business
Is that an ethical way to make money? No.
The UEFI Restricted Boot 'Time Bomb' is About to Go Off in a Few Weeks
Garrett was the first person to face sanctions (like muting) in our IRC channels because of his abuse; worse yet, he hijacked other people's names and then locked them out of their own accounts
Should Currys PCWorld Start Voiding Warranties of Users of Vista 11?
If a person's laptop has a mechanical issue, should this person replace GNU/Linux with Vista 11 for the repair shop? Only to damage the SSD?
Newer is Not Always Better, and It's Possible That 'Peak' is the Past
People creating their own platforms means progress, whereas centralisation (like moving from blogs to social control media) is the opposite of progress
LLM Hype is Sowing Destruction: It Contributes to DDoS Attacks and Makes the Web Less Accessible (JavaScript "R U Human?" Tests)
If it was googlebot, it would be possible to argue that you'd at least then get referral traffic from Google Search. With LLMs, all you get is plagiarised.
Links 24/08/2025: New York Times Talks About Hey Hi (AI) Bubble
Links for the day
Gemini Links 24/08/2025: Upgrading Debian and Mobile-indifferent Design
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, August 23, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, August 23, 2025