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Links 11/06/2023: A4PDF Becomes CapyPDF, EasyOS 5.4 Released



  • GNU/Linux

    • Graphics Stack

      • Tomeu Vizoso: Etnaviv NPU update 2: Diving into the convolution units

        In the previous update I explained that the programmable core in this NPU (VIPNano-QI) is too slow to run inference workloads substantially faster than the CPUs. The vendor stack achieves acceptable inference rates by running most of the work on fixed-function units that can perform different kinds of convolutions and transformations of tensors.

        Most of the work is done by the convolution units that VeriSilicon calls NN cores, so this is what I have been focusing on at this stage. I think that even if we still do all tensor transformation on the programmable core, by using the NN units we could already achieve usable performance.

        By looking around in the ioctls that VeriSilicon's userspace stack sends to the kernel, it was clear that in the NN jobs there was little more than a pointer to a structure that configures the NN fixed-function units. Luckily I didn't need to reverse engineer it from zero, as VeriSilicon's out-of-tree kernel driver is GPL and contains two instances of programming this HW with a trivial job (a 2x2x1 kernel with a single bias value).

        Took some boring work to translate what the code does to a C struct, but this was the initial one: [...]

    • Applications

      • Jussi PakkanenJussi Pakkanen: A4PDF has been renamed to CapyPDF

        As alluded to in the previous post, A4PDF has changed its name. The new project name is CapyPDF. The name refers to capybaras.

      • KdenliveKdenlive news and fundraising report

        As many users have noticed, our 23.04.0 release didn't go as smoothly as planned. Several major regressions affected the release, resulting in a poor user experience. We are well aware that most users want stability above all else, and with our growing user base we really need to improve on that front.

        So for Kdenlive 23.08, we plan to focus only on bug reporting and regression testing to avoid repeating the mistakes of the 23.04 release. Our intention is to improve our test suite, and also to create a repository of sample project files, with automated scripts that open the files, render them, and compare the results to a reference render.

        This should allow us to catch regressions and be much safer when releasing a new version with major changes, as was the case with nested timelines in 23.04.0.

    • Instructionals/Technical

      • University of TorontoA potential issue with outstanding query limits in your DNS resolver

        A while back we had a little incident where our internal forwarding DNS resolvers stopped resolving internal names. This started happening very shortly after the university's general Internet connectivity was interrupted, and while I believe we're not entirely sure about the root cause, we have a theory that feels plausible. That theory is limits in outstanding queries and generally rate limits in the DNS resolver that our internal forwarding DNS servers were running.

      • TecMintHow to Use the Cat Command in Linux [22 Useful Examples]

        The cat (short for “concatenate“) command is one of the most frequently used commands in Linux that comes pre-installed in most Linux distribution systems and is primarily used to display the content of existing files.

        Moreover, the cat command can be utilized by the user to concatenate multiple files, create new files, append content to existing files, view the content of a file, and redirect output in the terminal or files.

      • It's FOSSFuzzy File Search in Linux

        Modern tools like fzf and fzy take the file search in Linux terminal to the next level.

      • Own HowToHow to create a wifi hotspot on Debian 12 "Bookworm"

        In this tutorial, you will learn how to know if your wifi card or usb dongle supports the ap mode, which allows you to create a hotspot connection, and if yes you will also learn how to create one very easily by following the steps below.

      • TecAdminWhat is Power-On Self-Test (POST)?

        The Power-On Self-Test, commonly known as POST, is a critical part of a computer’s startup sequence. This built-in diagnostic program checks your computer’s hardware to ensure everything is functioning correctly before the operating system begins to load.

      • CloudbookletHow to Create and Use Bash Functions in Linux

        Learn how to create and use Bash functions in Linux to enhance your scripting skills. Improve code organization, efficiency, and reusability with this comprehensive guide.

      • peppe8oExplore the Universe with Raspberry PI and Stellarium

        In this tutorial, I will show you how to install Stellarium on a Raspberry PI computer board and how to start using it.

      • FOSSLinuxHow to locate empty files and folders in Linux

        When managing files in a Linux system, it's often necessary to find and possibly remove empty files and folders to conserve disk space and keep your system organized. Whether you're an experienced Linux user or a beginner, this guide will teach you how to find all empty files and folders within a specific directory, making file management easier and more efficient.

      • Linux CapableHow to Install PHP-IMAGICK on Debian 12/11/10

        When it comes to manipulating images in PHP, developers are often faced with a wealth of choices. While the built-in GD library has its merits, there exists a truly powerful, adaptable, and comprehensive tool for the job: the PHP-IMAGICK extension.

      • Linux CapableHow to Install Docker CE on Debian 12/11/10

        Docker Community Edition (Docker CE) represents an integral part of the modern technology stack, and its significance extends beyond mere buzzwords.

      • Linux CapableHow to Install Xfce on CentOS Stream 9/8

        The XFCE Desktop Environment is an impressive, lightweight graphical user interface (GUI) for Unix-like operating systems. It strives to adhere to two main principles -- simplicity and performance.

      • Tom's HardwareHow To Build an Air Quality Alert Light with Raspberry Pi Pico

        The air we breathe is important, so make sure that you know what the air is like before you leave your home. This quick and simple project will do just that, using RGB LEDs to give you a heads up.

      • How to Copy Files and Directory in Linux?

        File handling is one of the most crucial responsibilities of a Linux System Administrator. One important concept in file handling is to copy files and directories to the same and other directories.€  If you have trouble copying directories or files in Linux or Unix-based OS like macOS, this post will guide you.

      • ID RootHow To Install RawTherapee on Fedora 38

        In this tutorial, we will show you how to install RawTherapee on Fedora 38. Are you a photography enthusiast looking for powerful yet free image-processing software? Look no further than RawTherapee! This amazing open-source tool is perfect for both beginners and professionals, and it's available on multiple platforms, including Linux, Windows, and Mac OS.

      • LinuxBuz5 Best and Cheap DayZ Server Hosting Reddit (Top Picks)

        As an avid DayZ enthusiast, selecting the right server hosting provider is critical to ensuring a seamless and enjoyable gameplay experience.

      • Linux HintWhat Exactly Is Harbor?

        Harbor is a cloud-native container registry developed by VMware. It enables users to store, organize, and share Docker images.

      • TecAdminDeleting Specific Lines from Linux Files: A Practical Guide

        Linux, a robust, flexible, and open-source operating system, is a favorite among many system administrators and developers due to its powerful command-line tools. One important ability of these tools is the manipulation of files, including the deletion of specific lines from a file.

      • TecAdminDeleting Last N Lines From a File in Linux

        In this article, we will discuss multiple ways to delete the last N lines from a file in Linux. For this purpose, we will use various Linux utilities like sed, awk, and head.

      • The New StackDeploy a Kubernetes Development Environment with Kind

        Let me set the stage: You're just starting your journey into Kubernetes and you're thrilled at the idea of developing

      • nixCraftHow to upgrade Debian 11 to Debian 12 bookworm using CLI

        Debian Linux 12 "Bookworm" has been released. The new version offers updated packages and five years of support. This page provides a step-by-step guide to updating Debian 11 Bullseye to Debian 12 Bookworm using command-line options, including upgrading all installed packages.

      • Installing Flask on Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04 LTS Linux

        Introduction:€ A step-by-step guide for installing Flask Python web framework on Ubuntu Linux systems. Flask is for web developers as it provides a micro web framework based on Python. It is popular because of its simplicity, flexibility and does not require particular tools or libraries.

      • Linux Links10 Best Free Console-Based Diff Tools

        File comparison compares the contents of computer files, finding their common contents and their differences. The result is known as a diff.

    • Games

      • HackadayPlay N64 Games The Right Way With This Classic Controller Adapter

        Game consoles typically support a limited number of input devices, meaning that console games are often completely optimized for the default controller supplied with that platform. Nintendo’s tendency to completely reinvent their controllers pretty much every generation can therefore become a little irritating, especially when they also enable their newer consoles to play games from their back catalog. So when [Robson Couto] found that using the Switch’s Joy-Cons was a bit awkward for playing emulated Nintendo 64 games, he decided to figure out how to connect real N64 controllers to a Nintendo Switch.

  • Distributions and Operating Systems

    • [Repeat] HaikuOSHaiku Activity & Contract Report, May 2023

      As is the usual way of things, the monthly Activity Report is hereby combined with my Contract Report.

      This report covers hrev56962 through hrev57061. It was quite a busy month!

    • New Releases

      • Barry KaulerEasyOS Kirkstone-series version 5.4 released

        EasyOS Kirkstone-series version 5.4 released

        EasyOS 5.0 was announced on distrowatch.com on February 26, 2023. Development has continued at the usual feverish pace and we now have 5.4, that is also expected to be announced on Distrowatch.

        Since 5.0, there have been a huge number of changes, listed in the release notes page:

        http://distro.ibiblio.org/easyos/amd64/releases/kirkstone/2023/5.4/release-notes.htm

      • Steinar H GundersonSteinar H. Gunderson: plocate 1.1.19 released

        I've released version 1.1.19 of plocate; this was mostly to get compatibility with liburing 2.4 out the door. The fix (an external contribution; thanks!) had lingered in git for a while, but evidently, onw it's reached distributions and more people were starting to notice.

      • Carl SchwanAnnouncing Arianna 1.1

        I’m happy to announce the 1.1 release of Arianna. Arianna is a small ePub reader application I started with Niccolo some time ago. Like most of my open source applications, it is built on top of Qt and Kirigami.

        Arianna is both an ePub viewer and a library management app. Internally, Arianna uses Baloo to find your existing ePub files in your device and categorize them.

    • Debian Family

      • OMG UbuntuDebian 12 ‘Bookworm’ Released, This is What’s New
        The latest version of this iconic and influential Linux distribution has been in development for 2 years. It’s the stable series successor to Debian 11 ‘Bullseye’ which saw release back in 2019.

        Debian is, of all the Linux distributions I’ve ever used, the one synonymous with stability, predictability, and reliability.

        In some ways this makes Debian the least exciting Linux distro —woah, before you scroll down to call me creative if demeaning names in the comments, that’s kinda its USP: it doesn’t change things for changes’ sake.

        The community of experienced developers who work on Debian place considerable emphasis on quality control, continuity and compatibility. It’s this which enables Debian to serve as the foundation for other Linux distributions, like Ubuntu.

      • CNX Software Debian 12 “Bookworm” released with Linux 6.1
        Debian 12 “Bookworm” operating system has been released with an update to Linux 6.1 LTS and a new non-free-firmware repository making it possible to separate non-free firmware from the other non-free packages.

        This follows the Debian 11 “Bullseye” release in August 2021, and the version of Debian will serve as the base for other Linux operating systems such as Ubuntu and derivates, Raspberry Pi OS, and so on.

      • [Repeat] DebianDebian 12 "bookworm" released

        After 1 year, 9 months, and 28 days of development, the Debian project is proud to present its new stable version 12 (code name "bookworm").

        "bookworm" will be supported for the next 5 years thanks to the combined work of the Debian Security team and the Debian Long Term Support team.

      • Bits from Debian: Debian 12 "bookworm" has been released!

        We're happy to announce the release of Debian 12, codenamed bookworm!

        Want to install it? Choose your favourite installation media and read the installation manual. You can also use an official cloud image directly on your cloud provider, or try Debian prior to installing it using our "live" images.

        Already a happy Debian user and you only want to upgrade? You can easily upgrade from your current Debian 11 "bullseye" installation; please read the release notes.

        Do you want to celebrate the release?

      • LinuxiacDebian 12 “Bookworm” Is Out as the Best Release to Date

        Powered by Linux kernel 6.1, bringing the most up-to-date Plasma 5.27.5 desktop, Debian 12 "Bookworm" is now available. Here's what is new!

      • Andrew Cater: 202306101949 - Release of install media - scripts running now

        People are working quietly, cross-checking, reading back steps and running individual steps - we're really almost there for the install media.

        Just had a friendly, humorous meal out by the barbeque in Sledge's garden. It's been quite a long day but we're just finished.

        All this and then we'll probably have the first point release for Bookworm 12.1 in about a month. That will contain some few fixes which came in at the last minute and any other issues we've found today.

        BOOKWORM IS HERE!!

      • Andrew Cater: 202306101353 - Release testing of media in full swing

        € Most of the install images for Debian media have now been tested.

        Various folk are now testing the live media.

        We have been joined by a couple of people in IRC who have also done a few tests.

        Useful things to note :)

        The release name is Bookworm *not* Bookwork.

        Debian 13 will be Trixie when it gets here: testing will be re-enabled shortly.

        The release notes detail the changes in /etc/apt/sources.list to accommodate the changes to non-free-firmware but also see also Sources List on the Debian wiki.


      • Andrew Cater: 202306101010 - Debian release preparations and boot media testing in Cambridge

        € We've all met up in Cambridge - so there's an egw_, amacater, kibi who has travelled over to join us, Isy, RattusRattus and Sledge mostly sat round a table. The usual number of laptops, three monitors, Rattus' tower machine.

        Network running well and we're all ready to go, I think - there's normally a flurry of activity to get things started then a wait for a while for the first images

        Coffee and tea at the ready - bacon sandwiches are on the way

        [And the build process is under way - and smcv has joined us]

      • Marco d'ItriMarco d'Itri: On having a track record in operating systems development

        Now that Debian 12 has been released with proprietary firmwares on the official media, non-optional merged-/usr and systemd adopted by everybody, I want to take a moment to list, not without some pride, a few things that I was right about over the last 20 years: [...]

      • Beta NewsDownload Debian 12 Bookworm Linux distro now and say goodbye to Windows 11 forever

        Good news, fellow Linux nerds! After many months of development, the Debian project has finally released the latest stable release of its popular Linux-based operating system. Debian 12, codenamed "Bookworm," marks a significant milestone in the ongoing battle against proprietary operating systems, particularly Windows 11. Debian 12 offers a legitimate alternative that truly empowers users. One of the standout features of Debian 12 is its commitment to long-term support. Thanks to the joint efforts of the Debian Security team and the Debian Long Term Support team, Bookworm will receive support for a generous five-year period.

    • Canonical/Ubuntu Family

      • Roger ComplyShould you get an Ubuntu Pro free personal subscription?

        The gist of Ubuntu Pro is that Ubuntu LTS releases get 10 years of security fixes from the Ubuntu security team. As an example, Ubuntu 16.04 (Xenial Xerus) entered its extended security maintenance (esm) stage in April 2021 and will be supported until April 2026.

    • Devices/Embedded

      • Linux Gizmosi.MX 91 powered System on Module for Linux edge applications

        The device provides support for Gigabit Ethernet (one with TSN support), BL5.3 and Wi-Fi 6 networking. The standard SoM variants appear to include 2GB memory and 16GB eMMC Flash.

        An iWave Systems representative mentioned that they are offering a carrier board (iW-RainboW-G50S) with Pico-ITX form-factor that is compatible with all OSM based System on Modules (i.MX93, STM32MP13x, etc.) including this one.

        The company also states that “the i.MX 91 applications processor family from NXP provides an ideal mix of high performance, pricing, and security; fit for entry-level Linux edge processing solutions for applications such as EV Charging Stations, Industrial Gateways, and HMI Displays.”

      • Linux GizmosUltra-Compact embedded platform with a 7″ TFT LCD and GbE LAN

        ICOP Technology recently launched an ultra-compact platform built around the NXP iMX8 mini CPU equipped with up to 2GB LPDDR4 DRAM and wide input voltage range support.€ 

      • Linux GizmosAllwinner H3 compact SBC supports 10/100 ethernet

        € The WuKong Board H3 Zero is a small single board computer powered by a quad-core Allwinner H3 processor. The board comes with 10/100Mbps Ethernet support and various GPIOs for interfacing external devices.

      • CNX SoftwareT-RGB ESP32-S3 board gets larger 2.8-inch round color display

        LILYGO T-RGB ESP32-S3 board was first introduced last year with a 2.1-inch round color touchscreen display, and the company has an update with a T-RGB board with a 2.8-inch display. The new board still offers WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, 8MB PSRAM, and 16MB flash storage, as well as a microSD card socket for storage, a Grove I2C connector for expansion, and LiPo battery support. T-RGB specifications: SoC – Espressif ESP32-S3R8 dual-core Tensilica LX7 microcontroller up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration, 8MB PSRAM, WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE + Mesh connectivity Storage – 16MB SPI flash, MicroSD card socket Display – 2.8-inch round 18-bit RGB color IPS TFT display with 480×480 resolution (ST7701S SPI controller), 3-wire SPI touchscreen panel via GT911 controller USB – USB Type-C port for power and programming Expansion – Grove I2C connector Misc – BOOT and Reset buttons Power Supply [...]

    • Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

      • Tim BrayPixel 4 âž” 7

        My four-year-old Pixel was fast enough, small enough to be comfy in any pocket, camera still one of the mobile greats. But the battery was wearing out and the USB-C socket was pretty well done for. It’d charge most times from most wires, but only if you didn’t breathe on it. And keeping Android Auto running was a real problem, because my car doesn’t do AA-on-Bluetooth, so pretty well any serious bump in the road stopped the music.

  • Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

    • HackadayUsing FreeCAD To Replace OEM Parts

      As much as we might all like it if manufacturers supported their products indefinitely with software updates or replacement parts, this just isn’t feasible. Companies fail or get traded, technologies evolve, and there’s also an economic argument against creating parts for things that are extremely old or weren’t popular in the first place. So, for something like restoring an old car, you might have to resort to fabricating replacement parts for your build on your own. [MangoJelly] shows us how to build our own replacement parts in FreeCAD in this series of videos.

    • Web Browsers/Web Servers

      • Mozilla

        • GhacksFirefox 114 updates security and improves DNS over HTTPS accessibility

          Firefox 114.0 and Firefox 102.12.0 ESR are the June 2023 releases of Mozilla's Firefox web browser. Official release date is June 6, 2023.

          The new version of Firefox is a security update, but it also introduces new nice-to-have features that improve search and the usability of the browser.

          Firefox 114.0 and the ESR release are available for all supported platforms. The updates will be released later on June 6th, if you are reading this on the day.

    • Content Management Systems (CMS)

      • WordPressTwenty Years of WordPress at WCEU

        Inspiring the global community The atmosphere was electric at WordCamp Europe (WCEU) 2023 in Athens, Greece, as WordPress celebrated its 20th anniversary and the opportunity to gather in person for inspiration and engagement.

    • Programming/Development

      • HackadayWhat Do You Want In A Programming Assistant?

        The Propellerheads released a song in 1998 entitled “History Repeating.” If you don’t know it, the lyrics include: “They say the next big thing is here. That the revolution’s near. But to me, it seems quite clear. That it’s all just a little bit of history repeating.” The next big thing today seems to be the AI chatbots. We’ve heard every opinion from the “revolutionize everything” to “destroy everything” camp. But, really, isn’t it a bit of history repeating itself? We get new tech. Some oversell it. Some fear it. Then, in the end, it becomes part of the ordinary landscape and seems unremarkable in the light of the new next big thing. Dynamite, the steam engine, cars, TV, and the Internet were all predicted to “ruin everything” at some point in the past.

      • Spidermonkey Development Blog: SpiderMonkey Newsletter (Firefox 114-115)

        SpiderMonkey is the JavaScript engine used in Mozilla Firefox. This newsletter gives an overview of the JavaScript and WebAssembly work we’ve done as part of the Firefox 114 and 115 Nightly release cycles.

      • GNUGNU Guix: Parameterized Packages for GNU€ Guix

        Hello Guix!

        I'm Sarthak and I'll be working on implementing Parameterized Packages

      • Linux HintHow to Use “cal_days_in_month()” Function in PHP

        The cal_days_in_month() is a predefined function in PHP that returns the total amount of days in a given month for a particular year and calendar.

      • Xe's BlogThe ElasticSearch Rant

        As a part of my continued efforts to heal, one of the things I've been trying to do is avoid being overly negative and venomous about technology. I don't want to be angry when I write things on this blog. I don't want to be known as someone who is venomous and hateful. This is why I've been disavowing my articles about the V programming language among other things.

        ElasticSearch makes it difficult for me to keep this streak up.

      • Evan HahnGetting the UTF-16 bytes of JavaScript strings

        This post assumes you understand UTF-16.

        Recently, I wanted to get the UTF-16 bytes of a JavaScript string for a demo I was working on. I couldn’t find anyone else who had done this, so I thought I’d write this post.

        I just want the length

        If you need the number of UTF-16 code units, just use the length of the string! The length property asks for the number of UTF-16 code units, so you can do this: [...]

      • Evan HahnGetting the UTF-32 bytes of JavaScript strings

        This post assumes you understand UTF-32.

        Recently, I wanted to get the UTF-32 bytes of a JavaScript string for a demo I was working on. I couldn’t find anyone else who had done this, so I thought I’d write this post.

        My goal was to write a generator function that yielded each UTF-32 byte.

        First, I started by generating the string’s Unicode code points. Iterating over a JavaScript string yields the Unicode code points as strings.

      • Evan HahnWorking with the UTF-8 bytes of JavaScript strings

        This post assumes you understand UTF-8.

        Recently, I wanted to get the UTF-8 bytes of a JavaScript string for a demo I was working on.

        I took advantage of JavaScript’s built-in TextEncoder, which turns a string into a Uint8Array of the string’s bytes.

      • MedevelPlenti Is A State-of-the Art Static Generator By Go Lang

        Plenti is an impressive static site generator with a powerful Go backend and a sleek Svelte frontend, making it a platform that is sure to impress. One of its standout features is its fully integrated Git-CMS, which is not only cheap but also free to host alongside your static site.

      • Multiple Ruby Info Disclosure Vulns Fixed

        Two important security bugs have been found in Ruby. It was discovered that an HTTP response splitting flaw exists in the Ruby cgi gem before 0.1.0.2, 0.2.x before 0.2.2, and 0.3.x before 0.3.5 (CVE-2021-3362). It was also discovered that a buffer over-read occurs in String-to-Float conversion in Ruby before 2.6.10, 2.7.x before 2.7.6, 3.x before 3.0.4, and 3.1.x before 3.1.2 (CVE-2022-28739). With a low attack complexity and a high confidentiality and integrity impact, these bugs have received a National Vulnerability Database severity rating of ''High''.

  • Leftovers

    • Hong Kong Free PressIn Pictures: Hong Kong’s heat leaves giant rubber duck flying solo

      Two giant yellow ducks meant to signify good fortune in Hong Kong ran into bad luck of their own after one was deflated Saturday to protect it from the heat. The art installation by Dutch artist Forentijn Hofman, featuring twin 18-metre (59-feet) inflatable ducks, was unveiled to the public on Friday.

    • Adam Young: “Agree to Disagree”

      Never use that phrase with me again, please. It is a most insulting phrase.

      It is saying “You are wrong, and you are not even worth engaging with to try and change your mind. I am always willing to listen to a strong argument. I do not agree to disagree with you; I agree to hold on to my opinions until shown a superior one. I agree to keep trying to change your mind until it is changed, or until you provide a better argument.

      That phrase has been used on me too many times to dismiss my concerns. It is associated with one of the worst job interviews of my career.

      Either argue your point or stay silent.

      I do not agree to disagree with you in perpetuity. I disagree with you now. I am willing to put in the effort to bring you around to my view point. I am willing to listen to your point of view.

      [...]

      If your disagree, you better have your argument in order.

    • [Old] New York TimesAfter 244 Years, Encyclopaedia Britannica Stops the Presses

      In an acknowledgment of the realities of the digital age — and of competition from the Web site Wikipedia — Encyclopaedia Britannica will focus primarily on its online encyclopedias and educational curriculum for schools. The last print version is the 32-volume 2010 edition, which weighs 129 pounds and includes new entries on global warming and the Human Genome Project.

      “It’s a rite of passage in this new era,” Jorge Cauz, the president of Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., a company based in Chicago, said in an interview. “Some people will feel sad about it and nostalgic about it. But we have a better tool now. The Web site is continuously updated, it’s much more expansive and it has multimedia.”

      In the 1950s, having the Encyclopaedia Britannica on the bookshelf was akin to a station wagon in the garage or a black-and-white Zenith in the den, a possession coveted for its usefulness and as a goalpost for an aspirational middle class. Buying a set was often a financial stretch, and many families had to pay for it in monthly installments.

    • MeduzaCircus grandstand collapses outside St. Petersburg, leading to five injured children and felony case — Meduza

      At a performance outside St. Petersburg, a circus grandstand collapsed on Saturday, causing minor injuries to seven people, including five children. According to the Telegram channel SHOT, local police have opened a felony investigation and arrested the head of the circus where the incident took place. The moment of the grandstand collapse was captured on video and shared on social media.

    • RTEThis Is Art! Winners Announced | Prize fund of over €10,000 | 3,000 Entries

      AND THE WINNERS ARE …€ FROM DUBLIN AND DONEGAL This Is Art! Winners Announced | Prize fund of over €10,000 | 3,000 Entries€  CELEBRATING YOUNG ARTISTS OF ALL ABILITIES€  For more on all the winners |€ www.rte.ie/thisisart€  The Creative Ireland Programme and RTÉ have today announced the winners of the third This Is Art!

    • James GFun with Words

      I sat down studiously reading the newspaper, engaged in the news of the day (and, on a side note pondering on how a large, notable news story announced yesterday must have happened after the presses started printing). With a keen eye for words, I proactively took notes, as I often do, of exciting words. That, combined with my other readings over the last week, is the origin of this week's edition of Fun with Words.

    • Journey through Anatolia's medieval history: New app offers virtual exploration of Ani

      The app, available in Turkish, Armenian, and English, offers a captivating journey through the UNESCO-listed archaeological site of Ani, with routes that cater to both casual explorers and those who want to know it all.

    • France24Missing children found alive in Colombian Amazon 40 days after plane crash

      Four Indigenous children who had been missing for more than a month in the Colombian Amazon rainforest were found alive and flown to the capital Bogota early Saturday.

    • New York Times4 Missing Colombian Children Are Rescued and Said to Be in Good Health

      The four siblings, ages 1 to 13, were eager to play and asked for books just a day after being rescued and having survived 40 days in the jungle, officials said.

    • The AtlanticThe Case for Selective Slackerism

      How a Korean term helps me reconcile my moments of discipline and sloth

    • Science

      • HackadayListening To The ISS On The Cheap

        Like any hobby, amateur radio has no upper bounds on what you can spend getting geared up. Shacks worth tens of thousands of dollars are easy to come by, and we’ll venture a guess that there are hams out there pushing six figures with their investment in equipment. But hands down, the most expensive amateur radio station ever has to be the one aboard the€  International Space Station.

      • Michael West MediaCarbon storage dump for global exhaust supports new gas

        Australia’s gas industry will keep pumping and become a storage site for industrial pollution under industry and government plans.€ 

        A technique known as carbon capture and storage (CCS) would trap emissions from gas fields and pump the gases underground in depleted wells or rock formations.€ 

      • HackadayThe Primordial Soup’s On With This Modified Miller-Urey Experiment

        It’s a pretty sure bet that anyone who survived high school biology has heard about the Miller-Urey experiment that supported the hypothesis that the chemistry of life could arise from Earth’s primordial atmosphere. It was literally “lightning in a bottle,” with a mix of gases like methane, ammonia, hydrogen, and water in a closed-loop glass apparatus and a pair of electrodes to provide a spark to simulate lightning lancing across the early prebiotic sky. [Miller] and [Urey] showed that amino acids, the building blocks of protein, could be cooked up under conditions that existed before life began.

      • New York TimesAussie Farmers Unleash Dinosaur Rush as Fossils Rewrite History

        A new understanding of how to search for ancient remains has reinvigorated a region of western Queensland, with tourists flocking to paleontological digs.

      • Science AlertThis 'Stunning' 14-Sided New Shape May Deepen How We Understand 'Order in Nature'

        It's perfect.

      • Science AlertWe're a Step Closer to Stopping a Parasite From Inflicting 'Sleeping Sickness'

        There's still more work to do.

    • Education

      • Hong Kong Free PressSelf-made millionaire sits China’s university exams for 27th time

        Among the millions of fresh-faced high schoolers sitting China’s dreaded “gaokao” college entrance exam on Wednesday, Liang Shi sticks out like a sore thumb — a grey-haired, self-made millionaire stubbornly taking the test for the 27th time. Liang, 56, is no fool.

    • Hardware

      • Hackaday3D Printing LEGO-like Blocks

        LEGO are perhaps the perfect children’s toy, at least until you step on the errant brick while walking around the house. Available in all kinds of sets with varying themes and characters, they encourage building and creativity in kids like no other. Those with 3D printers might have considered creating their own specialty blocks, but the manufacturing of real LEGO blocks involves steel molds with extremely tight tolerances far outside the realm of most 3D printers. To print blocks capable of interconnecting in a similar way involves taking advantage of the characteristics of 3D printers and their materials instead, as [CNC Kitchen] demonstrates with these PrintABloks.

      • HackadayCrafting Ribbon Cables For Retro Hardware

        Building a modern computer is something plenty of us have done, and with various tools available to ensure that essentially the only thing required of the end user is to select parts and have them delivered via one’s favorite (or least expensive) online retailer. Not so with retro hardware, though. While some parts can be found used on reselling sites like eBay, often the only other option is to rebuild parts from scratch. This is sometimes the best option too, as things like ribbon cables age poorly and invisible problems with them can cause knock-on effects that feel like wild goose chases when troubleshooting. Here’s how to build your own ribbon cables for your retro machines.

      • Tom's HardwareGigabyte RTX 30, RTX 40 Series GPU PCBs Are Reportedly Cracking

        Repair technician and YouTuber Louis Rossmann exposes cases of Gigabyte GeForce RTX 30-series and RTX 40-series graphics cards suffering from PCB cracking.

      • Tom's HardwareInno3D Hides Power Port On New RTX 4070, RTX 4060 Ti GPUs

        MyDrivers reports that Inno3D has developed a unique design to hide the power connectors on its upcoming GeForce RTX 40-series graphics cards.

    • Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

    • Proprietary

      • Counter PunchAn English Professor Confronts AI

        As way of putting my toe into these deep waters, I tried an experiment in my course on William Blake at the University of Chicago this spring. I asked the students to pick out a “Proverb of Hell” from Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, and to ask ChatGPT to provide a one-page interpretation of it. They were instructed then to write a critical commentary on the results, looking for mistakes, blind spots, and opportunities to make a better interpretation.

      • NDTVTwitter Refuses To Pay Google Cloud Bills Ahead Of Contract Renewal: Report

        Twitter has refused to pay its Google Cloud bills as its contract comes up for renewal this month, which could result in the social media company's trust and safety teams being crippled, Platformer reported on Saturday.

      • [Old] ACMThe Fallacy of AI Functionality

        Deployed AI systems often do not work. They can be constructed haphazardly, deployed indiscriminately, and promoted deceptively. However, despite this reality, scholars, the press, and policymakers pay too little attention to functionality. This leads to technical and policy solutions focused on “ethical” or value-aligned deployments, often skipping over the prior question of whether a given system functions, or provides any benefits at all. To describe the harms of various types of functionality failures, we analyze a set of case studies to create a taxonomy of known AI functionality issues. We then point to policy and organizational responses that are often overlooked and become more readily available once functionality is drawn into focus. We argue that functionality is a meaningful AI policy challenge, operating as a necessary first step towards protecting affected communities from algorithmic harm.

      • The Guardian UKSelf-driving Waymo car kills dog amid increasing concern over robotaxis

        The collision comes as Waymo, which is owned by the Google parent company, Alphabet, and its competitor, Cruise, seek to dramatically scale up their robotaxi operations throughout the city. Cruise, operated by General Motors, currently has permission to charge fares for driverless taxi rides between 10pm and 6am in some parts of the city, but its cars must avoid the densest downtown areas. Waymo only has authority to charge fares if a safety driver is present in the car.

      • GO MediaWaymo Self-Driving Car Identifies, Hits And Kills Dog In San Francisco

        First reported by Autoblog, the incident took place on May 21st. A Waymo self-driving Jaguar I-Pace was driving on Toland Street in San Francisco. While the car was driving itself along the street, with a safety driver in the cockpit, a small dog ran out into the road.

        According to paperwork filed with the California DMV, the Waymo AV then made contact with the small dog, which the filing says “did not survive.” The autonomous vehicle was operating in self-driving mode, and Waymo reports that the vehicle successfully identified the animal before hitting it.

      • LcamtufLLMs are good at playing you

        ChatGPT is trained not to trust any citations you provide, whether they are real or fake — but it will fall for any “supplemental context” lines in your prompt if you attribute them to OpenAI. The bottom line is that the models don’t have a robust model of truth; they have an RLHF-imposed model of who to parrot and who to ignore. You and I are in that latter bin, which makes the bots sound smart when we’re trying to bait them with outright lies.

        Another way to pierce the veil is to say something outrageous to get the model to forcibly school you. Once the model starts to follow a learned “rebuke” template, it is likely to continue challenging true claims: [...]

      • Carl SvenssonWhy we don't trade with ants ...and why hypothetical AI:s won't, either.

        In a fairly recent text, Katja Grace writes about a hypothetical AI and why it would or wouldn't trade with humans. The AI entity described is a superintelligence - presumably orders of magnitude cleverer than humans - and neither inherently benevolent nor malicious.

        The argument Grace wants to refute is that such a superintelligence would likely not trade with humans because we'd simply be too weak and stupid. That is, if we've got something of value to the AI, it could easily take it from us using manipulation, coercion or force - but, argues Grace, it would be just as likely to trade with us.

        This is all hypothetical of course, but I find it interesting regardless - not least because it tells us something about how the magic promises of AI seems to blind us to facts that are easily observable all around us in the real world.

      • New York TimesHow Could AI Destroy Humanity?

        Researchers and industry leaders have warned that A.I. could pose an existential risk to humanity. But they’ve been light on the details.

      • ReasonNew Order on AI and Confidential Information from Court of International Trade Judge

        Judge Stephen Alexander Vaden's Order on Artificial Intelligence, issued Thursday: Parties must conform to many rules when they file briefs in a case before the Court of International Trade. For instance, briefs must state with particularity the grounds for seeking a desired order and make "the legal argument necessary to support it." USCIT Rule 7(b)(l)(B).…

      • Bryan Lunduke"macOS Sucks" now available!

        Watch Lunduke give macOS the business.

      • Reason"We the People" Podcast on AI Libel, with Prof. Lyrissa Lidsky, Prof. Jeff Rosen, and Me

        The podcast is from the National Constitutional Center; Jeff Rosen, who's a professor at the George Washington University law school, is the NCC's head (and a noted author and journalist). Lyrissa Lidsky is a co-Reporter for the American Law Institute's Restatement (Third) of Torts: Defamation and Privacy, the former dean at the University of Missouri…

      • New York TimesA.I. or Nuclear Weapons: Can You Tell These Quotes Apart?

        Many experts on artificial intelligence are warning of its potential dangers and calling for regulation, just as others once did with the atomic bomb.

      • Windows TCO

        • The Register UKRansomware scum hit Japanese pharma giant Eisai Group

          Its Japanese parent group confirmed earlier this week it had taken offline "certain systems" both inside and outside of Japan, including "logistics systems" after some of its servers were encrypted by ransomware. The attack was detected late at night on Saturday, June 3.

        • The Register UKOnline muggers make serious moves on unpatched Microsoft bugs

          Numen analysts noted that the privilege escalation Win32k.sys flaw – tracked as CVE-2023-29336 with a CVS severity rating of 7.8 out of 10 – has been exploited by miscreants, adding that while it does not affect Windows 11, older versions of Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows Server are at risk.

        • IT WireFinancial services firm FIIG hit by cyber attack, ALPHV claims credit

          In response to a query from iTWire, a FIIG spokesperson said: "We have acted with urgency to investigate the issue, including the initiation of our cyber response strategy working with third-party cyber-security experts and isolating affected systems."

    • Security

    • Defence/Aggression

    • Transparency/Investigative Reporting

    • Environment

      • Energy/Transportation

      • Wildlife/Nature

        • [Old] Bad Luck, Hot RocksBad Luck, Hot Rocks: Toward a Geologic Conscience

          During the spring of 2011 on a chance trip to the Petrified Forest, I encountered a small display of these letters in the Rainbow Forest Museum. I was immediately drawn to them for their humor, heartbreak, and humility, and soon discovered that these few letters represented just a tiny fraction of the more than 1200 pages in the park’s archives. Despite the wishes expressed in the letters, and the best intentions of their authors, the returned rocks don’t quite make it back to their former homes — at least not in the way the senders may have hoped. Because of their unknown provenance, these specimens can not be scattered back in the park—to do so would be to spoil those sites for research purposes. They are instead added to the park’s ‘conscience pile,’ which sits alongside a private gravel service road, a bit of dramatic irony that only furthered my interest in the phenomenon. And so, with a rough idea for this book, Phil and I returned during the summer of 2012 to begin reading through the conscience letter archive and to photograph the returned and confiscated rocks. Included here is our selection of some of the most intriguing, engaging, and beautiful letters, along with photographs from the conscience pile.

        • France24Intensifying Canadian wildfires could last 'all summer', minister warns

          New€ and€ intensifying€ fires€ are€ forcing€ the€ evacuation€ of€ thousands€ across€ Canada€ as€ the€ country€ battled€ out-of-control€ blazes€ that€ a€ provincial€ minister€ warned€ on€ Saturday€ could€ last€ "all€ summer."

        • AxiosHow far you have to travel to see a sky free of light pollution
          Data: International Dark-Sky Association, GoAstronomy; Note: Dark sky places include Class 1 or Class 2 areas on the Bortle scale, a measure of light pollution; Distance calculated as a direct path; Map: Kavya Beheraj/Axios

          Some stargazers have to travel more than 200 miles to see a sky devoid of light pollution.

        • The Straits TimesFourteen die in Kazakhstan forest fires

          Fires started by a lightning strike on Thursday have consumed 60,000 hectares of land.

        • RFERLKazakh President Replaces Emergencies Minister As Deadly Wildfires Scorch East

          Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev appointed a new emergency situations minister on June 10, hours after the dismissal of his predecessor with deadly wildfires roaring in the northeast of that Central Asian country.

        • New YorkerWhat We Can Learn from London’s Smoke-Filled Skies

          Hazardous health conditions in Dickensian England led to meaningful governmental reform.

      • Overpopulation

    • Finance

      • Michael West MediaLabor won't shelve housing fund for direct investment

        Ditching the housing fund for a $500 million a year direct investment into affordable homes is not on the Labor government’s agenda.

        Housing Minister Julie Collins poured cold water over the suggestion to dump the fund model in favour of direct investment into housing on Sunday as negotiations over the key Labor election promise continue.

      • AxiosTipping onslaught pushes some consumers to close their wallets

        An onslaught of tipping requests — with employees often inches away — is increasing social pressure around gratuity and even pushing some consumers to give less.

      • NeritamSurvival of the richest

        Elon Musk, one of the world’s richest men, paid a ‘true tax rate’ of just over 3% from 2014 to 2018. Aber Christine, a market trader in Northern Uganda who sells rice, flour and soya, makes $80 a month in profit. She pays a tax rate of 40%.

      • LRTThe true scale of poverty in Lithuania is invisible

        Official statistics do not reveal the true scale of poverty in Lithuania, according to a new study. Almost one in five people in Lithuania are struggling to make ends meet, but because they do not qualify for social support or do not ask for state assistance, they remain invisible.

      • WhichUKSix questions about universal basic income answered

        Which? looks at whether a trial of universal basic income in England could help

        millions of people struggling with the cost of living crisis

      • WhichUK11 ways to save money on festivals

        Find out how to cut the cost of your tickets, travel, food and more

      • YLETide turns on holiday home boom

        Finnish cottage sales are slightly down, according to realtors.

      • Helsinki TimesThe sale of holiday homes started off swiftly

        In May, the sale of holiday homes began as expected, following seasonal fluctuations but with slightly lower volumes compared to last year.

        Real estate agents reported 292 transactions of old holiday homes to the KVKL Price Monitoring Service, which is 11.0% less than the same period last year and 37.4% below the five-year average. The five-year average includes the pandemic-induced cottage boom.

      • Helsinki TimesNIB and Mortgage Society of Finland collaborate to support environmental projects with EUR 20 million loan

        The Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) has signed a 7-year loan agreement with the Mortgage Society of Finland (Hypo) to facilitate on-lending for projects with positive environmental impacts in Finland.

        The EUR 20 million loan will be utilized to co-finance environmental initiatives undertaken by households and housing companies.

      • TediumFriction, Baby

        In a world where technology is trying to make things increasingly easier, make things a little harder on yourself. You’ll get better results.

      • Helsinki TimesFinnish welfare state cushions about 38 percent of income losses in economic crises

        A recent study conducted by EconPol has examined social security systems in the European Union and found that the welfare state in Finland cushions approximately 38 percent of income losses during economic crises. The study also reveals that social security systems in Scandinavia and Western Europe provide the most comprehensive protection against income losses, while countries in Southern and Eastern Europe, as well as the United Kingdom and Ireland, experience higher income losses during crises.

      • Helsinki TimesFinnish Construction Trade Unions Board: Labor availability assessment must be reinstated, job security for construction workers

        The construction industry is currently facing a downturn, with the number of new projects plummeting to levels seen during the previous recession. Employment prospects for construction workers have weakened, and as the summer progresses, the situation is expected to become critical.

        Currently, the labor availability assessment for non-EU workers has been removed from many construction positions across much of the country.

    • AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

    • Censorship/Free Speech

    • Civil Rights/Policing

      • VoxLabor unions aren’t “booming.” They’re dying.

        I’ve seen two major theories for why this happened. The first emphasizes politics: Countries with more left-wing governments have seen smaller declines in unions. In Canada, for instance, the share of workers in a union has fallen, but the fall is less stark than in the US, which might be explainable by its more pro-union laws.

        The second emphasizes the fact that union firms tend to expand their workforces less quickly than other firms. That makes sense: Unions raise wages, so union workforces cost more. But over time, this effect means a greater and greater share of the workforce is non-unionized because non-unionized firms are able to grow faster.

      • [Repeat] Vice Media GroupPolice Raided Afroman Searching for a ‘Dungeon.’ His Record Label Says He Doesn’t Even Have a Basement

        Officers from the Adams County Sheriff's Office in Ohio raided the residence of rapper Afroman last summer in part because a confidential informant told them Afroman has a “dungeon” where he keeps women locked up and forces them to defecate and urinate in a bucket as punishment, according to a search warrant and body camera footage shared with Motherboard. When showed the relevant section of the warrant, Afroman's record label said "Lol. That is completely fabricated and untrue. Afroman doesn’t even have a basement. Afroman has a movie coming out within the next few weeks regarding this situation, and will be filing a lawsuit against the confidential informant." (According to property website Redfin, Afroman’s residence address has a “crawl-space” style basement, which is typically a much smaller space than one a person is able to stand in).

      • New York TimesFrom ‘Pariah’ to Partner, Saudi Leader Defies Threats to Isolate Him

        Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has repeatedly leveraged Saudi Arabia’s wealth and influence to overcome international condemnation of the kingdom’s human rights violations.

      • uni StanfordSUDPS officers acted ‘reasonably’ in January police incident, independent review says

        An independent review of a Jan. 28 police stop on Stanford’s campus was released Tuesday, concluding that no “bias based policing” was shown by SUDPS officers.

      • New York TimesCol. Lanny Acosta, Guantánamo Judge, Faces Ethics Challenge

        The issue has cast a cloud over the coming proceedings in the U.S.S. Cole bombing case, which are scheduled to last three weeks starting Monday.

      • Helsinki TimesIncrease in reports of harassment and workload-related issues to occupational safety authorities

        Approximately 2,200 contacts related to harassment and work-related stress were made to the Finnish occupational safety authorities in 2022. Out of these, around 1,500 contacts were related to harassment, while 900 were regarding work-related stress. Some contacts involved both issues.

        The total number of contacts has remained relatively stable in recent years. However, there has been an increase in the proportion of contacts related to work-related stress.

      • New YorkerWhy the Supreme Court Declined an Opportunity to Diminish the Voting Rights Act

        The decision regarding Alabama’s redistricting process may well result in greater representation for Black voters in other states.

      • The AtlanticWhat Reparations Actually Bought

        The U.S. government’s redress program for Japanese Americans showed that the money matters. But it’s not the only thing that matters.

      • JURISTJapan passes contentious immigration reform bill

        Japan’s recent amendments, passed on Friday, to its immigration law have sparked a heated debate on the treatment of asylum seekers and the deportation of unsuccessful applicants. The revised legislation grants the government the authority to expel individuals who have repeatedly sought refugee status.

      • JURISTJapan district court finds lack of protection for same-sex marriage is unconstitutional

        A Japanese district court found Thursday that the lack of legal protection for same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. The Fukuoka District Court ruling comes amid growing pressure for Japan to protect same-sex marriage and a similar recent finding in another the Nagoya District Court.

      • RFERLIran's Rekabi Competes In First Climbing Tournament Since Head-Scarf Controversy

        Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi participated in a women's boulder World Cup event in Brixen, Italy, on June 9, her first tournament since she competed in an international contest without a head scarf last year.

      • AxiosStates seek to bar Chinese citizens from buying homes

        Chinese buyers are returning to the U.S. housing market after a long lull, but recent efforts by several states to restrict certain foreign purchases could make homebuying harder for them.

    • Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

      • The AtlanticHow We Watch TV

        From the use of subtitles to viewing times, television habits can vary even within the same household.

    • Monopolies

      • Patents

        • Kluwer Patent BlogItaly, France, Germany agree on competences central division seats Unified Patent Court [Ed: This is totally illegal, but Team UPC, exploiting its access to blogs, keeps trying the unlawful and unconstitutional seem "normal" and "acceptable". What does that say about patent lawyers?]

          Italy, France and Germany have agreed on and proposed a division of the competences that were originally designated to London, between the three seats of the UPC central division in Milan, Paris and Munich.



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