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The latest blog posts to take off on Hacker News. 6,299 posts.
Mozilla expands extension support for Firefox for Android
Today, Mozilla announced more than 450 new extensions (software that adds new features or functionality to the browser) to users on Firefox for Android at
Weak-to-Strong Generalization
We present a new research direction for superalignment, together with promising initial results: can we leverage the generalization properties of deep learning to control strong models with weak supervisors?
The UX of delivering parcels
I shipped identical boxes, less than a mile, with multiple delivery companies — one was seized by the police. This is the UX of delivering parcels.
What's Going on with Language Rankings?
As the inbound DMs and emails attest, at least a few of you out there having been waiting for RedMonk to drop our latest version of the programming language rankings. Our apologies about the delay: here’s our update on the process. Normally we run these rankings twice a year, with the goal of using publicly
Ruby's private keyword is weird
Ruby's `private` keyword means something different compared to basically all other object-oriented languages. Most other languages don't even have a feature matching what Ruby calls `private`, but incredibly, Scala does, which it calls `protected[this]` (meaning
First look at Microsoft 365 Copilot
Microsoft has made tons of noise about their Microsoft 365 Copilot toolset. They’ve made a lot of promises about its capabilities to enhance individual and team productivity, but access to it…
Canadian internet bill S-210 is a step closer to becoming law
After years of battles over Bills C-11 and C-18, few Canadians will have the appetite for yet another troubling Internet bill. But given a bill that envisions government-backed censorship, mandates age verification to use search engines or social media sites, and creates a framework for court-ordered website blocking…
FunSearch: Making new discoveries in mathematical sciences using LLMs
We introduce FunSearch, a method for searching for “functions” written in computer code, and find new solutions in mathematics and computer science. FunSearch works by pairing a pre-trained LLM, whose goal is to provide creative solutions in the form of computer code, with an automated “evaluator”, which guards…
The AI Trust Crisis
Dropbox added some new AI features. In the past couple of days these have attracted a firestorm of criticism. Benj Edwards rounds it up in Dropbox spooks users with new …
Turing awardees republished key methods and ideas without credit
Whose Creators They Failed to Credit
Pitfalls of Helm – Insights from 3 years with the leading K8s package manager
Having worked with Helm for multiple years these 5 shortcomings always bugged my mind. From CRDs updates to multi namespace deployments.
Men should abstain from drinking at least three months prior to conceiving
In examining the effects of paternal alcohol consumption on fetal alcohol syndrome, a groundbreaking new study reveals that it can take over a month for negative alcohol effects to wear off.
Programs are games, programming is a game
(This post is now also listed on the Pickcode Blog) In 11th grade, I wrote my first program, Dingo Hopper. In the game, the player controls a png of a din...
Barcelona Supercomputing Center presents Sargantana: new open-source RISC-V chip
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Deno 1.39: The Return of WebGPU
We've re-added WebGPU, added new deno coverage reporters, made substantial Node.js compatibility improvements, and more.
Should you add screenshots to documentation?
Screenshots in documentation can be a contentious topic — some people really like them and think they add a lot of value, while others dislike them due to the maintenance burden and accessibility issues. So what should you do?
How to clean chemistry glassware
Demystifying Synthetic Organic Chemistry since 2004. Laboratory Techniques and Methods to Improve your Experimental Skills.
Sci-Fi Interfaces: Hackers
Our third film is from 1995, directed by Iain Softley. Hackers is about a group of teenage computer hackers, of the ethical / playful type who are driven by curiosity and cause no harm — well, not …
Google's response to Reptar CPU vulnerability
Just as Vulnerability Research is an important area of focus at Google, so is Vulnerability Response to critical and complex vulnerabilities. Vulnerability Response at Google not only helps secure Google’s products and users, but in certain cases, it affects millions of devices across the Internet. In this post, we'll…
Remembering things that haven't happened yet
How will I know what I need to hear in a future I can't anticipate? Who will I be, and what will she want?
The Long Shadow of Checks
A lot of more modern financial infrastructure follows the paths blazed by checks, at least in the U.S.
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS will enable frame pointers by default
Today Canonical is raising the bar for performance and observability by enabling frame pointers by default in Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. […]
Google Imagen 2
Today, we’re sharing a significant upgrade to Google Cloud’s image-generation capabilities with Imagen 2 , our most advanced text-to-image technology, which is now generally available for Vertex AI customers on the allowlist (i.e., approved for access).
Whisper: Nvidia RTX 4090 vs. M1 Pro with MLX
How fast is my Whisper Benchmark with the MLX Framework from Apple? Nvidia 4090 / M1 Pro / M2 Ultra / M3
It's weird how design systems are so rote, yet so difficult
Reflecting on investing in design systems