James Webb, Hubble space telescopes face reduction in operations (astronomy.com | comments) NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Hubble Space Telescope are facing operational reductions due to inflation and budget constraints. The situation threatens the ongoing scientific contributions and data gathering capabilities of these highly sought-after astronomical instruments, as funding shortfalls loom large.

• This is dumb that it's even an issue. But in lieu of an administration change, could they "rent" them out? Like rich institutions could either pay for what they were already planning to do or they could request a different mission/objective.
• so when the space invaders arrive we won't see them coming

Five companies now control over 90% of the restaurant food delivery market (marketsaintefficient.substack.com | comments) A recent analysis reveals that five major companies dominate over 90% of the global restaurant food delivery market, raising concerns about competition and pricing. This concentration allows them to influence costs significantly, with consumers witnessing high fees that inflate average meal prices, sparking discussions among users regarding fairness and transparency.

• The title scared me a bit before I opened the article and realized it was talking about restaurant->consumer food delivery services. While that isn't great, I was initially thinking was that the companies that facilitate the food delivery supply chains around the world were massively consolidated (I sure hope they aren't)

The North Korean fake IT worker problem is ubiquitous (theregister.com | comments) The issue of fraudulent IT workers posing as professionals from North Korea is increasingly prevalent. Signs indicative of such deceit include exceptionally decorated resumes paired with sparse online connections and avoidance of in-person interviews. Companies are advised to implement stricter verification protocols to combat this trend.

• The part that's really sad is that we have tons of out of work devs right now. This sort of thing only makes it harder for the legitimate people to get hired. An easy fix for this is for a place like Pearson to set up verified interview centers, which will allow for verified virtual interviews (on both sides of the table).

Axon's Draft One AI Police Report Generator Is Designed to Defy Transparency (eff.org | comments) Axon Enterprise’s Draft One is an AI tool generating police reports from audio recorded by body cameras, reportedly structured to circumvent public audit and accountability, as highlighted by an Electronic Frontier Foundation investigation. Key concerns center around transparency and oversight.

• It should matter which parts were written by AI or by officer. Once the officer signs off on the report, they take full responsibility for the content.
• I think such a tool could be useful for ensuring all the facts get included, but I hate the idea that some departments could start highering illiterate officers if this tech goes far enough.

Let's Learn x86-64 Assembly (2020) (gpfault.net | comments) Amid the global pandemic's lockdown, the author embarks on a journey to learn x86-64 assembly language, aiming to bypass outdated practices. The tutorial series will focus on 64-bit programming in Windows, using specific tools like the Flat Assembler (FASM) and WinDbg. This first part introduces essential tools and concepts for assembly programming.

• Spectacular post, are you planning to add sections on reverse engineering executables because this definitely looks pretty close
• It's always a great way to get a better understanding of things but at least just poking around assembly a bit once. You do not have to make a project or anything big, but do not be afraid to check it out.

Reading Neuromancer for the first time in 2025 (mbh4h.substack.com | comments) In 2025, the impact of William Gibson's 1984 novel 'Neuromancer' is examined, highlighting its profound influence on modern sci-fi media, including films and video games. The review appreciates the book’s themes and predictions in the context of contemporary society, underscoring its relevance decades after its initial publication.

• I want to recommend Vernor Vinge's books to anyone looking for some new sci-fi... I've read A Deepness in the Sky and A Fire upon the Deep. They were exemplary to the kind of logical structure of SciFi and made some relevant predictions which I won't spoil. The guy was a professor of computer science (RIP)

Hypercapitalism and the AI talent wars (johnluttig.com | comments) The text discusses the challenges posed by competitive AI hiring practices within the framework of hypercapitalism. It addresses how these practices can disrupt trust and alignment among founders, employees, and investors, leading to a potential misalignment of core values in teams.

• > AI catch-up investment has gone parabolic, initially towards GPUs and mega training runs. As some labs learned that GPUs alone don't guarantee good models, the capital cannon is shifting towards talent. So, no more bitter lesson?

Monitoring My Homelab, Simply (b.tuxes.uk | comments) The author outlines their experience with monitoring tools for a homelab, emphasizing a preference for simplicity over complexity. They describe their custom monitoring solution, highlighting its design to notify them only when significant issues arise and simplifying the management of probes for various services. The solution operates as a daemon on their router and includes dead man’s switch mechanisms to ensure reliability, while maintaining only essential features and minimal dependencies.

• I personally found uptime kuma to be easiest because it has a python api package to bulk load stuff into it. Much easier to edit a list in vscode than click around a bunch in an app
• Even in homelab you should totally monitor thing like - raid health - free disk space - whether backup jobs running - ssl certs expiring

Does showing seconds in the system tray actually use more power? (lttlabs.com | comments) Displaying seconds in the system tray may not significantly affect power consumption in modern systems. Analysis shows negligible differences in energy use, as the impact of displaying an additional digit is minimal compared to other factors affecting power efficiency. This highlights that user interface preferences should consider actual performance metrics.

• That's quite surprising. I wouldn't have imagined Windows (or any other "desktop OS") to go to great lengths to optimize for static screen content in the way that e.g. smartphones or wearables do, which as I understand have dedicated hardware optimized for displaying a fully static screen while powering down large parts of the display pipeline.

Hacking Coroutines into C (wiomoc.de | comments) This article discusses integrating coroutine concepts into C programming for developing embedded software, specifically addressing the challenges of traditional state machines in control flow. The author showcases using coroutines to simplify the management of concurrency in environments without an operating system, illustrated through an LED blinking example that adapts to user interaction.

• A colleague of mine did this much more elegantly by manually updating the stack and jmping. This was a couple of decades ago and afaik the code is still in use in supercomputing centres today.
• Rust can be used in an embedded environment and also offers asynchronous execution built into the language

Let Me Pay for Firefox (discourse.mozilla.org | comments) A long-time Mozilla supporter, involved with the Spread Firefox project since 2006, expresses a desire for Mozilla to charge for Firefox. The individual argues that introducing a paid model could be beneficial, despite the contradiction of advocating for free software.

• I think it’s fascinating how languages shape our society. In this case, the ambiguity between free as in “at no cost” and free as in “freedom” is probably hurting the FOSS landscape. In French, there are two very distinct terms for this: “gratuit” vs “libre”. And it doesn’t sound as an oxymoron to pay for a “logiciel libre”.

Parse, Don't Validate (For C) (lelanthran.com | comments) In 'Parse, Don’t Validate', the author emphasizes the importance of parsing over validation in programming, particularly in C. The article illustrates methods for enhancing safety by parsing input data instead of validating it at multiple stages, thereby reducing potential errors. It advocates for the creation of specific data types to mitigate misuse.

• This stuck out: email_t theEmail = parseEmail(untrustedInput); if (theEmail == PARSE_ERROR) { return error; } An email_t is not a parse error, and a parse error is not one of the emails, so this shouldn't compile (and I don't take 'pseudocode' as an excuse).

Show HN: Ten years of running every day, visualized (nodaysoff.run | comments) A visual celebration of a decade of daily running showcases 3,656 days, 11,907 miles, and a total of 1,826 hours logged. The creator shares personal reflections on the transformative journey of maintaining consistency through diverse challenges and environments, emphasizing the role of support and endurance.

• >I've run through stress fractures, heart procedures, flus and other physical ailments. I've run in frigid sub zero weather and in sweltering heat. Respectfully, that sounds awful. Being sick sucks enough, the last thing I'd want or benefit from doing is physical activity during a flu.

Show HN: A Raycast-compatible launcher for Linux (github.com/byteatatime | comments) A new launcher compatible with Raycast is available for Linux, designed to offer a streamlined user experience akin to functionalities found in macOS. Users can efficiently manage apps and workflows, enhancing productivity on Linux systems.

• Raycast will either hire you or send you a cease-and-desist order. Either way, I would change the name now.
• Amazing! one of the few reasons keeping me from using Linux as a daily driver is lack of Raycast support. It has become a huge part of how I use my computer.

C3 solved memory lifetimes with scopes (c3-lang.org | comments) C3 is a new programming language that builds on the syntax and semantics of C, aiming to retain familiarity for C developers while introducing modern features like memory scopes for managing lifetimes. This evolution addresses prevalent issues in memory management without disrupting the existing C programming paradigm.

• Seems overly simplistic and doesn't seem to cover extremely common cases such as a thread allocating some memory then putting it into a queue to be consumed by other threads which then eventually free the memory, or any allocation lifetime that isn't simply the scope of the enclosing block.

The underground cathedral protecting Tokyo from floods (2018) (bbc.com | comments) Tokyo's flood prevention system, known as the 'underground cathedral', consists of an elaborate network of dams, levees, and tunnels designed to protect the city from flooding. This infrastructure raises questions about its effectiveness in withstanding the challenges posed by climate change.

• Even the word "cathedral" doesn't do justice to that structure.
• Will it actually show up in real estate prices if the models say it wont?
• It has a fantastic reverb too! Would love to take a drum kit down there... and a speaker to play a sweep & capture an IR. Tried using handclaps when I visited.

Black hole merger challenges our understanding of black hole formation (gizmodo.com | comments) Astronomers have detected an unprecedented black hole merger, designated GW231123, resulting in a colossal black hole nearly 225 times the mass of the Sun. This discovery challenges existing theories on black hole formations, suggesting that our understanding of these cosmic phenomena may need significant revisions.

• 225 solar masses… that's just wild. We keep building these models that tell us mergers like this shouldn't happen, and the universe keeps dunking on them
• It’s impressive how LIGO and Virgo keep pushing the limits of what we thought was possible. Each new event seems to open more questions than it answers.

A technical look at Iran's internet shutdowns (zola.ink | comments) Iran's internet shutdowns during mass protests reveal a robust domestic network known as the National Information Network (NIN), facilitating selective blackouts while maintaining local services. The Iranian Great Firewall blocks foreign content but has vulnerabilities, allowing limited circumvention methods like Pingtunnel and Starlink connections for secure internet access.

• I appreciate the final paragraphs which suggest a solid method for those inside the country and under this oppressive regime to remain connected without surveillance. I wonder how many are up to this, and what active resistance or movements inside the country look like these days.

Notes on Graham's ANSI Common Lisp (2024) (northwestern.edu | comments) Graham's ANSI Common Lisp code is largely maintainable and portable, with short, well-motivated functions. However, his coding style includes unconventional naming practices, a preference for 'if' over 'cond', avoidance of 'loop', and a tendency towards recursion which can lead to stack overflows. Detailed chapter notes are available for further insights.

• Is this basically a 16-chapter (plus a few appendixes) code review?!?

How does a screen even work? (makingsoftware.com | comments) Digital displays, from traditional cathode ray tubes (CRT) to modern liquid crystal displays (LCD), function through a combination of electron guns and electric crystals that manipulate light. This article delves into the technologies behind screen operations, highlighting their critical role in computing.

• I happen to have a stereo microscope at my desk, so I put my Pixel 9 under there. At 100x mag (10x ocular x 10x objective) it looks like there are 3 layers: as I move my head around slightly (so the image is moving over my retinas), the blue moves faster and the red almost stays still, with green somewhere in the middle.

The upcoming GPT-3 moment for RL (mechanize.work | comments) Matt Barnett and colleagues predict that reinforcement learning (RL) will reach a 'GPT-3 moment' by switching from narrow task training to extensive training across diverse environments, improving adaptability and performance. They propose 'replication training' for automating software production, though challenges remain in testing and implementation.

• I like this idea. It's adjacent to differential testing of manually created software (as in compilers) and to mutation testing for evaluation and generation of test suites.
• What is RL in this context?
• What a relief, I was horrified this was going to be an atrocious Rocket League update.

Gaming cancer: How citizen science games could help cure disease (mitpress.mit.edu | comments) Citizen science games have the potential to revolutionize medical research by engaging players in real scientific challenges. These interactive platforms can leverage collective intelligence to address complex issues in healthcare, thereby contributing to advancements in disease understanding and potentially aiding in cures.

• I think there's still a challenge in balancing engagement and scientific rigor. Making a game that's genuinely fun and scientifically valuable isn't easy. But if done right, this could be a massive unlock and not just for cancer research, but for any complex system where intuition and creativity matter as much as formal training.

Two-step system makes plastic from carbon dioxide, water and electricity (phys.org | comments) Researchers developed a machine capable of transforming carbon dioxide, water, and electricity into industrial-grade plastic through a two-step chemical process. This innovative approach could offer a sustainable solution to plastic production, addressing environmental concerns related to carbon emissions.

• Turning co2 into a building material at a rate faster than trees is what we need. Co2 bricks anyone?
• Thanks. We needed more plastic.
• I guess mass extinction (via microplastics) works for some planet-saving outcome.
• It’s remarkable how many problems can be solved with energy.

GLP-1s Are Breaking Life Insurance (glp1digest.com | comments) GLP-1 medications, popular for weight loss and diabetes treatment, are leading to unexpected consequences in life insurance. Patients initially considered healthy may face increased risks within two years, complicating insurability and pushing life insurance companies to reassess risk models and pricing strategies.

• This blog post is flawed. "Life insurers can predict when you'll die with about 98% accuracy." Is not even properly framed and is found nowhere in the cited report. Predictions of when you will die need a range in order to be attached to a number like accuracy. The attached report is not about this but about population-level mortality trends.