Published: 2024-09-08 | Origin: Hacker News

Chatbots powered by large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok have become highly sophisticated, often generating conversation-like text that blurs the distinction between human and machine responses. Despite their complexity, LLMs are essentially mathematical models that lack true understanding or the ability to recognize meaningful dialogue, leading them to persist in nonsensical conversations longer than a human would. This article explores an experiment involving the Llama 3.1 LLM, which was tested against four

Published: 2024-09-08 | Origin: /r/programming

Leadership in the tech world transcends formal titles and positions; it revolves around the ability to influence others without authority. This skill involves motivating colleagues through expertise, relationships, and effective communication, especially as organizations flatten hierarchies. Influence is distinct from authority; it derives from actions and relationships rather than titles. For instance, a senior engineer may be respected and follow their insights despite not being the official team lead. Key factors in building influence include: 1. **Consistent Delivery**: Meeting

Published: 2024-09-08 | Origin: Hacker News

There is a growing concern over the presence of questionable research papers created using generative AI, particularly ChatGPT, in academic journals and repositories. These papers often mimic scientific writing and cover contentious topics such as the environment, health, and computing, which are particularly vulnerable to misinformation. The integration of these AI-generated papers into platforms like Google Scholar raises issues regarding research integrity, as they can be found alongside reputable studies. Ongoing discussions and resources are being developed to track papers suspected of misuse, while legitimate applications

Published: 2024-09-08 | Origin: Hacker News

The author expresses a desire to simply draw pixels on a screen without getting bogged down in complex graphics libraries like SDL or OpenGL. They introduce "fenster," a lightweight 2D canvas library by Serge Zaitsev, which is a header-only C/C++ file consisting of around 400 lines of readable code compatible with WinAPI, Cocoa, and X11. It also manages keyboard and mouse input. For slightly more complex needs, like creating menus or buttons without dealing with SDL, the

Published: 2024-09-07 | Origin: Hacker News

Access to the resource on the server is denied. LiteSpeed Technologies Inc. is not a web hosting company and does not control the site's content.

Published: 2024-09-07 | Origin: Hacker News

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) headquarters in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, serves as a popular photo spot for hikers aiming to complete the Appalachian Trail (A.T.), as it offers official recognition by maintaining the 2,000-miler registry. A grant from the Quimby Family Foundation and volunteer efforts led by Terry Harley Wilson have allowed both previous Polaroid and current digital photos of hikers to be digitized and viewed online since the A.T. Museum opened in 2010

Published: 2024-09-07 | Origin: /r/programming

The article discusses the complexities teams face when deciding whether to split shared source repositories or keep them combined, specifically referencing the Kubernetes project. It outlines the benefits and drawbacks of both approaches, influenced by various factors such as version control systems, tooling, build systems, CI platforms, programming languages, and organizational structures like Conway’s Law. Kubernetes utilizes Git, a popular distributed version-control system, which allows developers to work on local copies of repositories. Changes are made through pull or merge requests, simplifying the integration

Published: 2024-09-07 | Origin: Hacker News

TheHigherGeometer recently received an email from mathematician Bogdan Grechuk regarding his new book, "Polynomial Diophantine Equations: A Systematic Approach." The book presents a novel method for studying Diophantine equations by defining the equations' size, ordering them, and solving them methodically. It begins with simple cases but carefully progresses to more complex equations, categorizing them and developing solutions systematically. Grechuk outlines an algorithm with approximately 21 main cases and highlights the

Published: 2024-09-07 | Origin: Hacker News

The author strives to enhance the user experience on their website by focusing on accessibility and ensuring functionality without JavaScript. They prioritize page load times, especially for pages with large illustrations, by minifying HTML. However, a significant challenge arises from the lack of Brotli compression support on GitHub Pages, which hinders traffic reduction and increases load times. While gzip is commonly enabled due to its low resource cost, Brotli is more efficient but not supported by GitHub. The author notes that their longest blog

Published: 2024-09-07 | Origin: Hacker News

The author recounts a unique experience of discovering and decrypting code integral to the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. This code facilitated secure communication during Operation Vula in the late 1980s, which aimed to integrate ANC leaders and resources into the country. The operation relied on one-time pad encryption and various 8-bit computing technologies. The key encryption system, developed by Tim Jenkin, had not been open-sourced until recently because Jenkin had forgotten the password he set for a

Published: 2024-09-07 | Origin: /r/programming

The Git Query Language (GQL) is a SQL-like syntax designed for querying .git files. It supports most SQL features, including grouping, ordering, and aggregation functions, and operates using a lightweight engine that allows for on-the-fly execution of queries without needing to convert .git files into another format. Additionally, all keywords in GQL are case-insensitive, similar to SQL. Feedback from users is highly valued and taken seriously. For more details, users are encouraged to consult the documentation.

Published: 2024-09-07 | Origin: /r/programming

The content addresses the issues engineers face when working under tight deadlines, leading them to cut corners in their processes such as testing and code reviews. This often results in bugs and technical debt that must be dealt with later. When failures inevitably occur, engineers are blamed, rather than the unrealistic timelines set by product managers and executives. The text emphasizes the importance of clear communication about expectations and feasibility from the outset to mitigate the risks associated with rushed projects. It advocates for engineers to push back against unreasonable deadlines to avoid

Published: 2024-09-07 | Origin: Hacker News

New York artist Jeremy Couillard began his career as a high-school Spanish teacher before transitioning to the arts, where he created detailed comics and ink drawings. He pursued an MFA at Columbia University but found himself more engaged in discussions about technology than traditional painting. This led him to teach himself coding and explore animation using Unreal Engine, resulting in the creation of surreal video games with absurd narratives, such as "Escape from Lavender Island" (2023). This game is central to his current exhibition at the MIT List

Published: 2024-09-07 | Origin: /r/programming

Oskar Dudycz expresses a preference for viewing himself as a practitioner rather than an authority or expert in architecture, highlighting the need for more hands-on professionals in the industry. While initially reluctant to identify as an "Architect" due to its negative connotations, he has come to embrace the term, inspired by the idea that everyone is responsible for making systems function properly. Dudycz reflects on the challenges of software architecture, emphasizing the difficulty of providing a definitive checklist for good software, particularly given that

Published: 2024-09-07 | Origin: /r/programming

The content discusses a minimal code representation for determining prime numbers using various control flow statements. It mentions that the omission of curly braces is a stylistic choice. The author expresses a preference for using a "when" expression to streamline checks on a variable called "to_check," suggesting that repeating its reference in conditions is unnecessary. The author invites feedback on the use of "when" in DeltaScript. There are links to additional examples, but they are not accessible due to an error message.

Published: 2024-09-07 | Origin: /r/programming

The article discusses building software for financial systems, particularly accounting systems, emphasizing that while the fundamentals of accounting have remained unchanged for centuries, confusion persists in software development for these systems. The author shares insights from their experience at major tech companies, outlining essential components such as basic financial definitions, high-level goals for accounting systems, engineering principles, and best practices. Key concepts defined include: - **General Ledger (GL)**: The primary accounting record summarizing all financial transactions over a specified period, which aggregates detailed

Published: 2024-09-07 | Origin: /r/programming

The content describes Wayback, a web archiving tool that features an IM-style interface focused on privacy and accessibility. It connects with various archival services, including Internet Archive and IPFS, to capture and preserve web content. Wayback is intended for web archivists and researchers, offering functionalities for searching and playback of archived pages. Detailed instructions for installation from GitHub, Bina, Snapcraft, APT, RPM, and Homebrew are provided. The tool allows for messaging integration with Telegram and supports

Published: 2024-09-06 | Origin: Hacker News

The content highlights a feature-rich offline application designed for developers, focusing on daily task support and data security. The application, which requires macOS 14.0, is actively being developed with a goal of weekly updates and aims to offer over 100 utilities. The developer emphasizes a commitment to continuous improvement and user feedback. Additionally, the application integrates with other tools via a URL Scheme, allowing easy activation and integration with various apps and workflows.

Published: 2024-09-05 | Origin: Hacker News

The content describes a photograph of the author's grandfather, Will Jenkins, taken in 1909 when he was 13 years old. Jenkins built a glider with money gifted to him by a Civil War veteran after his essay on Robert E. Lee was published. He managed to fly the glider for distances of eight to forty feet before breaking it. By 1946, Jenkins had become a notable science fiction writer and published a story titled 'A Logic Named Joe,' which predicted the emergence of a

Published: 2024-09-04 | Origin: Hacker News

The blog post discusses the process of creating a Git commit using low-level commands, referred to as "Plumbing commands," rather than the standard "Porcelain commands" like `git add` and `git commit` that are typically used. It begins by explaining the different states a file can be in within Git and the structure of a Git project, consisting of three main sections. A Git commit is identified as a Git object, of which there are various types including blob, tree, and commit