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Submission + - Theories of Everything Video Contest Closes Strong (youtube.com)

Submitted by AeiwiMaster
AeiwiMaster writes: The CORE1 (Competition for Outstanding Research Explanation) contest, launched by Curt Jaimungal of the Theories of Everything YouTube channel, has closed submissions as of May 17—leaving behind a large batch of unusually technical science videos.

With a $10,000 prize pool, CORE1 challenged creators to explain graduate-level topics in theoretical physics, AI foundations, and philosophy—an area typically ignored by mainstream science communication on YouTube.

Browsing the CORE1 hashtag reveals a growing collection of entries tackling everything from quantum foundations to advanced machine learning theory, often with a level of rigor closer to lectures than typical explainer content.

Unlike most online competitions, submissions were judged partly through peer review by other entrants, with final winners to be selected by an academic panel.

Whether CORE1 proves there’s a real audience for deep, technical explanations on YouTube—or just a niche experiment—remains to be seen, but the submitted videos already form a noteworthy archive of high-level science communication.

Submission + - Adobe Lightroom CC now works on Linux thanks to Wine and Claude (nerds.xyz)

Submitted by BrianFagioli
BrianFagioli writes: A new GitHub project called âoelightroom-cc-on-linuxâ claims to have Adobe Lightroom CC running on Linux through Wine 11.8 staging, including cloud sync support, the full Edit module, and even the notoriously troublesome Remove/Heal tool. The setup is not exactly simple, requiring patched DLLs, DXVK workarounds, Vulkan drivers, stub libraries, and multiple Wine tweaks, but the repo provides a detailed walkthrough explaining each compatibility fix. While some dialogs can still crash and GPU accelerated features are not perfect, the core editing workflow reportedly works.

The more interesting angle may be how the project was created. According to the repository, most of the debugging and patch development was handled autonomously by Claude Opus 4.7 running through Claude Code. The AI reportedly analyzed crash dumps, patched binaries, compared DLL export tables, controlled the UI with screenshot driven automation, and repeatedly verified fixes until Lightroom stabilized. Whether you find that exciting or unsettling probably depends on how you feel about AI coding agents, but it is hard to deny this is a pretty wild example of what these systems are starting to accomplish in the real world.

Submission + - Google Maps 'Unburned' the Pacific Palisades - and Infuriated Angelenos Noticed (redstate.com) 1

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes:

Angelenos have been noticing something strange: the Google Maps satellite imagery depicting the Los Angeles areas of the Pacific Palisades and Altadena now shows pristine neighborhoods untouched by the devastating fires of January 2025.

Of course, as we all know, those neighborhoods are in ruins. Why would Google pretend otherwise?

On Reddit, user TinyPinkSparkles asked, “Why is Google maps back to showing old satellite images of Altadena?" She continued:

Not too long after the fire, Google updated the satellite imagery to reflect the fire and thousands of lost structures. Now it's back to pre-fire images of houses and businesses that are no longer there. Why?

Submission + - SpaceX unveils sweeping Starship V3 upgrades ahead of May 19 launch (teslarati.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Here is an explicit, broken-down list of the key changes, first starting with the changes to Super Heavy V3:
  • Grid Fin Redesign: Reduced from four fins to three. Each fin is now 50% larger and stronger, repositioned for better catching and lifting performance. Fins are lowered on the booster to reduce heat exposure during hot staging, with hardware moved inside the fuel tank for protection.
  • Integrated Hot Staging: Eliminates the old disposable interstage shield. The booster dome is now directly exposed to upper-stage engine ignition, protected by tank pressure and steel shielding. Interstage actuators retract after separation.
  • New Fuel Transfer System: Massive redesign of the fuel transfer tube—roughly the size of a Falcon 9 first stage—enables simultaneous startup of all 33 Raptors for faster, more reliable flip maneuvers.
  • Engine Bay/Thermal Protection: Engine shrouds removed entirely; new shielding added between engines. Propulsion and avionics are more tightly integrated. CO? fire suppression system deleted for a simpler, lighter aft section.
  • Propellant Loading Improvements: Switched from one quick disconnect to two separate systems for added redundancy and reduced pad complexity.

Next, we have the changes to Starship V3:

  • Completely Redesigned Propulsion System: Clean-sheet redesign supports new Raptor startup, larger propellant volume, and an improved reaction control system while reducing trapped or leaked propellant risk.
  • Aft Section Simplification: Fluid and electrical systems rerouted; engine shrouds and large aft cavity deleted.
  • Flap Actuation Upgrade: Changed from two actuators per flap to one actuator with three motors for better redundancy, mass efficiency, and lower cost.
  • Faster Starlink Deployment: Upgraded PEZ dispenser enables quicker satellite release.
  • Long-Duration Spaceflight Capability: New systems for long orbital coasts, orbital refueling, cryogenic fluid management, vacuum-insulated header tanks, and high-voltage cryogenic recirculation.
  • Ship-to-Ship Docking + Refueling: Four docking drogues and dedicated propellant transfer connections added to support in-space refueling architecture.
  • Avionics Upgrades: 60 custom avionics units with integrated batteries, inverters, and high-voltage systems (9 MW peak power). New multi-sensor navigation for precision autonomous flight. RF sensors measure propellant in microgravity. ~50 onboard camera views and 480 Mbps Starlink connectivity for low-latency communications.

Believe it or not, there's more.

Two years ago, the biggest and most powerful rocket ever flown was Starship V1. Last year, it was Starship V2. V3 is about to become the biggest and most powerful rocket ever flown — but don't worry, the company already has plans for V4.

Submission + - US clears H200 chip sales to 10 China firms as Nvidia CEO looks for breakthrough (cnbc.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: The U.S. has cleared around 10 Chinese firms to buy Nvidia’s second-most powerful AI chip, the H200, but not a single delivery has been made so far, three people familiar with the matter said, leaving a major technology deal in limbo as CEO Jensen Huang seeks a breakthrough in China this week.

Huang, who was not initially listed in a White House delegation to Beijing, joined the trip after an invitation from President Donald Trump, a source said. Trump picked him up in Alaska en route to a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, raising hopes the trip could finally unlock stalled efforts to sell the H200 chips in China.

Submission + - Computer Misuse Act of 1990 hamstrung cyber security

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Computer Misuse Act of 1990 – which has hamstrung the work of the nation’s cyber security

“The long-awaited reform of Britain’s outdated Computer Misuse Act of 1990 – which has hamstrung the work of the nation’s cyber security professionals and researchers for years – is to be included in a new National Security Bill.”

“It comes partly in response to the 2024 Southport terror attack, and more recent incidents targeting Britain’s Jewish community, and will create offences around creating and disseminating harmful material online, and according to Westminster will close gaps within the nation’s state threats legislation and align it more closely with anti-terror laws.”

Submission + - China Unveils World's First Dual-Core Quantum Computer (tomshardware.com)

Submitted by hackingbear
hackingbear writes: CAS Cold Atom Technology, a Wuhan-based firm affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), unveiled what it claims is the world's first dual-core quantum computer, according to a report from state-owned publication Science and Technology Daily. The system, called Hanyuan-2, pairs two independent neutral atom arrays inside a single cabinet-sized machine, totaling 200 qubits built from 100 rubidium-85 and 100 rubidium-87 atoms. The twin cores can either run in parallel to split workloads or operate in a "one main and one auxiliary" configuration, where the second array handles real-time error correction while the first executes computations. Hanyuan-2 is built on neutral atom technology, which traps uncharged atoms using laser arrays to cool and manipulate individual neutral atoms as qubits. In a related development, scientists from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) have developed a programmable quantum computing prototype called "Jiuzhang 4.0" that has set a new world record for optical quantum information technology, according to a study published on Wednesday in the journal Nature. Jiuzhang-4 can manipulate and detect quantum states of up to 3,050 photons and solve the Gaussian boson sampling problem at a speed more than 10 to the 54th (10^54) times that of the world's most powerful supercomputer, the study said.

Submission + - Survey suggests sexting is changing modern relationships (nerds.xyz)

Submitted by BrianFagioli
BrianFagioli writes: A new survey from Dating.comï¼ suggests sexting has evolved from occasional flirtation into something much more embedded in everyday digital life. According to the companyâ(TM)s survey of 2,000 adults, many respondents now use sexting as a form of emotional connection, reassurance, entertainment, or attention seeking. The findings also revealed that 83 percent of respondents consider sexting outside a relationship to be cheating, yet nearly one in four admitted doing it anyway. More than 40 percent also said they had sexted a platonic friend at least once.

The survey paints a picture of modern relationships where digital boundaries are becoming harder to define. Some respondents even said they preferred sexting to physical intimacy because it offered more control and less emotional vulnerability. Others admitted using it simply to maintain someoneâ(TM)s interest rather than pursue a genuine relationship. The results raise an uncomfortable question: as communication becomes increasingly digital, are people redefining intimacy itself, or just finding new ways to compartmentalize relationships online?

Submission + - Guy Built an Entire Wikipedia that's 100% AI Hallucinations (x.com) 2

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: It's called Halupedia

Nothing on the site existed before you clicked. Every article was generated the second you arrived.

The site has one rule: the universe only exists when you visit it.

It looks exactly like wikipedia, same fonts, same layout, same scholarly citations, same "stumble" button for random articles.

The only difference is none of it is real.

Here are some actual articles currently in the encyclopedia:

> the great pigeon census of 1887
> the ministry of slightly wrong maps
> Chaldic arithmetic — a branch of mathematics where subtraction is forbidden
> Armund the river mapper — a cartographer who mapped 14,000 leagues of river without leaving his chair
> The society for the prevention of unnecessary Tuesdays

Every article page also tells you how many people are reading it right now. it says: "you alone are consulting this folio at present."

The creator's own tagline for the site is the most unhinged sentence i've read this year:

"an encyclopedia of a universe that does not exist until you visit it"

The entire backend is a single open source repo called vibeserver. One guy. One description on github: "a little webserver making things up just in time."

Submission + - How I added an LLM-based grammar checking + TeX math import to LibreOffice

Submitted by KeithCu
KeithCu writes: At Microsoft, I spent five years working on the text components RichEdit and Quill, and came to understand the “physics” of word processing: the file formats, data structures, and algorithms that provided fast access to text and properties, independent of the length of the file. When I decided to add an async AI grammar checker to my LibreOffice plugin WriterAgent, I knew what I was getting into, but I underestimated the trickery of LibreOffice’s UNO.

Submission + - Sysadmin Creates "ModuleJail" to Automatically Blacklist Unused Kernel Modules

Submitted by internet-redstar
internet-redstar writes: After the recent wave of Linux kernel privilege escalation vulnerabilities like “Copy Fail” and “Dirty Frag”, Belgian Linux sysadmin and Tesla Hacker "Jasper Nuyens" got tired of the idea of manually blacklisting dozens or even hundreds of obscure kernel modules across large fleets of Linux systems in the near future. So he wrote ModuleJail, a GPLv3 shell script that scans a running Linux system and automatically blacklists currently unused kernel modules, reducing kernel attack surface without requiring a reboot. The idea is simple: many modern Linux privilege escalation bugs target obscure or rarely used kernel functionality that is still enabled by default on servers that do not actually need it. ModuleJail works across major distributions including Debian, Ubuntu, RHEL, Fedora, AlmaLinux and Arch Linux, generating 1 modprobe blacklist rules file while preserving commonly used modules. Nuyens argues that the increasing speed of AI-assisted vulnerability discovery will likely turn kernel hardening and attack surface reduction into a much bigger operational priority for sysadmins over the next few weeks and months.

Submission + - Trump on Iran war's cost: "I don't think about American financial situation." (the-independent.com)

Submitted by fjo3
fjo3 writes: President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the plight of Americans finding it harder and harder to make ends meet and rising gas and consumer prices simply aren’t on his mind as the months-long Iran war and impasse over the Strait of Hormuz continue to fuel surging inflation in the United States.

Trump made the stunning brush-off statement as he departed the White House for Beijing, where he will be feted by Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a state visit, including a lavish Thursday night banquet at the Great Hall of the People.

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