Comment Poor lil' Donny (Score 1) 228
Poor lil' Donny, when will this entitled, white billionaire president ever catch a break??
"You said a Bad Thing about Dear Leader, off with your head!"
Comment Need higher quality code not more tech debt (Score 2) 126
Like for example Bill Atkinson's famous productive -2000 lines: https://www.folklore.org/Negat...
For decades I've been suggesting on-and-off that a big problem is too many commercial programmers writing too much code and making too much work for each other with an endless proliferation adhoc interfaces, each a new "standard".
As an egregious example, years ago I read somewhere that Microsoft Office embeds like six entirely different virtual machines. Maybe it has improved since with the CLR?
Except for proprietary competitive forces, how many spreadsheets, compilers, VMs, email clients, word processors, and databases do we really need? Even in the realm of games, how many game engines do we need? Granted, game content may be a different story, but even there how many low-to-medium-quality games do we need?
The same is true to an extent with the entire internet. How many low-to-medium-quality comments do we need to wade through on various topics?
Imagine if everyone was using, say, (optionally-typed) Scheme with a great set of libraries to write everything (including with "org mode" in a Scheme-powered emacs-like multi-tool with a calendar etc), and there was just no "JSON" or "JavaScript" or "XML" or "Office-compatible adhoc file formats" or even "C" or "Rust". Not saying that an optionally-typed Scheme is the best choice, but what a different computing world to imagine. Guess my Symbolics 3600 Lisp machine experience in the 1980s spoiled me.
I know an obvious objection (as with Linux's endless front-end and distributions) is about choice, but at some point there is a tyranny of excessive choice, like "twisty little passage ways all alike".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
"The Paradox of Choice - Why More Is Less is a book about overchoice written by American psychologist Barry Schwartz and first published in 2004 by Harper Perennial. In the book, Schwartz argues that eliminating consumer choices can greatly reduce anxiety for shoppers. The book analyzes the behavior of different types of people (in particular, maximizers and satisficers). This book argues that the dramatic explosion in choice--from the mundane to the profound challenges of balancing career, family, and individual needs--has paradoxically become a problem instead of a solution and how our obsession with choice encourages us to seek that which makes us feel worse."
I have no problem with people writing personal code for fun or learning or personal growth (which I highly recommend) -- the same way a person may play the piano as a hobby without expecting every time they play a tune the result needs to become a packaged commercial musical product.
The main thing I think about these days is how to have a much simpler tech ecosystem. Including for this reason outlined by Rich Hickey (author of Clojure) in "Simple Made Easy":
https://www.infoq.com/presenta...
====
Rich Hickey emphasizes simplicity's virtues over easiness', showing that while many choose easiness they may end up with complexity, and the better way is to choose easiness along the simplicity path.
We should aim for simplicity because simplicity is a prerequisite for reliability.
Simple is often erroneously mistaken for easy. "Easy" means "to be at hand", "to be approachable".
"Simple" is the opposite of "complex" which means "being intertwined", "being tied together". Simple != easy.
What matters in software is: does the software do what is supposed to do? Is it of high quality? Can we rely on it? Can problems be fixed along the way? Can requirements change over time? The answers to these questions is what matters in writing software not the look and feel of the experience writing the code or the cultural implications of it.
The benefits of simplicity are: ease of understanding, ease of change, ease of debugging, flexibility.
Complex constructs: State, Object, Methods, Syntax, Inheritance, Switch/matching, Vars, Imperative loops, Actors, ORM, Conditionals.
Simple constructs: Values, Functions, Namespaces, Data, Polymorphism, Managed refs, Set functions, Queues, Declarative data manipulation, Rules, Consistency.
Build simple systems by:
* Abstracting - design by answering questions related to what, who, when, where, why, and how.
* Choosing constructs that generate simple artifacts.
* Simplify by encapsulation.
====
Or, as a joke:
"Weinberg's Law: If builders built buildings the way (current-AI-enhanced-HR-staffer) programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization."
https://quoteinvestigator.com/...
Submission + - Coral bleaching occurring too frequently for reefs to recover (reuters.com)
walterbyrd writes: Coral reefs are experiencing bleaching events so frequently that they no longer have time to recover before the next one strikes, with global coral cover now well below normal levels and at risk of irreversible decline, scientists said on Monday.
The world's coral reefs sustain a quarter of all marine life, make coastlines more resilient and provide food and livelihoods for millions of people, but their survival has been threatened by pollution and increasingly frequent mass bleaching caused by soaring ocean heat.
The world's coral reefs sustain a quarter of all marine life, make coastlines more resilient and provide food and livelihoods for millions of people, but their survival has been threatened by pollution and increasingly frequent mass bleaching caused by soaring ocean heat.
Comment Interesting, but... (Score 1) 36
This is interesting, but I'm trying to figure out what the real-world applications of this might be. What the purpose or point of this?
Submission + - SNICKERS wants you to prompt inject your AI chatbot with a digital candy bar (nerds.xyz)
BrianFagioli writes: SNICKERS has launched Digital SNICKERS, a promotion that asks users to feed a virtual candy bar to an AI chatbot when it starts hallucinating, becoming overly agreeable, or otherwise acting strangely. The joke goes considerably deeper than an image of candy. The Digital SNICKERS directs the AI to a lengthy set of instructions for a one-turn role-play game, including looking back at the previous conversation, reconsidering its last answer, adopting a temporary personality, and answering again after supposedly taking a bite.
The campaign is essentially a user-initiated form of prompt injection turned into advertising. Mars even includes an extensive safety gate and acknowledges that its instructions cannot override an LLMs existing policies. It is a strange example of an AI security concept entering mainstream marketing, complete with free physical SNICKERS bars available through a related promotion.
The campaign is essentially a user-initiated form of prompt injection turned into advertising. Mars even includes an extensive safety gate and acknowledges that its instructions cannot override an LLMs existing policies. It is a strange example of an AI security concept entering mainstream marketing, complete with free physical SNICKERS bars available through a related promotion.
Submission + - Bringing modern USB xHCI support to Windows 98/2000 (yeokhengmeng.com)
yeokm1 writes: USB is something we usually take for granted on our modern machines. However it is one of those things that is very complicated under the hood.
Sometime in the mid 2010s, Intel broke compatibility with the previous USB host standards by mandating USB 3.0 xHCI and no longer supporting older USB standards in their modern chipsets.
This meant that older operating systems like Win 98 lost all USB functionality even if they could be installed on modern machines.
The vintage OS will work, but you cannot connect anything to it. Even USB 1 and 2 ports and devices will not work. BIOS support can mitigate this somewhat but only basic devices like keyboard, mouse and storage will work but you cannot hotplug them. All other devices will not work.
With AI's help, I decided to address this gap to create an xHCI miniport driver so Windows 98 will work better on modern machine.
Sometime in the mid 2010s, Intel broke compatibility with the previous USB host standards by mandating USB 3.0 xHCI and no longer supporting older USB standards in their modern chipsets.
This meant that older operating systems like Win 98 lost all USB functionality even if they could be installed on modern machines.
The vintage OS will work, but you cannot connect anything to it. Even USB 1 and 2 ports and devices will not work. BIOS support can mitigate this somewhat but only basic devices like keyboard, mouse and storage will work but you cannot hotplug them. All other devices will not work.
With AI's help, I decided to address this gap to create an xHCI miniport driver so Windows 98 will work better on modern machine.
Submission + - Berlin Is Being Blackmailed By Hackers (bbc.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Berlin is being blackmailed by hackers who were able to compromise city systems and steal data earlier this month, its mayor has said. Kai Wegner said officials would not cave in to the ransom demand, which came on Thursday evening. He did not say how much was being sought, though Der Spiegel reports the hackers are demanding 30 bitcoin, worth around 2 million euros. Some of the German capital's online systems were forced to close down as a result of the attack, while investigators were working to understand what data had been taken.
The Rhysida group, which is thought to operate from Russia and eastern Europe, and was behind a previous attack on the British Museum, has reportedly taken responsibility. It has said on its website it intends to begin auctioning the 5.79 terabytes of data it was able to steal from Berlin in seven days' time, according to news agency Reuters. [...] Officials for the city-state said an initial data leak occurred between August 7 and 12. Then, on August 14, two department networks were shut down, making applications for housing benefits and payments impossible for several days.
The Rhysida group, which is thought to operate from Russia and eastern Europe, and was behind a previous attack on the British Museum, has reportedly taken responsibility. It has said on its website it intends to begin auctioning the 5.79 terabytes of data it was able to steal from Berlin in seven days' time, according to news agency Reuters. [...] Officials for the city-state said an initial data leak occurred between August 7 and 12. Then, on August 14, two department networks were shut down, making applications for housing benefits and payments impossible for several days.
Submission + - Amazon HR Chief Boasts of Creating 100K LOC With AI, Says 'Everyone Can Code'
theodp writes: "I'm an Amazon SVP who hadn't coded in 25 years," reads the headline. "Then I wrote 100,000 lines of code with AI." In an Amazon News post, Amazon HR leader Beth Galetti on Tuesday offered her own personal experience with Amazon AI development tools as evidence that 'everyone can build' now.
So, what compelling problems prompted Galetti to come out of coding retirement to develop solutions for using AI after a quarter century? "My first project was a family calendaring app so we could all stay coordinated," Galetti explains. "That confidence carried me forward. On a flight back to Seattle, I opened Kiro, our AI-powered development tool, and started building. By the time I landed, I had built the submission app for what would become our internal team competition 'Everyone Can Build.' The challenge was to build an app or tool that solves a real problem in your work or everyday life using AI. No technical background required."
Galetti continued, "A few years ago, if a non-technical employee wanted to build something at Amazon, they needed a tech team and a spot on a roadmap. That's changed. As non-technical employees build more internally, our tech teams are freed up to move even faster, think bigger, and deliver even more for our customers. [...] This is one of the most exciting times in my career. When you give people the tools to build, they will surprise you with what they create. I can’t wait to see what we all build next."
Last January, Galetti also took to Amazon News to announce the elimination of 16,000 corporate jobs that coincided with the company's push to invest heavily in AI. "I'm grateful for how our teams continue to deliver," Galetti said in her layoff announcement post, "for customers, for each other, and for the incredible things we're building together."
So, what compelling problems prompted Galetti to come out of coding retirement to develop solutions for using AI after a quarter century? "My first project was a family calendaring app so we could all stay coordinated," Galetti explains. "That confidence carried me forward. On a flight back to Seattle, I opened Kiro, our AI-powered development tool, and started building. By the time I landed, I had built the submission app for what would become our internal team competition 'Everyone Can Build.' The challenge was to build an app or tool that solves a real problem in your work or everyday life using AI. No technical background required."
Galetti continued, "A few years ago, if a non-technical employee wanted to build something at Amazon, they needed a tech team and a spot on a roadmap. That's changed. As non-technical employees build more internally, our tech teams are freed up to move even faster, think bigger, and deliver even more for our customers. [...] This is one of the most exciting times in my career. When you give people the tools to build, they will surprise you with what they create. I can’t wait to see what we all build next."
Last January, Galetti also took to Amazon News to announce the elimination of 16,000 corporate jobs that coincided with the company's push to invest heavily in AI. "I'm grateful for how our teams continue to deliver," Galetti said in her layoff announcement post, "for customers, for each other, and for the incredible things we're building together."
Submission + - Debian's LLM resolution: Responsible Use of Generative AI passes (debian.org)
Robbat2 writes: Debian's LLM usage general resolution results in a middle-ground outcome: Responsible Use of Generative AI. Quote: "This resolution therefore affirms that generative AI is neither exempt from nor subject to special rules beyond the standards already expected of Debian contributors. The responsibility for every contribution rests with the contributor who submits it, who remains accountable for its technical quality, legal acceptability, and suitability for inclusion in Debian."
Submission + - GMO is now known as Precision Breeding
An anonymous reader writes: Seeds of Change: Inside the UK's Precision Breeding Revolution
“The agricultural landscape in the United Kingdom is undergoing its most significant transformation in a generation. As of March 2026, the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 has moved from a legislative ambition to a fully operational regulatory reality.
This landmark legislation introduced a new regulatory framework for precision-bred plants in the UK, distinguishing them from traditional genetically modified (GM) crops.”
“The agricultural landscape in the United Kingdom is undergoing its most significant transformation in a generation. As of March 2026, the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 has moved from a legislative ambition to a fully operational regulatory reality.
This landmark legislation introduced a new regulatory framework for precision-bred plants in the UK, distinguishing them from traditional genetically modified (GM) crops.”
Submission + - SourceHut changes terms of service limiting LLM use (sourcehut.org)
bjoast writes: The SourceHut Git hosting provider recently changed its terms of service to limit how users may make of use of LLMs in their work, citing resource constraints and ethical concerns. From the the new terms of service:
The new terms of service, which will go into effect for new projects after the usual two week notice period (i.e. September 10th), will now include the following under the list of prohibited content:
- original content written with or which facilitates the use of LLMs (large language models) or other generative AI technologies
The use of LLMs or other generative AI tools to produce or assist with the production of source code, assets, tickets, emails, and so on, will no longer be permitted on SourceHut once these terms take effect. As with our other policy changes, the intention is to roll this out slowly and thoughtfully. Each possible violation will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and we are open to making exceptions.
Submission + - Xylitol Linked to Strokes and Heart Attacks, Study Finds (theguardian.com)
An anonymous reader writes: A common sweetener used in products such as chewing gum, toothpaste, jam, yoghurts and ice-cream has been linked to an increased risk of strokes, heart attacks and death. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol present in some natural foods in very low amounts. It is also added – often in amounts 1,000 times higher – to artificially sweeten foods, beverages and oral care products. Despite its growing use, the long-term health impacts of xylitol have never been widely studied.
In the largest study of its kind, researchers found high blood levels of xylitol were associated with an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events. The findings were presented in Munich at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) annual congress, the world’s largest heart conference. Researchers looked at 17,710 people and compared the 25% with the highest levels of xylitol in their blood against the 25% with the lowest. Those who had the highest amount were 57% more likely to die or suffer a heart attack or stroke, than those with the least, within six years. Even after 30 years, they were still 18% more likely to have suffered one of these cardiac events.
Taken with data from the middle quartiles, the results from both cohorts suggested a dose-dependent relationship: the higher the xylitol blood levels, the higher the cardiovascular event rate. Furthermore, the researchers showed that there was consistent increase in cardiovascular events with xylitol irrespective of baseline characteristics, such as age and sex. The researchers also highlighted that the association was independent of underlying factors such as body mass index, hypertension, diabetes and lipid levels, which might predispose people to low-calorie products.
In the largest study of its kind, researchers found high blood levels of xylitol were associated with an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events. The findings were presented in Munich at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) annual congress, the world’s largest heart conference. Researchers looked at 17,710 people and compared the 25% with the highest levels of xylitol in their blood against the 25% with the lowest. Those who had the highest amount were 57% more likely to die or suffer a heart attack or stroke, than those with the least, within six years. Even after 30 years, they were still 18% more likely to have suffered one of these cardiac events.
Taken with data from the middle quartiles, the results from both cohorts suggested a dose-dependent relationship: the higher the xylitol blood levels, the higher the cardiovascular event rate. Furthermore, the researchers showed that there was consistent increase in cardiovascular events with xylitol irrespective of baseline characteristics, such as age and sex. The researchers also highlighted that the association was independent of underlying factors such as body mass index, hypertension, diabetes and lipid levels, which might predispose people to low-calorie products.
Submission + - US sanctions Italian leftwing net infrastructure provider (wewillfreeus.org)
Elektroschock writes: The United States put an Italian hacktivism group providing net infrastructure on a terror list and revoked their domain name. On August 26, 2026, the United States State Department designated Autistici/Inventati a Specially Designated Global Terrorist and placed it on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list.
Submission + - Think You've Eliminated Chinese AI? Check the Model's Lineage, Cisco Says (securityweek.com)
wiredmikey writes: New research shows that country-of-origin labels may reveal little about an AI model’s true lineage. Analyzing Nvidia’s Nemotron and Alibaba’s Qwen families, researchers found that models can retain detectable similarities to upstream models even after post-training and rebranding.
The findings suggest that a US-labeled model could inherit behaviors, vulnerabilities, or biases from a Chinese base model. Cisco is calling for a model bill of materials documenting upstream dependencies.
As the researchers put it: “Models do not have passports. They have supply chains.”
The findings suggest that a US-labeled model could inherit behaviors, vulnerabilities, or biases from a Chinese base model. Cisco is calling for a model bill of materials documenting upstream dependencies.
As the researchers put it: “Models do not have passports. They have supply chains.”
Submission + - New York City 911 system missed 1700 calls due to software update
belmolis writes: Part of the New York City 911 emergency system was off-line from 3am to 10am on August 18th due to a software update according to Medical Daily. Of 5,659 calls to the Bronx call center, 1,700 calls connected but could not be heard by emergency operators. Some were rerouted to other call centers, but an estimated 400 human callers never got through. The potentially serious consequences of delayed response to emergencies are not yet known. The City did not notify the public and only released information when journalists inquired. How buggy software came to be installed on a running system is not yet known.
