Category Archives: News

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Windows XP source code has leaked

Source: Hacker News

Article note: Legality aside, this is neat from a computer archeology standpoint, that era of Windows was hugely influential. Also, it will be interesting to see if we get another "community service pack" based on the leak; after seeing things like those ProDOS updates published by community members almost three decades after it was discontinued, it's really not inconceivable.
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Ring’s latest security camera is a drone that flies around inside your house

Source: The Verge - All Posts

Article note: That is both neat... and some _extreme_ futuristic dystopia shit. "Look at this Internet of Shit, Megacorp-managed Drone that I've welcomed to my home." Also, I suddenly need to get out my micro drone and put its guards on to see what my flying-insect obsessed kitten does to it.

Ring latest home security camera is taking flight — literally. The new Always Home Cam is an autonomous drone that can fly around inside your home to give you a perspective of any room you want when you’re not home. Once it’s done flying, the Always Home Cam returns to its dock to charge its battery. It is expected to cost $249.99 when it starts shipping next year.

Jamie Siminoff, Ring’s founder and “chief inventor,” says the idea behind the Always Home Cam is to provide multiple viewpoints throughout the home without requiring the use of multiple cameras. In an interview ahead of the announcement, he said the company has spent the past two years on focused development of the device, and that it is an “obvious product that is very hard...

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SSE code 6 times slower without VZEROUPPER on Skylake (2016)

Source: Hacker News

Article note: Hey look, that lesson we supposedly learned in the 80s about obscenely, incomprehensibly complicated architectures being a bad idea is back for it's regular visit. The plethora of vector extensions in x86 interact in implementation-dependent non-local ways with massive performance implications.
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Microsoft is releasing a non-subscription Office suite in 2021

Source: Engadget

Article note: That's actually pretty cool that they seem to be acknowledging the need/desire/case for non-SaaS, runs-offline software, unlike some other rent-seeking attractive nuisances (Lookin' at you Adobe and Autodesk).
In a blog post announcing the next version of its Exchange Server, Microsoft has slipped in a single line that’s bound to make those who hate paying subscription fees for Office apps happy. “Microsoft Office will also see a new perpetual release for...
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How expensive is integer-overflow trapping in C++?

Source: Hacker News

Article note: Article is a very short micro-benchmark. Comments are a pretty neat discussion about architecture support for integer overflow and their relative merits.
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Lexington drops to ‘red’ in return-to-school status. Board calls special meeting.

Source: Kentucky.com -- Education

Article note: Welp. The fears about universities restarting preventing primary schools (for whom remote is arguably a larger impediment) just got confirmed.

A special meeting has been called for Friday to talk about the Fayette County Public Schools’ return to in-person learning. On Tuesday, Fayette County was ranked in the worst range, … Click to Continue »

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Researchers found the manual for the world’s oldest surviving computer

Source: Engadget

Article note: OOh.. Zuse's machines are fascinating, period documentation and usage notes for the oldest surviving machine (The extant Z3 is a replica) is one hell of a find.
Researchers will be able to gain a deeper understanding of what’s considered the world’s oldest surviving (digital) computer after its long-lost user manual was unearthed. The Z4, which was built in 1945, runs on tape, takes up most of a room and nee...
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Frugality Is Non-Linear (2019)

Source: Hacker News

Article note: I'm a big believer in living below your means as the optimal route to freedom. Also in maximally-passive, extremely diversified investing (Mutual funds & etc.).
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Linux Journal Is Back

Source: Hacker News

Article note: Neat. LJ used to carry interesting content, and even keeping it alive enough that their archives remained intact would be useful. ...At least as long as it doesn't turn into a garbage hose, but I don't think that's what's going on.
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Microsoft is acquiring Bethesda Softworks parent company ZeniMax

Source: The Verge - All Posts

Article note: Microsoft did prop up the original XBox by scooping up Bungie and it worked out great for them, so maybe they're planning to repeat the trick.
Wolfenstein II: The New ColossusBethesda Softworks

Microsoft has agreed to acquire ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Doom and Fallout studio Bethesda Softworks, for $7.5 billion in cash. The acquisition follows earlier Bethesda games coming to Xbox Game Pass on console and PC, and it gives Microsoft control of upcoming games like the space epic Starfield. Microsoft says future Bethesda games, including Starfield, will launch on Xbox Game Pass the day they come to Xbox or PC.

The news arrives just as Microsoft is gearing up to launch two new consoles, the Xbox Series X and the Xbox Series S. The companies haven’t confirmed how this might affect the launch of specific future Bethesda games across different platforms, including the Bethesda-published Arkane game Deathloop, which was...

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