AI Dreams Crash as Bosses Chase Data Centers!

The Editor Who Helped Build a Golden Age of American Letters

Key Points

• Gerald Howard’s biography presents Malcolm Cowley as a key bridge between generations of American writers.
• The U.S. publishing industry boomed after WWII before consolidating under conglomerates and media companies.
• Cowley’s early life and education in the U.S. and France shaped his editorial influence.

To the Polypropylene Makers

Key Points

• ~80 workers lived at two Braskem America plants for four weeks to maintain polypropylene production.
• 28 days of continuous operation yielded 40M pounds of polypropylene, enough for ~500M N95s.
• The live-in strategy was rare among factories; other firms retooled to make ventilators, masks, and sanitizer.

From RGB to L*a*b* color space (2024)

Key Points

• RGB is not perceptually uniform; Lab is designed for perceptual uniformity.
• sRGB-to-Lab conversion proceeds via normalization, gamma correction, XYZ, then Lab.
• Delta E in Lab provides an objective measure of color differences.

SWE-CI: Evaluating Agent Capabilities in Maintaining Codebases via CI

Key Points

• SWE-CI centers evaluation on long-term maintainability using the CI loop.
• Each of the 100 tasks spans an average of 233 days and 71 commits from real repositories.
• Agents must complete multiple iterative rounds of analysis and coding to resolve tasks.

Show HN: Curiosity – DIY 6" Newtonian Reflector Telescope

Key Points

• 6-inch f/6 Newtonian with 900 mm focal length and specified secondary mirror dimensions.
• Adjusted optical spacing (F − T − H − 1") to account for focuser height; computed 684 mm.
• PVC tube chosen at 190 mm ID for clearance; observations include lunar, Jupiter, and a 3 Mar 2026 eclipse.

New Research Reassesses the Value of Agents.md Files for AI Coding

Key Points

• LLM-generated AGENTS.md files reduced success and raised costs.
• Human-written files gave small success gains but increased steps/costs.
• AGENTbench introduced to test real-world tasks beyond common benchmarks.

Digital Iris [video]

Key Points

• A phone LCD is used as a transmissive, programmable iris inside a DSLR-to-mirrorless adapter.
• The adapter houses a small computer, enabling in-camera digital effects within the optical path.
• Demonstrated effects include in-camera parallax wobbles and animated bokeh.

Revisiting Time: UT1, UTC, NTP and NTS

Key Points

• Leap seconds keep UTC within 0.9 seconds of Earth rotation and are scheduled by IERS.
• Software failures from 61‑second minutes spurred adoption of leap‑second smearing.
• Atomic time (TAI) and the SI second underpin precise timekeeping contrasted with Earth’s variability.

Llm9p: LLM as a Plan 9 file system

Key Points

• Exposes LLMs as a 9P filesystem for file-based interaction.
• Supports Anthropic API and Claude Code CLI now; Ollama backend planned.
• Works across plan9port, Inferno OS, and Linux 9p mounts with detailed setup steps.

Invoker Commands API

Key Points

• Buttons can declaratively control elements using commandfor (target) and command (action).
• A command event fires on the target element, with event.command identifying the action.
• Built-in examples include popovers and dialogs; custom commands are handled via JavaScript.

Rijksmuseum researchers discover new painting by Rembrandt van Rijn

Key Points

• Rijksmuseum confirms 1633 “Vision of Zacharias in the Temple” as a Rembrandt.
• Technical evidence: materials match, Macro-XRF findings, original signature, dendrochronology.
• Work reemerges from private ownership and goes on view at the Rijksmuseum from Wednesday 4 March.

I'm Not Consulting an LLM

Key Points

• LLMs offer plausibility, not guarantees, and can obscure uncertainty.
• Learning benefits from exploring conflicting sources, not just quick answers.
• Reserve LLMs for repetitive, easily automatable tasks rather than deep inquiry.

Ask HN: Why there are no actual studies that show AI is more productive?

Key Points

• The post questions the lack of rigorous studies showing AI productivity gains.
• It cites Karpathy’s point that computers didn’t create a visible GDP jump, framing expectations for AI.
• It argues underutilization of advanced tool features and product maturation needs delay measurable impact.

Notes on Writing WASM

Key Points

• Prefer passing references across the Rust–Wasm boundary and avoid &mut by using Rc<RefCell<T>> or Arc<Mutex<T>>.
• Use wasm_refgen for types crossing the boundary in collections and avoid deriving Copy on exported types.
• Implement clear naming conventions (Wasm* for Rust exports, Js* for JS imports; expose clean names via js_name/js_class).

Sem – Semantic version control. Entity-level diffs on top of Git

Key Points

• Entity-level diffs on top of Git across 13 languages and structured formats
• Three-phase matching detects renames/moves and filters cosmetic changes
• CLI and Rust library with analysis features, JSON output, and plugin support

The Lobster Programming Language

Key Points

• Static typing with flow-sensitive inference and compile-time memory management.
• JIT execution or C++ compilation, with graphical debugger and dynamic loading.
• Portable OpenGL/SDL-based engine with 2D/3D, audio, ImGui, and included libraries.

Strike on girls' school that killed 150 in Iran 'likely' carried out by US

Key Points

• NYT investigation points to a U.S. strike on a nearby IRGC base as the likely cause of the Minab school blast.
• Neither the U.S. nor Israel has claimed responsibility; a Pentagon probe is underway.
• UNICEF reports 168 student deaths; UN human rights chief demands a transparent, accountable investigation.

Apple's 512GB Mac Studio vanishes, a quiet acknowledgment of the RAM shortage

Key Points

• Apple removed the 512GB memory option for the M3 Ultra Mac Studio and raised the 256GB configuration price.
• Apple’s Tech Specs still mentions 512GB, but the Apple Store no longer lists it; Apple has been asked for comment.
• Industry RAM shortages driven by HBM demand for AI accelerators like Nvidia’s H200 are constraining DRAM supply.

The Collective Ambition Behind Odysseus, a Game-Changing Sci-Fi Larp

Key Points

• 50-hour nonstop sci‑fi larp with 2019 and 2024 runs, now exhibited at the Finnish Museum of Games.
• €190,000 budget, 200+ volunteers, 30,000 hours; tickets (€550) barely covered costs.
• Custom tech (RFID, drones, messaging) and 300+ NPCs enabled complex, time‑critical gameplay.

Fatbikes are wreaking havoc in Sydney's wealthy beach suburbs

Key Points

• Teens’ illegal, modified fatbike use is surging across Sydney’s beach suburbs.
• NSW estimates tens of thousands of illegal fatbikes among 750,000 e-bikes.
• Regulatory gaps and pursuit risks hinder police enforcement amid rising injuries and complaints.

Show HN: Eyot, A programming language where the GPU is just another thread

Key Points

• Eyot compiles for CPU and GPU with a runtime managing communication and execution.
• Functions can run as CPU or GPU workers using the same interface and send/receive semantics.
• Roadmap: add Vulkan-based rendering and replace OpenCL with Vulkan compute; syntax features pending.

Some Words on WigglyPaint

Key Points

• Three-buffer, ~12 fps design achieves a live line boil effect.
• Discrete options: limited palettes and single-step undo streamline workflow.
• Markers under lineart emulate layers without a complex UI; built in Decker for live extensibility.

Ask HN: How to Be Alone?

Key Points

• Weekends and unstructured time are the hardest periods for the author’s new solo life.
• Online outlets (HN, IRC) provide limited or unreliable support for casual social sharing.
• Remote work’s seven-hour time-zone gap reduces consistent social contact.

You Don't Need a Vector Database

Key Points

• Vector databases are storage components that require substantial surrounding infrastructure to be useful.
• A managed search API can often deliver adequate semantic search faster and with less overhead.
• Use a vector database when you specifically need control over embeddings and retrieval in custom systems or research.

How Big Diaper absorbs billions of extra dollars from American parents

Key Points

• U.S. toilet training now starts later than in the 1940s, per cited studies.
• Marion Donovan’s Boater and P&G’s Pampers catalyzed disposable diaper adoption.
• By the early 1970s, disposables were a $200m market, dominated by P&G with rising competition from Kimberly-Clark.

Phi-4-reasoning-vision and the lessons of training a multimodal reasoning model

Key Points

• 15B-parameter open‑weight multimodal model focused on efficient reasoning and broad VLM tasks.
• Competitive accuracy with far less compute and tokens; excels in math/science and UI grounding.
• Trained on ~200B tokens leveraging Phi-4 and Phi-4-Reasoning; available via Microsoft Foundry, HuggingFace, GitHub.

CLI RSS/Atom feed reader inspired by Taskwarrior, synced using Git

Key Points

• Optional Git-based, conflict-free sync with no accounts or servers
• Cargo-based installation with a rich CLI for filtering, grouping, and exporting
• Offline-first design with user-initiated network operations

The New Apple Begins to Emerge

Key Points

• Apple added Steve Lemay and Molly Anderson to its executive leadership page.
• MacBook Neo launched with a $599 price and a new marketing approach.
• Simultaneous launch events were held in New York, Shanghai, and London.

Why can't you tune your guitar? (2019)

Key Points

• A plucked string produces multiple harmonics, not just a single frequency.
• Touching the string at fractional lengths isolates specific harmonics for tuning.
• Octaves follow a 2:1 frequency ratio; A4 is standardized at 440 Hz.

Show HN: AI agents run my one-person company on Gemini's free tier – $0/month

Key Points

• Four AI agents on Gemini 2.5 Flash free tier automate content, research, security, and ops at $0 LLM cost.
• Token efficiency comes from local intelligence files and single-turn prompts; research uses HTTP/Jina Reader.
• Real-world metrics and pitfalls (billing key misuse, loop overrun, Telegram polling conflict) are documented.

LibreOffice: Request to the European Commission to adhere to its own guidances

Key Points

• Commission added ODS alongside .xlsx for CRA feedback submissions.
• DG CONNECT implemented the change within 24 hours.
• Original .xlsx-only requirement prompted the request citing EU open-standards commitments.

Beagle, a source code management system that stores AST trees

Key Points

• Beagle stores code as ASTs and acts as a code-and-artifacts database hub.
• RocksDB is the current backend; data is serialized with CRDT-ish AST BASON.
• The project is experimental and self-hosting, with example commands for basic workflows.

FrameBook

Key Points

• Complete teardown of a 2006 MacBook A1181 chassis and rebuild with modern internals.
• Custom 3D-printed standoffs enabled mounting and reuse of original M2 screws.
• Battery connector incompatibilities led to a cosmetic, non-functional battery-bay solution.

Accessing inactive union members through char

Key Points

• C++ allows accessing any object’s representation through char, unsigned char, or std::byte.
• The union example with bool and char is not UB when reading via char, but the reverse access would be UB.
• This behavior is grounded in C’s influence on C++ and its treatment of char pointers as byte pointers.

What if the Apple ][ had run on Field-Sequential?

Key Points

• CBS’s field‑sequential color timeline (1950–1953) is detailed, including authorization, legal rulings, and brief NYC broadcasts.
• The alternate history removes the Korean War to avoid wartime rollback of color TV and allow CBS to build market share.
• Technical references include US Patent 2,304,081 and a 1999 IEEE paper by Peter Goldmark; the system interlaced lines and color fields.

Oracle may slash up to 30k jobs to fund AI data-centers as US banks retreat

Key Points

• Oracle may cut 20,000–30,000 jobs and consider selling Cerner to fund AI data centers.
• U.S. bank pullback has doubled project-financing premiums and stalled Oracle’s data-center leases.
• Oracle seeks alternatives: raised ~$58B debt, 40% upfront deposits, and exploring BYOC models.

If It Quacks Like a Package Manager

Key Points

• GitHub Actions has transitive dependencies with no lockfile or integrity hashes and only top-level SHA pinning.
• Ansible Galaxy uses resolvelib, lacks a lockfile, and relies on opt-in verification with mutable versions.
• Terraform’s ecosystem uses a registry with integrity hashes and a lockfile (.terraform.lock.hcl).

Log messages are mostly for the people operating your software

Key Points

• Non-debug logs should prioritize operator needs over developer convenience.
• If operators gain no value, disable the log by default or reword it for clarity.
• Expected-error logs can be frequent yet essential for diagnostics and traceability.

Based on its own charter, OpenAI should surrender the race

Key Points

• OpenAI’s charter includes a clause to cease competition and assist a near‑AGI, safety‑conscious project.
• Sam Altman’s public AGI timelines have trended earlier, with recent claims suggesting AGI by 2025 or already achieved.
• An arena.ai leaderboard snapshot shows Claude, Gemini, Grok, and GPT‑5.x models’ current relative standings.

My Homelab Setup

Key Points

• TrueNAS-based NAS with RAID 1 and scheduled snapshots
• Automated restic backups to Backblaze B2 via Backrest
• Self-hosted apps: Scrutiny, Immich, Mealie, and Ollama for local AI

LibreOffice Writer now supports Markdown

Key Points

• Adds Markdown import/export to LibreOffice 26.2
• Improves performance, compatibility, and UI consistency
• Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux with 120+ language support

We Turned Our Wireshark Wizard into a Markdown File

Key Points

• Rocky AI focuses on AI-assisted root cause analysis for failures in Checkly’s monitoring checks, starting with Playwright tests.
• Checkly preprocesses large artifacts (traces, logs, PCAPs) and encodes expert debugging steps into markdown to guide LLM analysis.
• Model upgrades greatly improved Rocky AI’s behavior, but multi-model support via BYOM proved complex despite using wrapper SDKs.

The Linux Kernel Will Soon Be MIT-Licensed and Copyleft Will Be Dead

Key Points

• GPL is portrayed as declining in favor due to compliance burdens; MIT is presented as simpler and more attractive.
• Shifts to LLVM/Clang and Rust-based, MIT-licensed utilities are cited as reducing GPL prominence.
• An AI-assisted reimplementation of the GPL-licensed chardet module is used to argue that replacing GPL components could accelerate.

"I Can't Do That, Dave" – No Agent Yet

Key Points

• Prompt-only interfaces are inadequate for generative AI and should be phased out.
• Agents need continuity—persistent, shared context across sessions—rather than just better memory.
• The primary challenge is coordination; improving conversation quality and alignment improves outcomes.

Show HN: Skir – like Protocol Buffer but better

Key Points

• Define schemas once and generate idiomatic, type-safe code across multiple languages.
• Built-in support for schema evolution, with JSON/binary serialization options including dense JSON.
• End-to-end type-safe RPCs and developer tooling (package manager, VS Code extension).

A basket of new fruit varieties is coming your way

Key Points

• Pairwise is engineering blackberries with unnoticeable seeds using gene editing.
• The company announced stoneless cherries in late 2023.
• Conventional breeding achievements like seedless grapes and watermelons provide precedent for these traits.

Google just gave Sundar Pichai a $692M pay package

Key Points

• Pichai’s three-year package could total $692M, largely performance-based.
• Stock incentives are linked to Waymo and Wing milestones.
• Founders’ Florida real estate buys are discussed amid a proposed California billionaire tax.

WSL Manager

Key Points

• Free, open-source GUI for comprehensive WSL distro management on Windows.
• Supports Docker images and experimental LXC containers as WSL instances.
• Multiple install paths (Store, direct, package managers) and nightly builds available.

Show HN: I built a real-time OSINT dashboard pulling 15 live global feeds

Key Points

• Aggregates multi-domain OSINT (aviation, maritime, satellites, conflict, CCTV) into a single live map.
• Implements advanced analytics (holding pattern, GPS jamming via NAC-P) and carrier group tracking with GDELT-assisted intel.
• Built with Next.js, MapLibre GL, FastAPI, and Python for real-time rendering and data ingestion.

I made a programming language with M&Ms

Key Points

• Code is encoded by color families and candy counts, compiled to PNG and reversible to source.
• Strings and initial variables live in a sidecar JSON file, separating visuals from text.
• Tooling includes a CLI, browser playground, tests, a sprite pack, and a photo decoder.

In vitro neurons learn and exhibit sentience when embodied in a game-world(2022)

Key Points

• In vitro neural cultures interfaced via HD-MEAs learned to play a Pong-like game within minutes in closed-loop experiments.
• Structured feedback was essential for eliciting and maintaining learning; controls did not show similar adaptation.
• Authors define the observed behavior as synthetic biological intelligence and propose it meets a formal sentience criterion.

AI doesn't replace white collar work

Key Points

• LLMs excel at transactional fact-finding but not at relationship-based advisory tasks.
• Strategy consulting illustrates why trust and understanding limit AI substitution.
• Practical tip: in pandas, use pd.Series(..., dtype='object') to keep None from becoming NaN.

Ask HN: Please restrict new accounts from posting

Key Points

• HN will temporarily restrict Show HN submissions.
• Calls to limit new-account posting or add default filters.
• Debate over adding account-creation friction versus preserving newcomer contributions.

Z80 Sans – a disassembler in a font (2024)

Key Points

• Maps hex byte sequences to Z80 instructions using OpenType GSUB/GPOS.
• Build tested on Debian 12 with Ruby managed via RVM due to fontcustom incompatibilities.
• Rule generation is automated via a recursive descent parser and .ttx edits, with glyphs from Droid Sans Mono and tables from Noto Sans Mono.

Pushing and Pulling: Three reactivity algorithms

Key Points

• Outlines push, pull, and hybrid push/pull reactivity strategies.
• Defines four core requirements: Efficient, Fine-grained, Glitchless, Dynamic.
• Explains why glitchlessness and dynamic dependencies matter for correctness and performance.

The human.json Protocol

Key Points

• human.json asserts human authorship and enables vouches using URL-based identity.
• Discovery via <link rel="human-json">; JSON includes canonical URL and vouches with ISO 8601 dates.
• Browser extensions visualize trust hop distance and require manual installation pending approval.

Neural Boids

Key Points

• Noids replace hand-coded boid rules with a learned neural steering function.
• Research shows birds track ~6–7 nearest neighbors using topological distance.
• Compact model: 1,922 parameters; 24 inputs to 2 outputs per agent.

Agent Safehouse – macOS-native sandboxing for local agents

Key Points

• macOS-native, Bash-based wrapper using sandbox-exec for least-privilege agent execution
• Default grants: project workdir (git root) read/write and toolchains read-only; most home directory denied
• Shell integration for automatic sandboxing with optional bypass via 'command'

Microscopes Can See Video on a LaserDisc

Key Points

• Video content on LaserDisc can be visually observed under a microscope.
• CED also reveals its encoded video information under magnification.
• The author obtained a proper microscope to document and validate these observations.

Show HN: WhatsApp Clone – No Setup or Signup

Key Points

• Decentralized P2P encrypted messaging with no installation or registration
• Suite includes Sparcle, Glitr.io, P2P Call, File Vault, and P2P Chat
• Independent, non-monetized project with no ads or tracking

Every Single Board Computer I Tested in 2025

Key Points

• 15 SBCs tested across eight vendors; prices span $42–$590.
• Benchmarks available for all boards on sbc.compare.
• Memory cost increases since late 2025 are affecting SBC prices and availability.

71% Desk Workers Say Screen-Related Visual Discomfort Is Reducing Productivity

Key Points

• Desk workers average 99.2 hours of weekly screen time; 71% report screen-related discomfort.
• Affected workers lose 7.4 hours of productivity weekly; 1 in 4 take time off (4.5 days/year).
• Employer support is limited: 34% encourage eye breaks, 32% provide education; 87% of HR leaders say more is needed.

We should revisit literate programming in the agent era

Key Points

• Org Mode with org-babel enables executable, multi-language literate programming.
• Agents (e.g., Claude, Kimi) can generate and maintain Org runbooks and handle tangling.
• Using agents reduces the maintenance burden of parallel code and prose narratives.

Artificial-life: A simple (300 lines of code) reproduction of Computational Life

Key Points

• Grid of Brainfuck-like programs evolves self-replicators through simple tape interactions.
• Execution is bounded to 2^13 steps, with concatenation and splitting driving emergent behavior.
• Visualization uses color-coded instructions (8×8 per program) to show replicator spread and dominance.

She called 911 for an ambulance. She got a nightmare instead

Key Points

• Seattle exempted nurse‑ordered ambulance rides from response‑time standards and stopped tracking those waits in 2022.
• Most callers routed to the nurse line still go to hospitals via AMR ambulances, per program data.
• Experts urge a transparency and safety review of Seattle’s 911 triage system amid litigation and limited agency responses.

Lil Finder Guy

Key Points

• The character appeared in an Apple TikTok post and a TikTok livestream screenshot tied to the MacBook Neo.
• The author used Google Gemini to extend a single image into multiple speculative visualizations.
• A 3D model was created from limited references, with details remaining unverified.

SQG (SQL to Code Generator) Now with Java Streams and List Type Support

Key Points

• Java result methods now support Stream for lazy, memory-efficient processing.
• SQL array columns map correctly to Java List types in generated code.
• DuckDB appender supports list/array columns using the bulk insert API.

Blacksky AppView

Key Points

• Rust-based rsky-wintermute replaces the TypeScript firehose consumer for major throughput and backfill gains.
• Query and cache optimizations: PostgreSQL LATERAL JOIN feed rewrites and a Redis caching layer (with a noted protobuf timestamp fix).
• Additional hardening: server-side notification preferences, auth key-rotation fix via PLC/DID, JSON sanitization, and community-post features.

Detection Is Not Protection: What WAF Detection Mode Does (and Doesn't)

Key Points

• Detection logs but does not block, enabling attacks to reach the backend.
• Azure WAF defaults to Detection; Microsoft recommends tuning before switching to Prevention.
• No automated enforcement or alerts prompt exiting Detection mode, leading to drift and alert fatigue.

Most of the US economy is in a recession

Key Points

• Most U.S. private-sector growth in 2025 came from tech-heavy “new era” investment.
• Excluding new-era categories, 89% of private spending rose just 1% with no job creation.
• New-era spending grew 14% in 2025 and has outpaced traditional spending nearly 2.5x.

Linux Internals: How /proc/self/mem writes to unwritable memory (2021)

Key Points

• /proc/*/mem enables writes that bypass standard page write protections.
• A demo modifies libc code with 0xCC and triggers SIGTRAP, proving code-page writes.
• CR0.WP and CR4.SMAP define key hardware constraints on kernel memory access.

PCB devboard the size of a USB-C plug

Key Points

• AngstromIO: ultra-compact ATtiny1616 devboard with I2C, UPDI, and onboard RGB LEDs.
• Dual CH340E programmer: separate SerialUPDI and USB‑to‑UART paths, voltage selection, two USB‑C ports.
• CH32V003 devboard: breadboard-friendly RISC‑V board with charlieplexed LED matrix and SWIO via WCH LinkE.

Ask HN: What Are You Working On? (March 2026)

Key Points

• Chrononotes introduces tracker-based note-taking with filtering and is being dogfooded by its creator.
• A new embedded language uses cooperative multitasking and events; it’s built in Rust and can emit C.
• An agent-based AI writing workflow uses Gemini Flash for generation and Opus 4.6 for feedback, plus a Python interface.

The legendary Mojave Phone Booth is back (2013)

Key Points

• Original Mojave Phone Booth number revived as a VoIP conference line by Jered “Lucky225” Morgan.
• Technical setup: VoIP DID routed to an Asterisk server; capacity limited mainly by bandwidth.
• Number acquired after legal port to a CLEC confirmed via NPAC; likely sold by AT&T as part of a block.

Case Study: lynnandtonic.com 2025 refresh

Key Points

• Uses JavaScript and CSS `transform: scale()` to create an elastic stretch effect.
• Relies on a ResizeObserver and a scale calculation based on a fixed 436px container width.
• Clamps the scale to avoid negative values and unintended horizontal flips.

Tell HN: Tired of Generic Long Form A.I Posts

Key Points

• The post criticizes generic, AI-generated long-form content as repetitive and monotonous.
• It cites recurring phrases and stylistic tics (e.g., em dashes) as common markers.
• It condemns “social media slop” on LinkedIn, Twitter/X, and Hacker News while praising authentic writing.

My dad made the biggest jewelled egg in the world

Key Points

• BBC’s Wogan show unveiled the record-setting jewelled egg in 1990.
• The egg’s intricate design includes diamond-encrusted surfaces and rotating interior displays.
• After the firm’s sale, creditors seized the egg, prompting a later search by the narrator.

Some Lotto Math

Key Points

• Lotto odds derived via combinations align with official tables for 6, 4, 3, and 2 matches.
• Five-match discrepancies stem from the Bonus Ball category (e.g., 5 + Bonus Ball).
• Per-draw winning chances remain constant; multiplying single-play probabilities misleads in repeated play.

Show HN: Reviving a 20-year-old puzzle game Chromatron with Ghidra and AI

Key Points

• Ported Chromatron from WinXP/PowerPC to Apple Silicon and WebAssembly using Ghidra and AI.
• AI tools accelerated progress but required heavy manual verification due to hallucinations.
• Adopted m2c to convert PowerPC code to C for a more reliable reconstruction.

The Death of Social Media Is the Renaissance of RSS

Key Points

• AI-generated content is saturating social media and eroding authenticity.
• Engagement-driven algorithms amplify shallow, clickbait-like AI material.
• RSS is proposed as a non-algorithmic, user-controlled alternative.

Triumph of the toons: how animation came to rule the box office

Key Points

• Animation is described as having a potentially record-breaking year at the box office.
• A Beaverton-set plot uses speculative technology to enable activism through a robotic beaver.
• The narrative focuses on environmental conflict and mobilizing wildlife against habitat disruption.

How the Sriracha guys screwed over their supplier

Key Points

• Underwood supplied Huy Fong since 1988, with acreage-based payments to share risk.
• David Tran formed Chilico in 2015 and Huy Fong made it an exclusive supplier in 2016.
• November 2016 brought prepayment commitments and disputed pricing demands to Underwood.