HackYourNews - AI summaries of the top HN stories |
1. Dogbolt Decompiler Explorer |
Dehyped title: Decompiler service experiences heavy load; files must be under 2MB to upload. Summary: The web page welcomes visitors but notes that the service may be unavailable due to high load. It encourages checking the "Samples" section for already generated results or the queue wait time. Files uploaded for processing must be less than 2MB in size. Processed binaries are retained on the system. The page focuses on a decompiler service that is currently overloaded but provides alternative options to browse existing results or check wait times while keeping file size limits and data retention policies in mind. It aims to inform visitors of the current status and provide transparency despite technical difficulties due to high traffic. Comments: The tool is named after its creator Matt Godbolt's last name, though many now know it as "Godbolt" without realizing it's a surname. It allows decompiling binaries to intermediate representations or pseudo-code to help understand obfuscated code. Submitting binaries allows tool authors to improve decompilers. Interest was expressed in a similar tool for decompilation instead of compilation. The name is a reference to the useful Compiler Explorer, and some felt it combined references to both "Godbolt" and the old search engine "Dogpile." Small binary sizes make decompilation feasible. |
2. Mamba: Linear-Time Sequence Modeling with Selective State Spaces |
Dehyped title: Linear models with selective state spaces can efficiently model sequences by filtering irrelevant inputs and context. Summary: The paper presents a new type of sequence model called Mamba that uses selective state spaces to achieve linear time complexity. Mamba uses a gating mechanism called delta to selectively focus on relevant inputs and forget irrelevant ones. This allows it to perfectly solve tasks like copying long sequences. Mamba outperforms other state space models and attention models on tasks involving long sequences. It is also competitive with Transformer models on language modeling benchmarks. Mamba's selective mechanisms allow it to filter out irrelevant noise tokens between important inputs. Its linear time invariance means its dynamics remain constant over time, connecting it to recurrent networks and convolutions. Comments: The code for the Mamba machine learning model uses many single-letter variables, making it difficult to understand. This discourages leaving TypeScript and Rust for web development. However, others note the code directly corresponds to the paper's formulas, and is reasonably easy to follow from the description. Most complexity is hidden away. Additionally, the code is not representative of typical Python applications, but was written to closely follow mathematics, not be maintainable software. Strong typing would not aid readability here but make it harder to read. Naming, commenting, formatting and other aspects that improve readability are more important than type support for this academic code. |
3. Forecasts need to have error bars |
Dehyped title: Forecasting crime rates requires accounting for uncertainty in multiple year predictions. Summary: Forecasts of crime rates should include error bars to show the uncertainty in predictions. Short term trends seen in models are likely due to normal volatility and may not reflect underlying causes. City level forecasts become quite inaccurate when predicting several years out. National macro level forecasts do not help policy responses as local areas do not care about national predictions. Accurately fitting models is not as important as showing the uncertainty. Interpreting minor trends in forecasts could be misleading without error intervals. Reasonable crime rate prediction intervals from ARIMA models are large, showing forecasts alone would be wrong. Consistently overfitting models and interpreting small correlations risks missing substantive progress. Comments: Forecasts and predictions should always include estimates of uncertainty. Key opinions expressed include: "Forecasts need to have error bars." Confidence intervals or other measures of uncertainty give important context about how definitive a prediction is. "A big problem with this is that meaningful error bars can be extremely difficult to come by in some cases." It can be challenging to quantify uncertainty, but practitioners should still try to provide their best estimates. "It is a very common misconception and one of my technical crusades. I keep fighting, but I think I have lost." Many misunderstand what uncertainty intervals represent. They are often seen as just visual elements rather than meaningful information about a prediction. "Being able to quantify uncertainty, and incorporate it into models, is what makes science quantitative, rather than qualitative." Providing uncertainty estimates is an important part of making predictions rigorous and evidence-based. |
4. Judge: Amazon "cannot claim shock" that bathroom spycams were used as advertised |
Dehyped title: Judge denies Amazon's request to dismiss lawsuit over hidden bathroom camera advertised and sold on their site. Summary: A judge largely denied Amazon's motion to dismiss a lawsuit over the sale of a hidden bathroom camera on their site. The camera was purchased and used illegally to spy on a minor without consent for months. Amazon claimed they were not responsible, but the judge disagreed because Amazon approved product listings that promoted using the camera to record in private areas without notice. Specifically, a listing showed towels on hooks and said the camera "won't attract attention" because the hook looks "ordinary." Since Amazon knew the camera could be used this way, the judge ruled they could not plead ignorance when a customer did just that. If found liable, Amazon could face punitive damages and bans on similar hidden camera sales. The plaintiff alleges Amazon failed to prevent foreseeable harms, and conspired with the seller to market a product they knew could enable illegal acts. Comments: Amazon should be held responsible for harmful products sold by third-party sellers on its marketplace. "If Amazon lets dodgy international third party sellers run hog wild and harm consumers then Amazon should be at fault here." It is unreasonable for Amazon to claim no responsibility as an online marketplace at their scale. Reviews of new products listed may miss dangerous uses if not given sufficient time and consideration. Amazon fought the case for 8 months rather than admit fault, when they should have compensated victims. While online marketplaces enable trade, responsibility is needed to disincentivize harm and protect consumers. |
5. Switch off weird smart TV settings |
Dehyped title: Switch off unnecessary TV settings for the best viewing experience. Summary: Smart TV settings like motion interpolation, noise reduction, and dynamic contrast can undo the work of filmmakers and introduce unwanted artifacts, making movies look unnatural. "Was Kramer's hair always surrounded by rectangles? Were George's frenetic movements always trailed by a cartoonish blur?" These settings are also known by different names between manufacturers. It is recommended to "watch movies as the makers intended, and save a small amount of electricity, by switching off weird smart tv settings." Most new smart TVs have settings for motion interpolation, which increases frame rate, and dynamic contrast, which adjusts scene brightness, that should be switched off. "Filmmaker mode, a setting which will adjust your tv to align with the intentions of the filmmakers without you having to learn any terminology — brought to you by Tom Cruise complaining." Comments: Some viewers prefer motion interpolation to smooth out video, while others find it creates unnatural artifacts. Quotes include "Motion interpolation is an absolute essential for me" and "Motion interpolation is so incredibly awful looking in my opinion." Settings like sharpness can improve or worsen picture quality depending on personal preferences and display type. Viewers disagree on the appropriate level for these settings. Overall the discussion emphasizes that different people perceive video quality differently and preferences vary, so options that allow customizing these settings are important. |
6. A decade of Have I Been Pwned |
Dehyped title: Troy Hunt's "Have I Been Pwned" website celebrates 10 years of helping people check if their data was compromised in online breaches. Summary: The sources discuss the history and impact of the website Have I Been Pwned over the past 10 years. It began as a personal project for the author to check if their account details had been compromised in data breaches. Over time it grew significantly in popularity and now processes over 6 billion requests per month. The author discusses the legal and privacy challenges of hosting breached data but notes no formal complaints over the decade. Key themes are the unexpected growth and impact of the site in improving security, the stress of sole responsibility for such an important resource, and attempts to sell the project that ultimately led to personal difficulties for the author. Comments: Password security and privacy were key themes discussed. Users expressed both excitement and concern over passwordless authentication options, noting a tradeoff between convenience and risk of overreliance on large tech companies. One quote highlighted how "As someone who is not at all excited about passkeys, I think they are just moving the average user into an existing enterprise. The enterprise being whatever Big Tech Company you trust the most." Others discussed the value of Troy Hunt's Have I Been Pwned service over the years in raising awareness, while also noting frustrations with recent pricing changes limiting free access. Debates emerged around responsible password handling practices, from not blaming users with weak passwords to balancing security with excessive password complexity rules. Overall the thread featured an engaged discussion weighing online privacy and authentication approaches. |
7. A Windows Update bug is renaming everyone's printers to HP M101-M106 |
Dehyped title: Windows update mistakenly labels all printers as HP models, causing unwanted HP app installation. Summary: A recent Windows update incorrectly identified all printers as HP LaserJet models, causing the unwanted installation of the HP Smart App on many PCs. The bug only affects printer metadata and does not prevent print jobs from being sent, though it labels printers incorrectly. Microsoft has removed the faulty metadata and a future update will fix the problem by properly identifying printer models again. Comments: Many expressed frustration with the modern trend of continual software updates. A quote: "The more 'oops' things like this get pushed in automatic updates, the more I begin to despise our modern culture of continual updates." Some feel they no longer have control over their devices. Others criticized the lack of quality assurance, saying "That's a terrible philosophy and you are bad and you should feel bad if that's how you ship your software." While updates can quickly fix bugs, they also commonly introduce new issues. There was speculation about potential security risks if a key supplier's update metadata was maliciously modified. Overall the thread questioned the user experience of constant updating and pushed back on the philosophy of shipping software without thorough testing. |
8. The Hidden Secrets of the Fn Key |
Dehyped title: The Fn key's history and functions on Mac keyboards Summary: The article discusses the history and function of the Fn key on Apple keyboards. It first appeared on PowerBook G3 laptops in 1998 and has since become standard on Apple laptop keyboards. On standalone keyboards, it was introduced in 2007. The Fn key toggles the functions of keys like volume and brightness controls between their labeled functions and standard function keys. However, it cannot be used as a standard modifier key. "To me, the Fn key has always seemed extraneous because I’ve relied on F1 through F12 to switch among my core apps since roughly 1990." In recent macOS versions, additional functions have been added like changing input sources or starting dictation. The article expresses some frustration that the Fn key has occupied a prominent spot on keyboards for 25 years without many uses for the author. Comments: The discussion focused on the origins and hidden functions of the Fn key. One participant noted that early Apple PowerBook G3 models were the first to include an Fn key. Others shared experiences with unexpected Fn key shortcuts on Lenovo and Dell laptops. While the article only covered Apple keyboards, comments suggested the Fn key is now common across devices as a way to access alternate keyboard functions. |
9. HTML, the Programming Language |
Dehyped title: HTML Programming Language Supports Functions, Control Flow, and JavaScript Integration Summary: HTML can be used as a programming language, supporting functions, variables, control flow and mathematical operations. Functions are defined using tags and invoked with tags. Variables are declared with and accessed with . Conditional execution uses tags, while loops can be made with anchors. Values are pushed to and operated on a stack. Common data types like true, false and null can be overwritten. The language has primitives for addition, subtraction and other math. Overall it presents HTML as a Turing-complete language with the ability to execute any computable function, albeit in an unorthodox way, relying on HTML elements and attributes rather than traditional syntax. Comments: The article proposes HTML as a programming language rather than just a markup language. Commenters discuss the potential of allowing JavaScript or TypeScript to add functionality. Others note redundancies in calling it a "markup language" and joke about repeated phrases. Suggestions are made for macro expansions to avoid repetition. Possibilities for static typing, visual debugging via document inspection, and metaprogramming by treating code as data are proposed. Comparisons are drawn to Lisp via the apparent AST structure. Examples show it functioning as a programming language with an online Fibonacci number function. Past experiences with XML-based DSLs are discussed. |
10. DoorDash raises minimum pay to $29.93 per hour in NYC |
Dehyped title: DoorDash to pay NYC delivery workers $29.93 minimum hourly rate and pause priority program while moving tips to after checkout due to new regulations. Summary: DoorDash will now pay delivery workers in New York City at least $29.93 per hour of active time due to new regulations, nearly twice the city's minimum wage. Tips from customers will now be collected after checkout to help offset rising fees from the pay increase. The priority program that gave better-rated delivery workers first access to higher-paying orders is being paused. Comments: The main themes expressed in the discussion were around the business model and sustainability of food delivery apps. Some saw them as engaging in a "race to the bottom" by lowering prices to gain market share before raising them, creating a poor experience for customers and drivers. Others noted these apps have moved past that stage and are now focused on profitability. There was also discussion of whether high fees charged by the apps are reasonable given convenience, with opinions on both sides. Drivers being paid fairly and as employees was raised as an important issue. Overall it showed a range of perspectives on the economics and impacts of food delivery platforms. |