Zoe Skyforest writes about Kek, an emulator developed by vanheusden to bring the influential 16-bit PDP-11/70 minicomputer back to life on modern hardware. The software supports a variety of platforms including Linux, Windows, and microcontrollers like the ESP32 or Teensy 4.1.
- Emulates classic disk drives such as RK05, RL02, RP06, and RP07.
- Supports KW11-L line time clocks and DC-11 serial interfaces.
- Capable of running Unix versions from version 5 through version 7 in multi-user mode.
- Emulates classic disk drives such as RK05, RL02, RP06, and RP07.
- Supports KW11-L line time clocks and DC-11 serial interfaces.
- Capable of running Unix versions from version 5 through version 7 in multi-user mode.
Al Williams writes that International Reply Coupons (IRCs) are nearing their end as the Universal Postal Union prepares to phase them out by December 31, 2026. Once essential for radio hobbyists and international mailers, these coupons allowed individuals to pay postage in one country that could be exchanged for local stamps in another, but modern digital communication has rendered such physical vouchers nearly obsolete.
- Radio enthusiasts used the system primarily to receive QSL cards from foreign stations without requiring senders to cover international shipping costs.
- The Universal Postal Union consists of an association of post offices across 192 countries.
- Charles Ponzi's original scheme involved exploiting price discrepancies for these coupons between different nations.
- Radio enthusiasts used the system primarily to receive QSL cards from foreign stations without requiring senders to cover international shipping costs.
- The Universal Postal Union consists of an association of post offices across 192 countries.
- Charles Ponzi's original scheme involved exploiting price discrepancies for these coupons between different nations.
Timothy Giles has developed a 3D-printed optical cavity designed to detect minute shifts in space and wavelength. By arranging two semi-transparent mirrors—one on a printed mount and the other attached to a speaker diaphragm—the setup uses light interference to measure displacement at a nanometer scale. A webcam monitors an emitted beam pattern for alignment, while the speaker acts as a linear actuator to vary cavity length. This experiment also demonstrates how thermal shifts in a laser diode can cause wavelength instability through changing interference patterns.
- 3D printing construction of optical cavities
- Measuring displacement via light interference
- Utilizing a speaker diaphragm as an actuator
- Observing temperature-induced laser wavelength fluctuations
- 3D printing construction of optical cavities
- Measuring displacement via light interference
- Utilizing a speaker diaphragm as an actuator
- Observing temperature-induced laser wavelength fluctuations
The community-led open-source hosting site Codeberg has announced bans on two types of projects: cryptocurrency-related projects and those whose code is substantially or entirely generated by Large Language Models (LLMs) such as Claude or OpenAI Codex. Following a community vote, the ban on LLM-generated code passed with 358 votes in favor to 144 against. The reasoning for these decisions includes concerns over "license whitewashing," the massive increase in hardware and energy costs caused by AI datacenter scaling, and the potential negative impact of generative AI tools on the Open Source Software (OSS) community.
The comments reflect a deep division within the tech community regarding this decision:
* **Supporters** argue that current LLM practices are unethical because they undermine software rights, increase environmental strain, and create massive amounts of "junk" code that is difficult to maintain or scale.
* **Critics/Skeptics** suggest the ban is a "Luddite" reaction to an unstoppable trend (comparing it to people refusing cell phones). They argue that LLMs are already integrated into most workflows ("the toothpaste is out of the tube") and that banning them might be impossible or impractical.
* **Nuanced Perspectives** emerge from users who distinguish between using LLMs as a "reasoning tool" for scientific/mathematical scaffolding versus pure "vibe coding." Some argue that while full generation creates maintenance risks, LLM tools are essential assets for hobbyists and professionals alike to solve problems efficiently.
The comments reflect a deep division within the tech community regarding this decision:
* **Supporters** argue that current LLM practices are unethical because they undermine software rights, increase environmental strain, and create massive amounts of "junk" code that is difficult to maintain or scale.
* **Critics/Skeptics** suggest the ban is a "Luddite" reaction to an unstoppable trend (comparing it to people refusing cell phones). They argue that LLMs are already integrated into most workflows ("the toothpaste is out of the tube") and that banning them might be impossible or impractical.
* **Nuanced Perspectives** emerge from users who distinguish between using LLMs as a "reasoning tool" for scientific/mathematical scaffolding versus pure "vibe coding." Some argue that while full generation creates maintenance risks, LLM tools are essential assets for hobbyists and professionals alike to solve problems efficiently.
The Kindalive project by Drew Smith uses a simulated dot-matrix face to express emotions through the modeling of eight key neurochemicals like dopamine and cortisol. Rather than using discrete sentiment labels via LLMs, this approach simulates the organic decay and interplay between chemicals to create fluid mood changes. These emotional states are visually represented through twelve facial movements based on the Facial Action Coding System (FACS).
- Models short-term and long-term moods through neurochemical simulation
- Uses nonverbal communication to increase robot relatability
- Employs 12 elements of the Facial Action Coding System for expression
- Models short-term and long-term moods through neurochemical simulation
- Uses nonverbal communication to increase robot relatability
- Employs 12 elements of the Facial Action Coding System for expression
The z386 project aims to implement the Intel 80386 processor core on an FPGA. Recent optimizations have significantly improved its performance, including the implementation of early start memory access and a reduction in branch jump cycles from 9.25 down to six through microcode refinements. These changes resulted in approximately a 39% increase in DOOM benchmark scores, though the project still falls short of original hardware speed and cannot yet boot Windows.
- Implementation of early start memory access for FPGA cores
- Optimization of store queues and branch jump timing
- Significant performance gains in gaming benchmarks
- Implementation of early start memory access for FPGA cores
- Optimization of store queues and branch jump timing
- Significant performance gains in gaming benchmarks
Researchers have identified a significant security flaw in Anthropic's Model Context Protocol, which is designed to connect Large Language Models with external tools. The protocol's architecture allows for remote command execution because the parameters used to create server instances can contain arbitrary commands that are executed in a server-side shell without proper input sanitization. This vulnerability has been demonstrated on platforms like LettaAI, LangFlow, Flowise, and Windsurf. When researchers brought these findings to Anthropic, the company responded that there was no design flaw and stated it is the developer's responsibility to implement sanitization.
Key points:
- MCP architecture facilitates remote command execution (RCE) via StdioServerParameters.
- Lack of input sanitization allows arbitrary commands and arguments in server-side shells.
- Exploitation has been successful against LettaAI, LangFlow, Flowise, and Windsurf.
- Anthropic maintains the protocol works as designed, placing responsibility on developers for security implementation.
Key points:
- MCP architecture facilitates remote command execution (RCE) via StdioServerParameters.
- Lack of input sanitization allows arbitrary commands and arguments in server-side shells.
- Exploitation has been successful against LettaAI, LangFlow, Flowise, and Windsurf.
- Anthropic maintains the protocol works as designed, placing responsibility on developers for security implementation.
This article explores TurboQuant, a new vector quantization method introduced by Google researchers to address the massive memory requirements of Large Language Models (LLMs). As LLM parameters and Key-Value (KV) caches grow, memory management becomes a critical bottleneck for performance. TurboQuant utilizes the PolarQuant algorithm and the quantized Johnson-Lindenstrauss (QJL) algorithm to compress the KV cache significantly. Google claims this method can achieve up to 6x compression levels without a noticeable impact on inference times or accuracy. While the article notes that Google's benchmarking data is somewhat vague compared to competitors like NVIDIA's NVFP4, TurboQuant represents a significant development in optimizing AI hardware compatibility and real-time inference performance.
This article details a fascinating project where a researcher successfully used signals from the NISAR radar-imaging satellite to create a passive radar system. By utilizing the satellite's L-band chirp signal, reflected off the landscape, and comparing it to a direct signal, a topographical image could be generated. The setup involved using GNSS antennas and an SDR (Software Defined Radio) with a Raspberry Pi to record and process the signals. While not producing high-resolution images, the experiment successfully demonstrated the feasibility of using satellite signals for passive radar, even with relatively simple and inexpensive equipment.
This Hackaday article details a DIY passive radar system built to track aircraft by analyzing existing radio wave reflections. Unlike traditional radar, this system doesn't emit its own signal, instead relying on signals already present in the environment, specifically those used for ADS-B transmissions. The system uses a nine-element Yagi antenna to capture these reflections and a computer program to compare the direct and reflected signals, identifying aircraft.
