AI Summarized Hacker News
Front-page articles summarized hourly.
Amazon will block unauthorized streaming apps on Fire TV Sticks worldwide from today, aiming to combat piracy and malware risks. Legitimate apps remain unaffected, but sideloaded pirate apps providing illegal access to premium content will be disabled, even with VPN use. Users can still install apps outside the official store, but identified piracy apps will stop working at the device level. The crackdown is part of a broader effort to protect creators, reduce cybercrime, and address rising subscription costs.
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Some US telecom operators use Android carrier flags to inflate reported signal strength, misleading users about coverage. This is done covertly and is not publicly documented.
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Tech giants' revenue growth has become increasingly decoupled from headcount, with recent data showing much smaller employee increases for similar revenue gains. Companies like Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta, Nvidia, and Amazon have achieved significant revenue increases with minimal incremental hiring, often due to AI and automation. This trend suggests a shifting landscape where labor input is less tied to capital output, raising questions about future growth, the role of AI, and societal implications. The narrative around "AGI" may be misguided, as productivity gains are driven more by efficiency than a sudden breakthrough.
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Scientists are reconstructing ancient smells through chemical analysis of residues in artifacts like incense burners, revealing insights into past practices, trade, and social identities. Smell's strong links to memory and emotion deepen our connection to history, enhancing experiential learning in exhibitions. Advances include identifying compounds like vanillin and other molecules, considering decomposition, and challenging traditional trade narratives by uncovering local medicinal and ritual uses. These efforts help bring the sensory past to life, enriching our understanding of ancient cultures beyond visual records.
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Prioritize your ease and happiness; plan invitations carefully, balance genders, and foster circulation. Invite close friends early, set clear timings, and manage guest lists to ensure intimacy and fun. Exclude disruptive guests, encourage mingling, and be attentive to flakes and couples. Focus on hosting and introducing guests, especially newcomers, to create a welcoming environment. Parties should serve the community, offering social opportunities and kindness. Keep volume in check to avoid escalation; consider fun games like Person Do Thing to enhance the experience.
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Certain foods influence body odour and attractiveness. High sulphur foods like garlic, onions, broccoli, and cabbage can make sweat smell pungent but sometimes more attractive. Fruits and vegetables, especially those rich in carotenoids, promote a pleasant, floral scent. Meat and fish can produce stronger odours, with vegetarian diets often rated as more appealing. Alcohol and caffeine may cause unpleasant smells, but moderate alcohol consumption might increase attractiveness temporarily. Overall, diet significantly affects body scent, which influences social and romantic perceptions.
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Using Postgres as a replacement for Kafka is misguided; each tool serves different purposes. Kafka is designed for scalable event streaming, offering log semantics, fault tolerance, consumer groups, low latency, and extensive connectors. Postgres excels at managing relational data but is not suitable for high-volume, real-time event processing or distributed messaging at scale. Attempting to rebuild Kafka's functionality atop Postgres introduces unnecessary complexity and limits scalability, especially as data volume grows. For most use cases, employing both tools where appropriate—Postgres for data management and Kafka for streaming—is the recommended approach.
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Swiss cheese has holes caused by carbon dioxide bubbles produced by bacteria called Propionibacteria during cheese aging. These "eyes" form as the bacteria ferment the cheese, contributing to its flavor and appearance. The size and distribution of the holes are regulated and considered a mark of quality. Other cheeses can also develop holes, but Swiss cheese is specifically noted for them.
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Yuriy Rybtsov, alleged Jabber Zeus coder known as MrICQ, was arrested in Italy and extradited to the U.S. He is linked to the 2012 indictment for his role in the Jabber Zeus cybercrime group responsible for stealing millions through malware, including banking trojans and man-in-the-browser attacks. The group targeted small businesses, recruited money mules, and laundered funds through electronic exchanges. Rybtsov's arrest follows the conviction of other key members like Vyacheslav Penchukov ("Tank") and Maksim Yakubets ("Aqua"), leader of Evil Corp, which developed the Dridex trojan.
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In 1900, Paris showcased an innovative moving sidewalk at the Expo, filmed by Thomas Edison's crew, capturing early public fascination with automated transit. The device was a raised, endless platform system, a precursor to modern walkways, and inspired both awe and entertainment. While earlier versions existed, Paris's demonstration was among the most impressive, highlighting early 20th-century engineering attempts to revolutionize pedestrian mobility, though with mixed reliability. Today, moving walkways are common, seen as both functional and leisure-enhancing transportation.
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React Native Godot allows embedding the Godot Engine into React Native apps for Android and iOS, supporting starting, stopping, pausing, and resuming the engine. It offers access to the Godot API from JavaScript/TypeScript, including object creation, property manipulation, method calls, and signal connections. The engine runs on a separate thread, ensuring UI responsiveness. The library can be integrated with React Native projects, with tools for exporting, dependency management, and debugging. It is open-source under the MIT license, aimed at enabling rich interactive experiences within React Native applications.
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Firms are developing innovative rail electrification technologies, including solar power integration, electromagnetic propulsion for freight wagons, and autonomous battery-powered trains. These advancements aim to reduce reliance on costly traditional overhead lines and diesel engines, improve efficiency, and address grid limitations. Projects like Riding Sunbeams demonstrate direct solar-to-rail energy, while Nevomo's electromagnetic system and urban rail innovations show potential for faster, more sustainable train networks. Overall, new tech is pushing toward more flexible, cost-effective, and renewable-powered railway systems.
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Royal Mail is installing 3,500 solar-powered postboxes across the UK, allowing parcel deposits via a digital drawer. The redesign includes solar panels, barcode scanners, and app-based tracking. This aims to boost parcel services amid rising online shopping and competition from other delivery firms. The new boxes combine sustainability with convenience but face challenges from cheaper rivals.
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