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Utah lawmakers form united front in push to ban prediction markets

Utah Republicans are lining up to ban prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket, framing them as gambling in a state with strict anti-gambling laws and deep Mormon influence. While prediction markets have surged nationwide and the federal CFTC has faced shifting stance, Utah lawmakers moved to reinforce the ban with a constitutional amendment redefining gambling to include proposition bets. Kalshi has sued, arguing federal law allows nationwide operation; Governor Cox and Attorney General Brown vow to fight. The dispute highlights a broader, uneven federal-state clash over whether prediction markets are gambling or regulated financial exchanges.

Don't Answer the First Question

Maganti argues for diagnosing the real need behind a user question instead of answering it directly. For Perfetto, when asked how to split a trace, he slows down, asks why, and uses a checklist to surface the tool’s philosophy, misalignments, or whether the product must change. The back-and-forth can reveal that traces are expensive to collect, that a different approach (e.g., periodic snapshots) suffices, or that a plugin/API is needed to avoid ad-hoc UI changes. The key takeaway: ask why first; the outcome may teach users, reveal hidden paths, or justify future product work.

Linux security mailing list 'almost unmanageable'

Linus Torvalds says AI-powered bug hunters have made the Linux kernel security mailing list almost unmanageable, with duplicate reports from researchers using the same tools. He urges readers to read the documentation, submit patches, and add real value rather than drive-by AI reports, noting AI-found bugs are not secret and duplication wastes time. His view contrasts with Greg Kroah-Hartman’s more positive take on AI. The note accompanies Linux 7.1 release candidate 4 and mentions an optional NTFS driver.

Math Jokes in Alice in Wonderland

Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) was a mathematician who hides dense math jokes in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Key gags include a base-numbering multiplication passage (4×5=12 in base 18, etc.), the Mad Hatter’s Time joke tied to non‑Euclidean geometry, the Cheshire Cat’s smile as a property without a carrier, and the Mock Turtle’s four branches of arithmetic pun. Dodgson defended Euclid and wanted solvable puzzles, not psychology or surrealism. The piece argues these jokes reward adult readers and help language learners, with Storica’s A2+ adaptation preserving many math jokes across seven languages.

Eric Schmidt speech about AI booed during graduation

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was booed at the University of Arizona commencement as he spoke about AI. He traced the computer’s rise, noting its good and bad impacts on society, warned of fears about AI and jobs, and urged graduates to shape AI’s future through open debate, freedom, and diverse perspectives, including immigrants. The university defended inviting him. The incident echoed earlier boos at a UCF speech mentioning AI.

I automated opt-outs for 500 data broker sites (open source)

Automated data broker opt-out runner for macOS that removes your personal info from 500+ data broker sites on a monthly schedule. It searches for your name and state, locates listings, auto-fills and submits opt-out forms, and solves CAPTCHAs (via CapSolver). It skips opt-outs refreshed in the last 90 days and sends an iMessage summary when finished. Requires macOS, Node.js 18+, and Playwright; scheduled via launchd; config/state are gitignored. Manual actions open in your browser. Covers 30+ primary brokers (Spokeo, WhitePages, Intelius, ZoomInfo) plus ~470 more via a generic runner. MIT.

Graphing Scientific Calculator Based on the ESP32

NumOS (NeoCalculator) is an open-source graphing calculator OS for ESP32-S3 (N16R8) with LVGL 9 UI, natural display rendering, and a Giac-based CAS backend. It features multiple self-contained apps (Calculation, Grapher, Equations, Calculus, Bridge Designer, Circuit Core, Fluid2D, Particle Lab, Settings) and a custom numeric engine (Tokenizer, Shunting-Yard, RPN, AST) plus a full CAS. The project emphasizes modular architecture, PSRAM-backed memory, LittleFS storage, and a 3.2-inch ILI9341 display. It’s GPLv3-licensed; active development with migration milestones and extensive docs.

Dogme 25 – Vow of Chastity

A request was blocked as a security incident by the website’s Web Application Firewall. Do not retry. Check webserver logs or the control panel for the exact cause. Do not rely on AI to explain why. Source IP: 192.155.84.206.

NASA still maintains some of the Voyager spacecraft code from the 70s era

NASA runs Voyager flight software in 1970s assembly on purpose-built hardware; the real challenge is aging, fragmentary documentation, and a shrinking pool of engineers fluent in such code. The on-board memory is tiny (roughly 64–70 KB), with software autonomy since the Neptune era. The 'readable code' myth is false; the issue is institutional memory and record-keeping. The current team at JPL is smaller and younger, relying on a dwindling list of retired experts for emergencies. RTGs lose ~4 watts per year, so instruments are being turned off. Voyager may stay in service until ~2036, with 2027 the 50th anniversary.

The Global Fertility Crisis Is Worse Than You Probably Think

Global fertility is collapsing faster and more broadly than thought. Causes include women’s education and empowerment, contraception, social norms spread by media, and housing costs within service economies; technology and AI may amplify changes but aren’t sole drivers. The total fertility rate fell below replacement in 2023, and population momentum means the world may still grow for 20–30 years before a decline around 2055. Implications include aging populations, higher costs for Social Security and public services, and political tensions over immigration and policy. Regions like Guatemala, Latin America, and North Africa show declines; Japan and Korea face aging.

Germany goes from labour shortages to hiring freezes

Financial Times security verification page blocking access with a 403 error. It instructs users to enable JavaScript and cookies to continue, provides a Challenge Request ID (9fda45989b7cdac8), and includes links to Terms, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Manage Cookies, plus copyright and editorial practice notes.

Multiple commencement speakers booed for AI comments during graduation speeches

Several commencement speakers were booed for discussing artificial intelligence during graduation speeches, including former Google CEO Eric Schmidt at the University of Arizona, as graduates face a tough job market.

Where Are the Vibecoded Photoshops?

The author argues that 'vibecoding' claims—AI-made complex artifacts like Photoshop that everyone can produce—lack evidence and definition. They contend AI mainly reduces Level 1 costs (typing) while Level 2 (verification) and Level 3 (design decisions) remain gatekeepers. Accusers label outputs as vibecoded without tests or falsification, driven by fear and self-worth tied to Level 1. The piece defends real, verifiable work (tests, harnesses, toolchains) and rejects attacking others with the vibecoded label, ending by asking where the purported vibecoded artifacts are.

Build a Radio Wave Detector with Balls of Aluminum Foil

WIRED explains how to build a simple radio transmitter and receiver using household items to explore wireless physics. A piezoelectric lighter spark acts as a transmitter, producing EM waves when the high voltage excites air, which radiates as radio waves. The receiver is a coherer made from aluminum foil balls in a cup connected to a battery and LED; the oxide layer between balls changes resistance when a radio wave hits, briefly lighting the LED. The setup recalls Marconi’s early wireless and shows radio's limits (one channel) but demonstrates basic EM-wave propagation.

Colombian singer Shakira acquitted of tax fraud in Spain

Could not summarize article.

Why is Google Maps back to showing old satellite images of Altadena?

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kharp – k version 3 Language Interpreter in C#

ksharp is a beta, MIT-licensed (Commons Clause) C# implementation of the K language (version 3). It provides a full K interpreter with core data types, native operators, adverbs, assignment, I/O, and a .NET FFI for calling and marshalling .NET objects. It includes IPC for k.exe, a .dotnet tree for caching, and a type-hint system for marshalling. The project offers a tokenize-parse-evaluate engine, cross-platform build/run guidance for .NET 8, and a 100% test pass. UI support and some debugging features are not implemented. Current status: Beta.

Profunctor Equipment in Haskell

Bartosz Milewski provides a toy Haskell implementation of profunctor equipments to illustrate category-theory ideas. The Haskell category (types and functions) is the 0-cell; Functor gives vertical 1-cells and Profunctor horizontal 1-cells. A 2-cell is a natural transformation: type Cell f g h j = forall a c. h a c -> j (f a) (g c). The post defines horizontal composition (hcomp), vertical composition (vcomp), and a coend-based Procompose. It introduces horizontal/vertical units (Hunit/Vunit) and the companion/conjoint (Costar/Star) with compUnit/compCoUnit and conjUnit/conjCoUnit. More advanced needs dependently typed languages; code is available.

Which country voted the best at Eurovision?

Lalit Maganti examines which Eurovision country votes the best by measuring how accurately each country’s jury ranks translate into final points. He defines a simple metric: for each country, multiply the jury’s awarded points by the country's actual final points, sum across all countries, and divide by the maximum possible score (perfect voting). Across nine contests since 2016 (split jury/televote), Spain edges the rest with a score of 0.815, followed by Lithuania, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Malta, Sweden, Austria, Iceland, and Norway. The top group is tightly clustered; the method measures accuracy, not bloc-voting. Data from EurovisionAPI; code on GitHub.

Crystals found inside wreckage from the first nuclear bomb test

Scientists analyzing trinitite from the 1945 Trinity test found a new metastable clathrate crystal inside a copper-rich droplet in the melted sand. Its silicon cages (12-sided dodecahedrons and 14-sided tetrakaidecahedrons) trap calcium, with copper or iron inside. Formed under extreme, rapid conditions (>1500°C, gigapascal pressures), this nonequilibrium structure hasn’t been seen before. Earlier, trinitite yielded a quasicrystal of iron, silicon, copper and calcium formed under similar blasts. The study, published in PNAS May 11, suggests high-energy events create novel crystalline matter.

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