Satellite firm Planet Labs to indefinitely withold Iran war imagery (reuters.com)
Planet Labs said it will indefinitely withhold new satellite imagery related to the war in Iran, citing operational and policy constraints, according to Reuters. The decision affects how the company’s satellite data may be used for conflict coverage and monitoring.
Port of LA turns to electric terminal trucks to to slash dwell times (electrek.co)
APM Terminals’ Pier 400 at the Port of Los Angeles added 20 electric terminal tractors and other electrified equipment, cutting truck dwell times from about 90 minutes to 35. The company says the switch reduced truck idle time by nearly 85%, helped by “green lanes” for zero-emission vehicles, tighter gate operations, and improved rail and yard coordination. Pier 400 also plugs ships into shore power and plans to expand electrification, increasing electricity use from about 7 MW to over 18 MW.
Salarymen, Specialists, and Small Businesses (noahpinion.blog) AI
The article argues that, in the near term, AI is more likely to replace specific tasks than entire jobs, with employment so far largely holding up. It proposes a three-way shift in work: “specialists” whose roles remain because tasks are tightly bundled and stakes are high, “salarymen” generalists who supervise and patch AI outputs while adapting to changing AI strengths, and more “small business” owners enabled by AI leverage.
PS3 emulator makes Cell CPU breakthrough that improves performance in all games (tomshardware.com)
RPCS3 developers say they’ve improved PS3 Cell CPU emulation by identifying new SPU instruction usage patterns and adding more efficient recompilation code paths. The change reduces CPU overhead and is reported to raise performance across the emulator’s library, with SPU-heavy games like Twisted Metal seeing roughly a 5–7% FPS gain. RPCS3 also notes similar benefits on both low- and high-end PCs and points to some user-reported audio and Gran Turismo 5 improvements.
The Therac-25 software radiation disaster (en.wikipedia.org)
The Therac-25 was a computer-controlled radiation therapy machine that, after safety mechanisms were moved from hardware to software, suffered multiple incidents in the mid-1980s where software race conditions led to patients receiving massive overdoses. Across at least six documented accidents, incorrect mode selection and failures such as beam activation during “field light” setup allowed high-current electron beams to be delivered without the proper radiation target or shielding. The cases resulted in severe injuries and deaths, and the machine became a widely cited study in software reliability and safety for medical devices.
Stamp It! All Programs Must Report Their Version (michael.stapelberg.ch)
Michael Stapelberg argues that software versioning is too weak for real-world support and incident response, where engineers need to quickly know what code and configuration are actually running. Using the i3 window manager as a case study, he describes “Stamp it! Plumb it! Report it!”: include clear version/build info in binaries, connect that info to the running process (e.g., via an IPC-backed `--moreversion`), and report the loaded config details so teams can verify rollouts and reproduce issues. He also discusses how Go and Nix builds can surface version data, recommending that all programs expose it reliably to save time during debugging.
Microsoft Hasn't Had a Coherent GUI Strategy Since Petzold (jsnover.com)
Jeffrey Snover argues that Microsoft’s Windows GUI story has lacked a coherent, stable framework strategy since Charles Petzold’s era, forcing developers to navigate repeated pivots and competing technologies. He traces the pattern through WPF’s half-adoption, Silverlight’s rise and sudden redirection, Windows 8/Metro and UWP’s organizational split, and the ongoing WinUI/UWP/UWP migration confusion. The piece concludes that the main failures were organizational—team politics, conference-driven bets, and business pivots that left developers behind—rather than fundamental problems with the underlying technologies.
LÖVE: 2D Game Framework for Lua (github.com)
LÖVE is a free, open-source 2D game framework for Lua, available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. The project maintains development on a separate “main” branch for upcoming major releases, while tagged releases provide more stable builds, including unstable/nightly options. It includes a test suite to cover LÖVE APIs and provides build and contribution guidance, with platform-specific instructions and dependencies such as SDL3.
Bacteria found in the human intestine capable of improving muscle strength (ugr.es)
Researchers involving the University of Granada report that an intestinal bacterium of the Roseburia genus—especially Roseburia inulinivorans—is linked to greater muscle strength and physical fitness. The study, published in *Gut*, found the bacterium was associated with stronger grip strength and better cardiorespiratory capacity in young adults, and greater handgrip strength in older adults, where its abundance appeared lower. Mouse experiments suggested the bacterium can improve muscle performance and muscle fiber characteristics, though the authors note limits and call for longer-term work to confirm cause.
Gemma 4 on iPhone (apps.apple.com) AI
Google’s AI Edge Gallery iPhone app adds official support for the newly released Gemma 4 model family, touting fully offline, on-device generative AI. The update introduces features like “Thinking Mode” to show step-by-step reasoning (for supported models), “Agent Skills” for tool-augmented responses, plus multimodal image queries, audio transcription/translation, and prompt testing controls. The app also includes model download/management and benchmark testing, with performance dependent on the device’s hardware.
Samsung Raises DRAM Prices Another ~30% for Q2 2026 (old.reddit.com)
The post claims Samsung will raise DRAM prices by about 30% for Q2 2026, indicating continued strengthening in memory pricing expectations.
A Startup Is Supplying Drones to High Schools to Stop Mass Shootings (wsj.com)
The article describes a startup that supplies drones to high schools, aiming to help prevent or respond to mass shootings by providing enhanced monitoring or situational awareness.
Running Google Gemma 4 Locally with LM Studio's New Headless CLI and Claude Code (ai.georgeliu.com) AI
The article explains how to run Google’s Gemma 4 26B (MoE) locally on macOS using LM Studio 0.4.0’s new headless command-line tools (llmster/lms CLI) and how to integrate the setup with Claude Code. It walks through downloading and loading the model, checking performance and memory/parallelism, and selecting context length and quantization to fit within a Mac with 48GB unified memory. It also notes that while Gemma 4’s MoE design makes it feasible on modest hardware, running it via Claude Code can introduce noticeable slowdown.
The Free Market Lie: Why Switzerland Has 25 Gbit Internet and America Doesn't (sschueller.github.io)
The article argues that Switzerland’s very fast, dedicated fiber internet stems less from “free markets” and more from regulator-enforced open access to shared physical infrastructure. It contrasts this with Germany’s “overbuild” (competing networks that waste resources) and the U.S. model of provider territories and shared capacity that limits real-world speeds and choice. Using Switzerland’s four-fiber, point-to-point design and subsequent regulatory action against Swisscom’s move toward shared architecture, the author concludes that natural-monopoly infrastructure performs best when oversight ensures competitors can access the fiber itself.
LibreOffice – Let's put an end to the speculation (blog.documentfoundation.org)
The Document Foundation (TDF) publishes background on its internal governance disputes involving Collabora and longtime figures, arguing that earlier decisions—such as brand licensing and awarding development contracts to companies represented on TDF’s board—were incompatible with non-profit legal requirements. It says subsequent tensions, including a proposed parallel organization (TDC), contributed to delays in resolving the issues until recent audits confirmed changes were needed to avoid losing non-profit status. TDF also points to new restrictive measures, a revised procurement policy, and updated ethics and conflict-of-interest rules, while saying it has been preparing for Collabora’s latest announcement.
The Enigma of Gertrude Stein (thenation.com)
A review of Francesca Wade’s biography argues that Gertrude Stein’s continuing difficulty is part of her greatness and part of why readers misread her. It traces how Stein crafted a public self through autobiographical storytelling while simultaneously hiding personal gaps that Wade fills via archives and unpublished material. The piece also highlights controversies—such as Stein’s early love triangle manuscript and her wartime ties to Bernard Fäy—and suggests that Stein’s legend is best understood as a tension between lived fact, self-fashioning, and after-the-fact reputation.
Gender Equality and Work (oecd.org)
The OECD topic page “Gender Equality and Work” outlines how gender-equality policies are linked to economic growth, democracy, and social cohesion. It points readers to related OECD work across areas such as employment, job quality, and health, alongside broader society topics like inclusion and equality.
Reaffirming our commitment to child safety in the face of EuropeanUnion inaction (blog.google) AI
Google says that with the EU ePrivacy derogation allowing CSAM-detection tools expiring on April 3, Europe risks leaving children less protected online. It notes that several companies have voluntarily used tools such as hash-matching to detect, remove, and report CSAM while continuing to take steps on interpersonal communication services. Google and other signatories call on EU institutions to urgently complete a regulatory framework and maintain established child-safety efforts.
From birds to brains: My path to the fusiform face area (2024) (kavliprize.org)
Nancy Kanwisher recounts her unconventional, often serendipitous path into cognitive science and brain imaging, beginning with her early exposure to field biology and experiments in Norway. She describes setbacks in graduate training and then a breakthrough through the perceptual phenomenon of “repetition blindness,” before eventually gaining access to PET imaging and later fMRI equipment at Harvard’s Martinos Center. Using fMRI to compare face and object processing, she and her collaborators worked out how to identify consistent face-selective responses across different brains, a step toward characterizing the fusiform face area.
Program analysis using random interpretation (2005) [pdf] (sigplan.org)
The PDF appears to be a dissertation titled “Program analysis using random interpretation” (2005) by Gulwani, proposing a program analysis approach based on randomized interpretation methods.
Just 'English with Hanzi' (oldnorthwhale.com)
The article argues that modern written Mandarin has increasingly adopted European (especially English and Indo-European) grammatical habits, turning a traditionally more paratactic language into one that relies on explicit connectors, copular structures, and noun-heavy “wrapper” phrasing. It attributes this shift to historical borrowing—through 19th-century missionary translations, Japanese “returnee” technical vocabulary, and early 20th-century translation styles associated with the May Fourth movement. The author concludes that learners seeking the older literary logic may be better served by engaging directly with Classical Chinese rather than modern Mandarin.
Docker Offload (docker.com)
Docker says its Offload service is now generally available, letting enterprises run the Docker container engine from Docker’s secure cloud instead of local or VDI desktops. Developers keep using familiar Docker Desktop UI and existing CLI/Compose workflows, while sessions run in isolated, temporary environments over encrypted tunnels with centralized logging. Docker Offload is offered as a Docker Business add-on with multi-tenant and single-tenant (BYOC coming) deployment options, aiming to remove constraints that previously blocked Docker Desktop use in managed environments.
With one million displaced, Lebanon turns to digital wallets for aid (wired.com)
As Israel’s attacks and the resulting displacement push more than one million people into temporary shelters in Lebanon, humanitarian funding is increasingly flowing through digital wallet and fintech platforms rather than traditional aid channels. The article describes how remittances and peer-to-peer transfers are being routed via wallets to vetted intermediaries and recipients for fast, on-the-ground spending, citing Lebanon’s historically large informal donation flows and declining public institutional trust. It also notes that while payments are subject to anti-money-laundering monitoring, Lebanon’s regulatory framework leaves a looser gray area compared with places like the UAE.
Computational Physics (2nd Edition) (websites.umich.edu)
The page provides online companion resources for Mark Newman’s book, Computational Physics (2nd edition), including sample chapters, exercise text, programs and datasets, and downloadable figures for instructional and self-study use.
The Melanesian: Dark-skinned people with blonde hair region of Oceania (guardian.ng)
The article describes Melanesia in the South Pacific, including countries such as Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Papua New Guinea, and explains that many Melanesians have dark skin and occasionally blond hair. It discusses competing theories for how blond hair developed in the region, and notes research suggesting it evolved independently of the genes associated with European blond hair. The piece also outlines genetic diversity across Melanesian islands and touches on cultural and religious change following European contact and Christianisation.