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Replicating OpenAI's Assistant Tools using Node.js

Published: 2024-10-17 | Origin: /r/programming

Frank Fiegel, in his blog post dated October 17, 2024, discusses his efforts to deepen his understanding of existing AI services, particularly OpenAI's assistant tools, as he builds Glama. He embarked on creating a proof of concept (PoC) to replicate these functionalities, focusing on defining functions that the AI model can invoke in response to user queries. The model can process these functions sequentially to tackle complex questions, streamlining the routing logic. Fiegel outlines that while some

Why do random forests work? They are self-regularizing adaptive smoothers

Published: 2024-10-17 | Origin: Hacker News

arXivLabs is a platform that enables collaborators to create and share new features for the arXiv website. It welcomes both individuals and organizations that align with arXiv's values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. Interested in contributing? You can explore more about arXivLabs. Additionally, users can receive operational status notifications via email or Slack.

Python's Chained Stacktraces: an Unintentional Puzzle (but can you solve it?)

Published: 2024-10-17 | Origin: /r/programming

The content discusses a puzzle related to debugging a Python application, focusing on the order of execution in a stack trace involving chained exceptions. Readers are encouraged to solve the puzzle without referring to the source code to test their understanding. It contrasts this scenario with a straightforward case of non-chained exceptions, where the stack trace directly reflects the execution order. The piece emphasizes that while puzzles can be enjoyable and serve as brain exercises, debugging should prioritize efficiency in identifying issues. It notes the complexity of real-world examples of

Hacking Scale; check it out.

Published: 2024-10-17 | Origin: /r/ruby

The content is a bi-weekly newsletter created by engineers at Better Stack, focusing on topics related to building and scaling software. It aims to share insights, tips, and best practices for software development and engineering.

Grandmaster-level chess without search

Published: 2024-10-17 | Origin: Hacker News

The repository discusses the implementation of a research paper titled "Grandmaster-Level Chess Without Search." This work focuses on training a 270M parameter transformer model on a dataset of 10 million chess games, annotated with action-values from the Stockfish 16 engine, resulting in around 15 billion data points. The model achieves a Lichess blitz Elo of 2895 and solves difficult chess puzzles, outperforming AlphaZero and GPT-3.5-turbo-instruct without employing explicit search algorithms.

555 Timer Circuits

Published: 2024-10-17 | Origin: Hacker News

The 555 timer is a versatile integrated circuit used to create various electronic circuits. This information will explain how the 555 timer functions and provide instructions for building several circuits that utilize it.

setBigTimeout

Published: 2024-10-17 | Origin: Hacker News

JavaScript's setTimeout function can break after approximately 25 days due to its use of a 32-bit signed integer to represent timeouts, which limits the maximum delay to about 2.1 billion milliseconds. When attempting to set a timeout beyond this limit, unexpected behavior occurs, such as functions executing immediately for overly long delays. To address this issue, the author created a module called setBigTimeout, which can handle longer delays by chaining smaller timeouts together. While the solution appears to work

JSON Patch

Published: 2024-10-17 | Origin: Hacker News

JSON Patch is a standardized format defined in RFC 6902 used to describe modifications to JSON documents. It was developed to provide a simple and efficient method for applying partial updates to resources, especially in web APIs over HTTP. Although the HTTP methods PUT and POST were initially employed for updates, they often transmitted unnecessary large data for minor modifications. The PATCH method addressed this by allowing partial updates, but lacked a standardized patch format. JSON Patch resolves this issue by offering a clear way to indicate changes, which enhances

Crokinole

Published: 2024-10-17 | Origin: Hacker News

In October 2024, Russell Samora reported on a remarkable moment in the World Crokinole Championship semifinals where players Connor Reinman and Jason Slater both achieved perfect rounds, each scoring eight consecutive open 20s by flicking their discs into a small hole on the board. Crokinole, originating from southern Ontario, is a tabletop game combining elements of shuffleboard and curling, where players aim to score points by landing discs in specific scoring areas. The game, which has gained popularity

OpenHCL: the new, open source paravisor

Published: 2024-10-17 | Origin: /r/programming

Virtualization technology has enabled compute workloads to run as virtual machines (VMs) since the advent of cloud computing. With advancements in hardware and software, VMs have operated smoothly due to progress in hypervisors. Confidential computing enhances VM security in the cloud, but it introduces a trust boundary that limits the hypervisor's capability to provide typical virtualization services. As a result, customers using confidential VMs have been required to update their operating systems frequently. Microsoft has introduced a solution with a "paravis

NotebookLM launches feature to customize and guide audio overviews

Published: 2024-10-17 | Origin: Hacker News

On October 17, 2024, NotebookLM, powered by Gemini 1.5, announced new features aimed at enhancing user experience. Users can now customize "Audio Overviews" by providing specific instructions to AI hosts about their focus and expertise level, enabling a more tailored audio experience while working within the tool. Additionally, a new version called NotebookLM Business will soon be available through Google Workspace, offering advanced features for businesses, universities, and organizations, with a focus on data privacy and security

Unit Tests As Documentation

Published: 2024-10-17 | Origin: /r/programming

The content emphasizes the importance of unit tests as a form of documentation in code. It highlights three key reasons why unit tests are effective documentation tools: 1. **Code Behavior Explanation**: Unit tests validate the functionality of code and provide clear explanations of how it works. 2. **Synchronization with Code**: Unlike traditional documentation, unit tests remain up-to-date with code changes, ensuring they reflect the current behavior of the code. 3. **Edge Case Coverage**: Unit tests can document edge cases

I'm Peter Roberts, immigration attorney who does work for YC and startups. AMA

Published: 2024-10-17 | Origin: Hacker News

The content discusses various aspects of entrepreneurship, particularly focusing on options available for individuals looking to establish businesses in the U.S. or Germany. It highlights the International Entrepreneur Rule as a potential avenue if one can raise $350,000 from U.S. investors, while also noting potential challenges and processing times for this option. Additionally, there is mention of wanting to strategically establish a company in Germany and inquiries about opportunities post-batch of a program, with considerations for being based in either the U.S. or

pg_parquet: An Extension to Connect Postgres and Parquet

Published: 2024-10-17 | Origin: /r/programming

Craig Kerstiens announced the release of pg_parquet, an open-source Postgres extension that allows users to read and write Parquet files directly from Postgres, both locally and on S3. Parquet is a columnar file format known for efficient data compression, making it suitable for sharing and analytics, particularly in data lakes. pg_parquet facilitates seamless integration of Parquet with Postgres, eliminating the need for additional data pipelines. The extension enhances the Postgres copy command, enabling efficient data

A liveness example in TLA+

Published: 2024-10-17 | Origin: /r/programming

Lorin Hochstein discusses the concepts of liveness and safety properties in software and complex systems, using the analogy of traffic lights and elevators. Liveness asserts that a positive outcome will eventually occur, exemplified by a traffic light turning green; if it never does, the system violates this property. Safety ensures that a negative outcome does not happen, as illustrated by preventing both directions of traffic lights from being green at the same time. Hochstein plans to create a simple model of an elevator system using

Language is not essential for the cognitive processes that underlie thought

Published: 2024-10-17 | Origin: Hacker News

The article "You Don’t Need Words to Think" by Gary Stix explores the relationship between language and thought, questioning whether language is essential for cognitive processes. While philosopher Bertrand Russell argued that language is necessary for certain thoughts, the article highlights that many animals demonstrate advanced problem-solving abilities without words, suggesting that high-level cognition can exist independently of language. Neuroscientist Evelina Fedorenko's research at MIT investigates these questions, indicating that our brain's cognitive regions can generate thoughts that don

Tolgee: open-source web app localization platform

Published: 2024-10-17 | Origin: /r/programming

Tolgee is a developer and translator-friendly web-based localization platform, positioned as an open-source alternative to tools like Crowdin, Phrase, or Lokalise. It emphasizes the importance of user feedback and encourages community participation, especially through events like Hacktoberfest 2024, where participants can earn swag based on their contributions. Tolgee simplifies the localization process by allowing direct in-app translations without the need to modify large code files, and it features in-context translating, even in production environments. Users can

Microsoft has open sourced its new cross-platform virtual machine layer written in Rust

Published: 2024-10-17 | Origin: /r/programming

The content emphasizes the importance of user feedback and highlights OpenVMM, a cross-platform Virtual Machine Monitor written in Rust. It directs users to documentation for running, building, and using OpenVMM, which is accessible through the OpenVMM Guide. Contributions to the project are welcomed, but contributors must agree to a Contributor License Agreement (CLA). A CLA bot will provide necessary instructions during the pull request process. The project adheres to Microsoft's Open Source Code of Conduct and provides guidelines regarding the use of

WordPress retaliation impacts community

Published: 2024-10-17 | Origin: Hacker News

The ongoing conflict between Automattic and WP Engine is detrimental to the WordPress community. Automattic's CEO, Matt Mullenweg, is leveraging his control over the WordPress.org infrastructure to undermine WP Engine and silence dissent among contributors. He has created a hostile fork of a WP Engine plugin that is replacing the original through automatic updates. Initially, there were hopes that the dispute would be resolved without impacting the community, but these hopes were dashed when WP Engine filed a 62-page lawsuit against

Doctor Fukushi Masaichi and the art of preserving tattooed skin

Published: 2024-10-17 | Origin: Hacker News

Tattoos have diverse meanings across cultures, serving as both sacred symbols and marks of rebellion. In Japan, the tradition of irezumi involves intricate body art, often linked to the yakuza, which can cover large areas of the body. Dr. Fukushi Masaichi, a Japanese pathologist, viewed these tattoos not as criminal marks but as valuable specimens for scientific study. Born in 1878, he pursued medical education in Japan and Germany, contributing to pathology and founding the Japanese Path