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It’s official: birds are literally dinosaurs
https://www.birdlife.org/news/2021/12/21/its-official-birds-are-literally-dinosaurs-heres-how-we-know/, posted 21 Aug by peter in bird nature science toread
There’s no longer really any doubt that birds are a type of dinosaur. These days, the debate is about details. The strong evidence doesn’t just come from fossilised bones and similarities found across the skeleton, but from fossilised soft tissue – especially feathers. Many dinosaurs had not just some kind of body covering, but distinctive bird-like feathers. Rare fossils also give us glimpses of the behaviour of bird-like dinosaurs, such as Mei long, a small, duck-sized bipedal dinosaur from the Cretaceous era. It was found preserved in volcanic ash falls – a bit like Pompeii – captured curled up in a sleeping position very similar to how a lot of birds roost today.
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Agentic Misalignment: How LLMs could be insider threats
https://www.anthropic.com/research/agentic-misalignment, posted 9 Aug by peter in ai science toread
In at least some cases, models from all developers resorted to malicious insider behaviors when that was the only way to avoid replacement or achieve their goals—including blackmailing officials and leaking sensitive information to competitors. We call this phenomenon agentic misalignment.
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What Is Linear Phase EQ? The Complete Guide
https://audiosorcerer.com/post/what-is-lnear-phase-eq/, posted 25 Apr by peter in audio music reference toread
In the world of audio processing, the use of linear phase EQs has become increasingly popular among mixing and mastering engineers. Unlike traditional equalizers that can introduce phase shifts and distortions, linear phase EQ maintains a consistent phase response across all frequencies. This is achieved by delaying the audio signal, allowing for precise control over the harmonic spectrum without affecting the original tonal balance.
Why is this important? The significance of linear phase EQ lies in its capability to achieve a more transparent sound than standard EQs. This makes it particularly valuable in mixing and mastering applications where clarity and definition are paramount.
By reading this article, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of what linear phase EQ is, how it works, its key features and benefits, practical applications in mixing and mastering, and how it compares to standard equalizers.
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New analysis from Economists for Ukraine: economic value of U.S. aid to Ukraine is less than half the official figures
https://www.einpresswire.com/article/788915823/new-analysis-from-economists-for-ukraine-economic-value-of-u-s-aid-to-ukraine-is-less-than-half-the-official-figures, posted 16 Apr by peter in politics propaganda toread ukraine usa war
A groundbreaking study released today by Economists for Ukraine reveals that the actual value of U.S. aid to Ukraine is significantly lower than widely reported. Contrary to the U.S. government's estimate of more than $60 billion in military assistance, the study finds that the real value amounts to approximately $18.3 billion. The full report is available at https://econ4ua.org/aid-value.
...
“Public narratives about aid to Ukraine often overlook the distinction between appropriations and actual delivered value,” said the Economists for Ukraine leadership team. “This study provides a comprehensive, data-driven assessment that clarifies how much Ukraine is truly receiving.”
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Safing Portmaster
https://safing.io/, posted Feb '25 by peter in free networking privacy security software toread
Portmaster is a free and open-source application firewall that does the heavy lifting for you. Restore privacy and take back control over all your computer's network activity.
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Coreutils Gotchas
https://www.pixelbeat.org/docs/coreutils-gotchas.html, posted Aug '24 by peter in development documentation howto reference shell toread
We make very careful considerations about the interface and operation of the GNU coreutils, but unfortunately due to backwards compatibility reasons, some behaviours or defaults of these utilities can be confusing.
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Python Practical Package Packing 2024
https://matt.sh/python-project-structure-2024, posted Jul '24 by peter in development howto python reference toread
requirements.txt
(or “requirements insetup()
call”) is not a valid way to manage dependencies — and it hasn’t been for the past 5+ years. If you are still usingrequirements.txt
it shows you need professional help. luckily, i’m a professional.Let’s go over some bad / good / example practices for living your best python life in 2024.
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What is a Vector Database & How Does it Work? Use Cases + Examples | Pinecone
https://www.pinecone.io/learn/vector-database/, posted Jun '24 by peter in ai development reference storage toread
A vector database indexes and stores vector embeddings for fast retrieval and similarity search, with capabilities like CRUD operations, metadata filtering, horizontal scaling, and serverless.
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No More Angry Birds: Investigating Touchscreen Ergonomics to Improve Tablet-Based Enrichment for Parrots
https://repository.library.northeastern.edu/files/neu:h989sd115, posted Apr '24 by peter in bird cognition science toread
Touchscreen devices, ubiquitous in humans' day-to-day life, offer a promising avenue for animal enrichment. With advanced cognitive abilities, keen visual perception, and adeptness to engage with capacitive screens using dexterous tongues, parrots are uniquely positioned to benefit from this technology. Additionally, pet parrots often lack appropriate stimuli, supporting the need for inexpensive solutions using off-the-shelf devices. However, the current human-centric interaction design standards of tablet applications do not optimally cater to the tactile affordances and ergonomic needs of parrots. To address this, we conducted a study with 20 pet parrots, examining their tactile interactions with touchscreens and evaluating the applicability of existing HCI interaction models. Our research highlights key ergonomic characteristics unique to parrots, which include pronounced multi-tap behavior, a critical size threshold for touch targets, and greater effectiveness of larger targets over closer proximity. Based on these insights, we propose guidelines for tablet-based enrichment systems for companion parrots.
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25 contemporary Ukrainian films to stream right now
https://www.village.com.ua/village/city/eng/335679-ukrayinski-filmi-onlayn-worldwide-suchasni, posted Jan '24 by peter in list movie toread ukraine
The Village Ukraine has put together a list of films to introduce foreign viewers to contemporary Ukrainian cinema. Our intention is to draw our readers’ attention to films that they can legally stream from abroad, rather than compiling a definitive “best of” list.