xk3's recent activity
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Comment on Has anyone worked at <20 person startup before? How was it? in ~tech
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
xk3 LinkOne thing I've discovered this week is how to use beautifulsoup a bit better. Before I was using tag.next_sibling in a lot of places but this can skip a lot of text content. For my situation,...One thing I've discovered this week is how to use beautifulsoup a bit better. Before I was using tag.next_sibling in a lot of places but this can skip a lot of text content. For my situation, extracting text between links (capturing link text in a different step), it only makes sense to use tag.next_sibling once when looking forward in the document and to use tag.next_element everywhere else:
tags = soup.find_all(delimit_fn) for i, tag in enumerate(tags): after_text = [] current_tag = tag.next_sibling while current_tag and (i == len(tags) - 1 or current_tag != tags[i + 1]): # end tag or until next tag if isinstance(current_tag, bs4.NavigableString): text = strings.un_paragraph(current_tag.get_text()).strip() if text and text not in after_text: after_text.append(text) current_tag = current_tag.next_element tag.after_text = "\n".join(after_text).strip() -
Comment on Intel chip failures confirmed in ~tech
xk3 (edited )Link ParentI was surprised to see that there was already an update more than a month ago for my mobo. Additionally, it looks like the new microcode update was published a few weeks ago toothe code changes that should be coming
I was surprised to see that there was already an update more than a month ago for my mobo. Additionally, it looks like the new microcode update was published a few weeks ago too
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Comment on Danecdotes: Reminiscences and Reflections Concerning a Largely Wasted Life in ~life.men
xk3 (edited )Link ParentNo, sorry from the last chapter: I'm pretty sure the author is now dead. edit: yes 1955-2021 https://ourkarlpopper.net/danny-frederick/No, sorry
from the last chapter:
According to my oncologist, I will die some time between December 2020 and June 2021. My main concerns now are to tie up loose ends and to try to ensure that I make the most of the time that I have left. Writing another book is out of the question: it takes a year to write a book plus all the time required to sort out the publishing. I might manage another article; but even that will be difficult because cancer does not only subtract from one's time, it also fills one's remaining time with all sorts of coping activities.
Thanks to cancer, pain is now my almost constant companion. I am consuming painkillers on an industrial scale (okay, I exaggerate a little). As a consequence, I am often sleepy and therefore unfit for much. Further, cancer leaves one more vulnerable to all sorts of other ailments. Since late August 2020 I have been laid up with deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. I inject blood-thinner into my abdomen twice a day and I must spend as much time as possible with my legs horizontal. The two radical operations that I have had mean that sitting with legs horizontal is extremely uncomfortable and usually painful; so I have to lie down in bed. There is not much that one can do if one is lying in bed most of the day. I have a lap-top (as well as my desk-top), so I can go online. I can also read. But being sleepy, due to the painkillers, and lying in bed means that I often drop off to sleep. Further, the pain makes it difficult to concentrate, so even reading a novel is difficult. Part of the pain comes from lying in bed. The major operations I have had mean that it is painful for me to lie on my back, so I have to lie on one side or the other. But lying on my sides most of the day causes pain in my hips.I'm pretty sure the author is now dead.
edit: yes 1955-2021 https://ourkarlpopper.net/danny-frederick/
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Comment on Danecdotes: Reminiscences and Reflections Concerning a Largely Wasted Life in ~life.men
xk3 Link157 pagesThis book tells part of the story of my life in a succession of anecdotes, or ‘Danecdotes,’ as a friend called them. It generally focuses on the unusual and thereby offers material for reflection. I often include some more or less philosophical reflections within the anecdotes; and such reflections often raise further questions too. The book may be considered as a contribution to ‘the philosophy of everyday life.’ The anecdotes are autobiographical and are presented in approximately chronological order.
The topics covered include growing up in the old Notting Hill slums (long since demolished), attendance (and non-attendance) at a comprehensive school in Shepherd's Bush, cohabitation, working in a rough pub in Notting Hill, my life as an aggressive drunk, beer festivals, my on-off academic career, work as a management consultant, workplace bullying, my career as a management accountant, excelling under pressure, fall into depression, anxiety and bruxism, attempts to regain sanity, and philosophical reflections on life, work, management, morals, politics, metaphysics, God, and how to discover oneself. The pdf is available for free download from my Academia page. The paperback is available from Amazon at cost-price.
157 pages
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Danecdotes: Reminiscences and Reflections Concerning a Largely Wasted Life
9 votes -
Comment on CrowdStrike code update bricking Windows machines around the world in ~tech
xk3 Link Parentoof... wtf it's on by default in Windows 11 and they don't tell you?!None of my accounts show this machine has bitlocker and I've never set it up
oof... wtf it's on by default in Windows 11 and they don't tell you?!
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Comment on Preventing the worst supply chain attack you can imagine in the Python ecosystem in ~comp
xk3 (edited )Link ParentFor CPython specifically, I think the trust required is similar in scope to trust in the Linux kernel. Linux is many more millions of lines of code but there are also more people reading it. It's...For CPython specifically, I think the trust required is similar in scope to trust in the Linux kernel. Linux is many more millions of lines of code but there are also more people reading it.
It's pretty easy to build CPython from source but imho it makes sense to trust the version of python that comes with your OS package manager because I think it's more likely than not that at least one additional person, the package maintainer, has read through some of the code changes.
Using pyenv or https://www.python.org/ftp/ directly is risky if you suspect that the build system was compromised.
caught and fixed quickly (which luckily happened in this case)
15 months is quick...?
edit: I took a look at the cpython repo. It looks like Ee Durbin only made two commits within the relevant timeframe:
1829a3c9a3712b6a68a3a449e4a08787c73da51dande1a90ec75cd0f5cab21b467a73404081eaa1077f. Both commits seem pretty innocuous -
Comment on Preventing the worst supply chain attack you can imagine in the Python ecosystem in ~comp
xk3 (edited )Link ParentI'm not sure absolutely zero is quite true. Self-hosted PyPI is pretty common in enterprise environments. But sure, there could be backdoors in CPython right now. They would at least be...absolutely zero steps a company that uses Python could do to prevent themselves from being affected
I'm not sure absolutely zero is quite true. Self-hosted PyPI is pretty common in enterprise environments.
But sure, there could be backdoors in CPython right now. They would at least be auditable--it's not quite as bad as Reflections on Trusting Trust. It might be worse if PyPI the service was compromised because they could send malicious code to only specific people and no one would know... but PyPI itself is just code so it is auditable too.
The token in the article was in the wild from between 2023-03-03 and 2024-06-28... 15 months. I don't think it's beyond reason to assume that at least some nation state actors knew about it.
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Comment on Now available: AI indulgences in ~tech
xk3 LinkUpon confirmation of funds received, you will receive one (1) thumbs up emoji as proof of AI indulgence execution.
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Now available: AI indulgences
12 votes -
Comment on Preventing the worst supply chain attack you can imagine in the Python ecosystem in ~comp
xk3 (edited )Link ParentI don't know exactly how the individual here accidentally added the pyc file to the docker image but I imagine it was an interactive session and then a docker commit. I can think of three...virtually impossible to prevent
I don't know exactly how the individual here accidentally added the pyc file to the docker image but I imagine it was an interactive session and then a
docker commit.I can think of three strategies that would have prevented this:
- Have a pre-commit script that deletes all *.pyc files in the container and then runs
python -m compileall . - Use
ENV PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE=1https://docs.python.org/3/using/cmdline.html#cmdoption-B - Use
.dockerignoreand only build docker images from dockerfiles. Never use interactive sessions.
Looks like someone foresaw this... kind of:
Most likely that you don't even need to think about it, but cache files can contain some sort of sensitive information. Due to the current implementation, in .pyc files presented an absolute path to the actual files. There are situations when you don't want to share such information.
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/59684674/should-i-add-pythons-pyc-files-to-dockerignore - Have a pre-commit script that deletes all *.pyc files in the container and then runs
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Preventing the worst supply chain attack you can imagine in the Python ecosystem
28 votes -
Comment on What do you read/watch to keep up with new computer tech? in ~tech
xk3 Link ParentPower supply efficiency is an inverted U curve. Peak efficiency is usually between 40% and 80% load and smaller loads (0-40%) usually have steeper efficiency dropoffs vs. overloading (80-100%)...also a curve
Power supply efficiency is an inverted U curve. Peak efficiency is usually between 40% and 80% load and smaller loads (0-40%) usually have steeper efficiency dropoffs vs. overloading (80-100%)
https://www.anandtech.com/show/2624/debunking-power-supply-myths/3
My own PC has a decent GPU and 8 HDDs but load (measured by my UPS) is usually between 200-350w. That might be lower than you might expect. I don't use all the W's that my PSU is capable of. Maybe PSU efficiency doesn't really matter very much while electricity is cheap but my main point is that higher numbers are not automatically better. You need to think about the system holistically when choosing parts
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Comment on What do you read/watch to keep up with new computer tech? in ~tech
xk3 (edited )LinkTo answer some of your other prompts more directly: Absolutely, I think there's always been a desire to be both productive and not limited to working in a single location. Since the arrive of the...To answer some of your other prompts more directly:
... desktops? Laptops? Cyberdecks? Is [using a laptop exclusively] reflective of a more general shift?
Absolutely, I think there's always been a desire to be both productive and not limited to working in a single location. Since the arrive of the SSD, there's been fewer and fewer reasons to buy desktops. And more and more people are working exclusively from their phones--they don't need laptops. I think--if you can be productive on a phone you can be productive on a cyberdeck... but I would rate ergonomics and portability of various platforms like this:
Ergonomics: Desktops, Cyberdecks in "desktop" mode, Handheld game consoles (steamdeck, etc), Laptops, Phones, Highly-portable Cyberdecks, Tablets
Portability: Phones, Tablets, Laptops, Handheld consoles, Cyberdecks, Desktops
To explain myself a bit:
Desktops can be the most ergonomic because there is a wide variety of peripherals and they support the most input/output devices.
Laptops and Cyberdecks can be used like Slim PCs. They can support most of the ergonomic scenarios that desktops can. They can also be used in portable-mode but ergonomics without accessories might not be that great. I've never seen a laptop with a built-in ErgoDox EZ for example. But laptops and cyberdecks (if they are rigid enough) can be used in creative positions.
Game consoles, phones, and tablets are the least ergonomic because they support few, if any, peripherals which allow for using the devices in different positions.
Also, new types of devices are being created every day. I think XR glasses will continue to slowly grow in popularity. Maybe in the future laptop screens won't be all that common.
What do you read / where do you post ?
For me personally, I don't track news very much. Instead, I browse different category pages on Microcenter, Amazon, NewEgg, etc and when I see something that looks new or different (eg. Intel Optane) I research about it and try to understand if it is meaningful.
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Comment on What do you read/watch to keep up with new computer tech? in ~tech
xk3 (edited )LinkIt's only gotten easier to be build PCs but it isn't really cheaper anymore. There are some deals and some not so good deals with both. But choosing the best value or best performance parts, not...It's only gotten easier to be build PCs but it isn't really cheaper anymore. There are some deals and some not so good deals with both.
But choosing the best value or best performance parts, not just compatible parts, has gotten a little bit more difficult because there are either too many options or too few options. Simple example: you probably don't need a 1000w PSU and it will almost certainly be less efficient than a 500w PSU for smaller workloads.
CPU Interconnect speed, FCLK, etc has always been a thing but I'd argue that it's even more important nowadays to pay attention. Single thread speed has kind of plateaued and any frequency mismatches add up quickly. Buy a pre-build computer and they should have already figured all this stuff out for you--but unfortunately capitalism has made that not as much of a guarantee:
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Comment on I'm a mess, so I'm making my own file organizer [TagStudio] in ~tech
xk3 (edited )Link ParentI can recommend browsing /r/datacurator/ there are some good ideas there https://old.reddit.com/r/datacurator/top/?sort=top&t=year I also highly recommend reading all the pages on the...I can recommend browsing /r/datacurator/ there are some good ideas there
https://old.reddit.com/r/datacurator/top/?sort=top&t=year
I also highly recommend reading all the pages on the https://johnnydecimal.com/ site. It helped me to start thinking more seriously about organization. It has a lot of good principles but I see a lot of people use it like a stepping stone to something simpler and more personal.
since I plan to jump to linux with a clean slate
I've used Linux for about ten years. I can describe what seems to work well for me. All of my data is stored outside of my home folder. This is true for my main PC, my laptop, and phone. Syncthing connects everything together almost seamlessly.
I have five top-level folders: https://github.com/chapmanjacobd/computer/blob/main/bin/mktree.py
tasks = ['sync', 'dump', 'check', 'library', 'archive'](sync is syncthing)
Within each of these task folders are duplicates of the same named nested folders. This might seem like overkill but it makes it really easy to add new stuff without it cluttering things that are well known and named well. You might think of it like hot-storage/cold-storage because it kind of is. I could easily put the archive folders on a tape device.
If you don't plan on having automatic scripts to move files between
dumpandcheckthen you don't need one of them...I recommend looking into fd-find and xklb*. If you have specific examples of situations that you think might be better solved by a tool I might be able to suggest one.
* disclaimer: I'm an author of it
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Comment on A wife’s revenge from beyond the grave in ~life
xk3 Link Parentjust a small note: I don't know if it's true for this specific news outlet but at many publishers the author rarely has control over the final title/headline/summary. The editor is usually tasked...it's titled "A Wife's Revenge from Beyond the Grave". He still agreed to participate in the article and to be quoted for it
just a small note: I don't know if it's true for this specific news outlet but at many publishers the author rarely has control over the final title/headline/summary. The editor is usually tasked with editorializing... and this happens minutes before publishing or soon after if the article is not performing well :/
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Comment on A wife’s revenge from beyond the grave in ~life
xk3 (edited )Link ParentThanks for your comment. It is really insightful. I've also lived through some tragic experiences as a child which could be considered abuse. When I read "on another occasion made Ally go outside...Thanks for your comment. It is really insightful. I've also lived through some tragic experiences as a child which could be considered abuse. When I read "on another occasion made Ally go outside alone after dark to “clean the garden” in the middle of winter" it made me think of many childhood memories. Of course, I have happy memories growing up too but I also remember doing confusing and meaningless labor. I don't say this to say this made me who I am today because I think that is incorrect thinking: abuse is always unjustified.
I say this because I think there are few perfect parents. In my case it was one parent who came up with "brilliant" discipline opportunities which were probably copied out of 1970s parenting book but which were actually abuse. I think that parent came up with new rules so that more punishment could be administered at a steady rate. But I could easily see two parents doing this. Especially because they both have high-stress jobs and I imagine they don't treat each other well. But, from a purely probability perspective, it's more likely that just one parent was the main abuser. I'm speculating that Allan has no backbone: a doormat but not abusive. In the very least he enabled the abuse to continue for years(!) As far as we can see, he didn't try to get help.
But I also wonder... how. common. this. is. In my own lived experience, the experiences in this article don't seem that extreme. The extreme part to me is all the stuff at the edges: the dropbox, the suicide, and the media. We wouldn't know about this story without these extreme things. It would just be something unknown.
I don't think my life would have been better if my parents divorced--but maybe it would have been better if one of my parents was less spineless. I don't think Allan or Catherine are far abnormal American parents. I think their story is more common than not but the litigation and their careers made them more incompatible and explosive with each other.
I don't think all parents are psychotic. I imagine that somehow most parents are able to work semi-cohesively in a positive way. I imagine that it is something that does not come naturally but it is something that people have to learn and work on.
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Comment on A wife’s revenge from beyond the grave in ~life
xk3 (edited )Link ParentI also imagined this possibility while reading the article. I don't doubt that the article is not biased in favor of the father in some ways, but the article also reflects on that when it says the...It's possible that the girls are lying now, because they know that their father is their only living parent and they want to stay on his good side
I also imagined this possibility while reading the article. I don't doubt that the article is not biased in favor of the father in some ways, but the article also reflects on that when it says the the truth is probably somewhere between her and his side of the story.
I see no names cleared
I think this story does the job of presenting the evidence in a more impartial way (or at least presenting an alternative view) than the articles that were written before it. The article cannot undo the damage that the existing narrative has caused. Beyond documenting the other side of the story I think this article does a good job at showing some of the problems in contemporary life. It's a warning about trusting single sources of information and it's a warning about what it is like to be infamous.
I hope that one day, those girls have the opportunity to have their own truth heard
I hope that this article is close enough to the truth to bring some closure to their lives. It would be very horrible if this article was more concealing than revealing
My last job was like this! Overall, a great experience but I imagine the quality varies more widely than larger companies. The environment can change a lot each time a person leaves or joins--but this is true on some level at larger companies too: one individual can make your life heaven or hell.
I think the added stress of working in a small startup is not worth it unless you are one of the founders. The workload can vary a lot too, depending on how management sees the company (are they planning a product pivot?, etc). Good leadership will know to not demand pointless busy work when they'll need all-hands-on-deck in the upcoming months.