Peak autumn colors in Seirai-in main hall, Kyoto, Japan

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Peak autumn colors in Seirai-in main hall, Kyoto, Japan

Waseda, December 2025.

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Waseda, December 2025.

ENTRANCE TO AUTUMN TEMPLE

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ENTRANCE TO AUTUMN TEMPLE

永観堂

Japanese Autumn Colors #2

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Japanese Autumn Colors #2

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News for nerds, stuff that matters

Does AI Really Make Coders Faster?

One developer tells MIT Technology Review that AI tools weaken the coding instincts he used to have. And beyond that, "It's just not fun sitting there with my work being done for me."

But is AI making coders faster? "After speaking to more than 30 developers, technology executives, analysts, and researchers, MIT Technology Review found that the picture is not as straightforward as it might seem..."


For some developers on the front lines, initial enthusiasm is waning as they bump up against the technology's limitations. And as a growing body of research suggests that the claimed productivity gains may be illusory, some are questioning whether the emperor is wearing any clothes.... Data from the developer analytics firm GitClear shows that most engineers are producing roughly 10% more durable code — code that isn't deleted or rewritten within weeks — since 2022, likely thanks to AI. But that gain has come with sharp declines in several measures of code quality. Stack Overflow's survey also found trust and positive sentiment toward AI tools falling significantly for the first time. And most provocatively, a July study by the nonprofit research organization Model Evaluation & Threat Research (METR) showed that while experienced developers believed AI made them 20% faster, objective tests showed they were actually 19% slower...

Developers interviewed by MIT Technology Review generally agree on where AI tools excel: producing "boilerplate code" (reusable chunks of code repeated in multiple places with little modification), writing tests, fixing bugs, and explaining unfamiliar code to new developers. Several noted that AI helps overcome the "blank page problem" by offering an imperfect first stab to get a developer's creative juices flowing. It can also let nontechnical colleagues quickly prototype software features, easing the load on already overworked engineers. These tasks can be tedious, and developers are typically glad to hand them off. But they represent only a small part of an experienced engineer's workload. For the more complex problems where engineers really earn their bread, many developers told MIT Technology Review, the tools face significant hurdles...


The models also just get things wrong. Like all LLMs, coding models are prone to "hallucinating" — it's an issue built into how they work. But because the code they output looks so polished, errors can be difficult to detect, says James Liu, director of software engineering at the advertising technology company Mediaocean. Put all these flaws together, and using these tools can feel a lot like pulling a lever on a one-armed bandit. "Some projects you get a 20x improvement in terms of speed or efficiency," says Liu. "On other things, it just falls flat on its face, and you spend all this time trying to coax it into granting you the wish that you wanted and it's just not going to..." There are also more specific security concerns, she says. Researchers have discovered a worrying class of hallucinations where models reference nonexistent software packages in their code. Attackers can exploit this by creating packages with those names that harbor vulnerabilities, which the model or developer may then unwittingly incorporate into software.

Other key points from the article:


LLMs can only hold limited amounts of information in context windows, so "they struggle to parse large code bases and are prone to forgetting what they're doing on longer tasks."

"While an LLM-generated response to a problem may work in isolation, software is made up of hundreds of interconnected modules. If these aren't built with consideration for other parts of the software, it can quickly lead to a tangled, inconsistent code base that's hard for humans to parse and, more important, to maintain."

"Accumulating technical debt is inevitable in most projects, but AI tools make it much easier for time-pressured engineers to cut corners, says GitClear's Harding. And GitClear's data suggests this is happening at scale..."
"As models improve, the code they produce is becoming increasingly verbose and complex, says Tariq Shaukat, CEO of Sonar, which makes tools for checking code quality. This is driving down the number of obvious bugs and security vulnerabilities, he says, but at the cost of increasing the number of 'code smells' — harder-to-pinpoint flaws that lead to maintenance problems and technical debt."



Yet the article cites a recent Stanford University study that found employment among software developers aged 22 to 25 dropped nearly 20% between 2022 and 2025, "coinciding with the rise of AI-powered coding tools."


The story is part of MIT Technology Review's new Hype Correction series of articles about AI.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Parrot OS Switches to KDE Plasma Desktop

"Yet another distro is making the move to the KDE Plasma desktop," writes Linux magazine.

"Parrot OS, a security-focused Linux distribution, is migrating from MATE to KDE Plasma, starting with version 7.0, now available in beta."


Based on Debian 13, Parrot OS's goal is a shift toward "modernization, focusing on clearing technical debt and future-proofing the system." One big under-the-hood change is that the/tmpdirectory is now automatically mounted astmpfs(in RAM), as opposed to the physical drive. By making this change, Parrot OS enjoys improved performance and reduces wear on SSDs. This shift also means that all data in/tmpis lost during a reboot.

ParrotOS senior systems engineer Dario Camonita explains the change in a blog post, calling it "not only aesthetic, but also in terms of usability and greater consistency with our future goals..."


"While MATE will continue to be supported by us as long as upstream development continues, We have noticed and observed the continuous improvements made by the KDE team..."


And elsewhere Linux Magazine notes two other distros are embracing the desktop Enlightenment:




For years, Bodhi Linux was one of the very few distributions that used anything based on Enlightenment. That period of loneliness is officially over, withMX Mokshaand AV Linux 25. MX Moksha doesn't replace the original MX Linux. Instead, it will serve as an "official spin" of the distribution...

The Enlightenment desktop (and subsequently Moksha) was developed with systemd in mind, so MX Moksha uses systemd. If you're not a fan of systemd, MX Moksha is not for you. MX Moksha is lighter than MX Linux, so it will perform better on older machines. It also uses the Liquorix kernel for lower latency.

AV Linux has been released with the Xfce and LXDE desktops at different times and has only recently opted to make the switch to Enlightenment.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Flock Executive Says Their Camera Helped Find Shooting Suspect, Addresses Privacy Concerns

During a search for the Brown shoogin suspect, a law enforcement press conference included a request for "Ring camera footage from residents and businesses near Brown University," according to local news reports.

But in the end it was Flock cameras according to an article in Gizmodo, after a Reddit poster described seeing "odd" behavior of someone who turned out to be the suspect:




The original Reddit poster, identified only as John in the affidavit, contacted police the next day and came in for an interview. He told them about his odd encounter with the suspect, noting that he was acting suspiciously by not having appropriate cold-weather clothes on when he saw him in a bathroom at Brown University. That was two hours before the shooting. After spotting him in the bathroom wearing a mask, John actually started following the suspect in what he called a "game of cat and mouse...." Police detectives showed John two images obtained through Flock, the company that's built extensive surveillance infrastructure across the U.S. used by investigators, and he recognized the suspect's vehicle, replying, "Holy shit. That might be it," according to the affidavit. Police were able to track down the license plate of the rental car, which gave them a name, and within 24 hours, they had found Claudio Manuel Neves Valente dead in a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, where he reportedly rented a unit.
"We intend to continue using technology to make sure our law enforcement are empowered to do their jobs," Flock's safety CEO Garrett Langley wrote on X.com, pinning the post to the top of his feed.

Though ironically, hours before Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez credited Flock for helping to find the suspect, CNN was interviewing Flock's safety CEO to discuss "his response to recent privacy concerns surrounding Flock's technology."



To Langley, the situation underscored the value and importance of Flock's technology, despite mounting privacy concerns that have prompted some jurisdictions to cancel contracts with the company... Langley told me on Thursday that he was motivated to start Flock to keep Americans safer. His goal is to deter crime by convincing would-be criminals they'll be caught... One of Flock's cameras had recently spotted [the suspect's] car, helping police pinpoint Valente's location. Flock turned on additional AI capabilities that were not part of Providence Police's contract with the company to assist in the hunt, a company spokesperson told CNN, including a feature that can identify the same vehicle based on its description even if its license plates have been changed.

The company has faced criticism from some privacy advocates and community groups who worry that its networks of cameras are collecting too much personal information from private citizens and could be misused. Both the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union have urged communities not to work with Flock.
"State legislatures and local governments around the nation need to enact strong, meaningful protections of our privacy and way of life against this kind of AI surveillance machinery," ACLU Senior Policy Analyst Jay Stanley wrote in an August blog post. Flock also drew scrutiny in October when it announced a partnership with Amazon's Ring doorbell camera system... ["Local officers using Flock Safety's technology can now post a request directly in the Ring Neighbors app asking for help," explains Flock's blog post.]


Langley told me it was up to police to reassure communities that the cameras would be used responsibly... "If you don't trust law enforcement to do their job, that's actually what you're concerned about, and I'm not going to help people get over that." Langley added that Flock has built some guardrails into its technology, including audit trails that show when data was accessed. He pointed to a case in Georgia where that audit found a police chief using data from LPR cameras to stalk and harass people. The chief resigned and was arrested and charged in November...

More recently, the company rolled out a "drone as first responder" service — where law enforcement officers can dispatch a drone equipped with a camera, whose footage is similarly searchable via AI, to evaluate the scene of an emergency call before human officers arrive. Flock's drone systems completed 10,000 flights in the third quarter of 2025 alone, according to the company... I asked what he'd tell communities already worried about surveillance from LPRs who might be wary of camera-equipped drones also flying overhead. He said cities can set their own limitations on drone usage, such as only using drones to respond to 911 calls or positioning the drones' cameras on the horizon while flying until they reach the scene. He added that the drones fly at an elevation of 400 feet.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Wel.nl

Minder lezen, Meer weten.

Nationale herdenkingsdag voor slachtoffers Bondi Beach begonnen

SYDNEY (ANP/DPA) - In Australië is zondagochtend (lokale tijd) een nationale herdenkingsdag voor de slachtoffers van de dodelijke aanslag op Bondi Beach van precies een week geleden begonnen.

Op het bekende strand waar schutters tijdens een chanoekaviering het vuur openden op een menigte, verzamelden zich al vroeg veel mensen. Aanwezigen vormden een stille kring in het zand. In het hele land hangen de vlaggen zondag halfstok voor de "dag van nationale bezinning".

Om 18.47 uur lokale tijd, het tijdstip waarop de schutters de eerste schoten losten, wordt een minuut stilte gehouden. Het publiek wordt opgeroepen op dat tijdstip een kaars aan te steken voor de dodelijke slachtoffers.

Door de schietpartij vielen vijftien doden en ruim veertig mensen raakten gewond. Ook een van de schutters kwam om het leven. Een week na de aanslag liggen volgens Sky News Australia nog dertien mensen in het ziekenhuis.


VS onderscheppen opnieuw olietanker voor Venezolaanse kust

WASHINGTON (ANP/BLOOMBERG/RTR) - De VS hebben zaterdag opnieuw een olietanker in het Caribisch gebied aangehouden en geënterd. De Amerikaanse minister van Binnenlandse Veiligheid Kristi Noem zegt dat op X, nadat Amerikaanse media erover bericht hadden op basis van bronnen. Eerder deze week had president Trump een blokkade afgekondigd voor olietankers die op een sanctielijst staan en die van en naar Venezuela varen.

Volgens Bloomberg en The New York Times gaat het om de supertanker Centuries. Die heeft tot 2 miljoen vaten Venezolaanse ruwe olie aan boord, vertellen bronnen die bekend zijn met de zaak. Het schip vaart onder Panamese vlag en een Chinees bedrijf is eigenaar van de olie.

Dit is de tweede tanker die deze maand door de VS wordt onderschept. Maar in tegenstelling tot het eerste schip, dat op 10 december werd aangehouden, stond de Centuries niet op Amerikaanse sanctielijsten.

Trump wil met de olieblokkade een belangrijke inkomstenbron voor Venezuela afsnijden en de druk op de regering van Nicolás Maduro opvoeren. Vrijdag zei Trump tegen nieuwszender NBC dat hij een oorlog met het Zuid-Amerikaanse land niet uitsluit.

In een verklaring veroordeelt de Venezolaanse regering de onderschepping. De regering spreekt van een ernstige daad van piraterij. Venezuela "veroordeelt en verwerpt de diefstal en kaping van een nieuw particulier schip dat olie vervoerde, evenals de gedwongen verdwijning van de bemanning, gepleegd door militair personeel van de Verenigde Staten in internationale wateren," staat in de verklaring.

Volgens Caracas "zullen deze daden niet ongestraft blijven". De regering belooft "alle passende maatregelen te nemen, waaronder het indienen van een klacht bij de Veiligheidsraad van de Verenigde Naties, andere multilaterale organisaties en regeringen wereldwijd".


Leger Israël doodt twee Palestijnen op Westelijke Jordaanoever

TEL AVIV (ANP/AFP) - Het Israëlische leger heeft zaterdag twee Palestijnen gedood in het noorden van de bezette Westelijke Jordaanoever. Het leger beschuldigde de twee ervan Israëlische militairen te hebben aangevallen.

In een verklaring zei het leger dat tijdens een operatie "een terrorist een blok naar de soldaten gooide". Tijdens een andere operatie in een ander gebied gooide "een terrorist een explosief naar de soldaten". In beide gevallen reageerden de soldaten door het vuur te openen "en de terrorist uit te schakelen".

Het Palestijnse persbureau Wafa schrijft op basis van het Palestijnse ministerie van Volksgezondheid dat de doden een 16-jarige jongen en een 22-jarige man zijn. Beide doden vielen in de buurt van de stad Jenin. Het Israëlische leger meldde geen gewonden onder zijn troepen.

Het geweld op de Westoever is sterk toegenomen sinds de oorlog in Gaza uitbrak in oktober 2023. Ondanks het huidige bestand in Gaza is het geweld op de Westelijke Jordaanoever niet afgenomen.


Down Mexico Way

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Down Mexico Way

Most People Order Four

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Most People Order Four

Waseda, December 2025.

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Waseda, December 2025.

Found Ektachrome Slide -- The Gordon Holler Collection

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Found Ektachrome Slide -- The Gordon Holler Collection

date stamped on slide, August 1977, handwritten on slide, "Airplanes NYC"

If I Don't Feel Like Talking I'll Just Let it Ring

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

If I Don't Feel Like Talking I'll Just Let it Ring

Mirror mirror...

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Mirror mirror...

Lynnewood Hall Attic

14486 20251220_063003 the dawn light on the flowering maple

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14486 20251220_063003 the dawn light on the flowering maple

14485 DSC_0005 The mountains db ADJUSTED

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14485 DSC_0005 The mountains db ADJUSTED

14484 DSC_0013 Mural in Boonah cropped

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14484 DSC_0013 Mural in Boonah cropped

Sargasso

Hopeloos Genuanceerd

Zaterdag Nacht C🌟medy

🌟 Kers🌲verhaal 🌟

Losjes gebaseerd op Joppiesaus vers 25:12

Ok, om dan toch maar die godverdomde kerstsfeer erin te rammen bij zuur links, want nu is atheïst zijn weer trending, maar Jezus werd toch geboren en toen kon Maria zich nog niet door een menigte heenworstelen die moordenaar riepen, om bij de deur van de abortuskliniek te komen.

Dus in Godsnaam dan maar, dat kind eruit geperst in zo’n agrarische faciliteit, en vanaf dat moment geen dag meer zonder oorlog geweest. Want er waren ook die kut Marokkanen die zich maar niet wilde laten bekeren.

En ja, ok dat is lullig maar hij is er wel op afgerekend door Yeşilgöz, die hem aan het kruis getackert heeft met het professionele Novus tackerpistool J-666 made in Israël, ook ff aan de loop heeft geblazen. Want ja, iedere Palestijn is er toch 1.

Met onze christenfluisteraar Bontebal kunnen we verwijdering van religie in artikel 23 wel op onze fatsoenlijke onderbuik gaan schrijven dus dat zuigt behoorlijk, maar Jezus is wel dood ! En best hardcore ook, dus denk daar dan aan als je naar dat sprankje kerst emo zoekt 🙌🏼🔨

The end ( voor Jezus dan )


Asley Ryan

Judy Love

Leanne Morgan

  
  

  Christmass is Queer