In the rapidly evolving world of engineering technology, professionals devote enormous energy to such tasks as mastering the latest frameworks, optimizing architectures, and refining machine learning models. It’s easy to let technical expertise become the sole measure of professional value. However, one of the most important skills an engineer can develop is the capacity to write and communicate effectively.
Whether you’re conducting research at a university or leading systems development projects at a global firm, your expertise can become impactful only when you share it in a way that others can understand and act upon. Without a clear narrative, even groundbreaking data or innovative designs can fail to gain traction, limiting their reach among colleagues and stakeholders, and in peer‑reviewed journals.
The cost of the “soft skill” misnomer
Writing is often labeled a “soft skill”—which can diminish its importance. In reality, communication is a core engineering competency. It lets us document methods, articulate research findings, and persuade decision-makers who determine whether projects move forward.
If your writing is dense, disorganized, or overloaded with technical jargon, the value of the underlying work can become obscured. A strong proposal might be dismissed not because the idea lacks merit but because the justification is difficult to follow.
Clear writing can strengthen the impact of your work. Poor writing can distract from the points you’re trying to make, as readers might not understand what you’re saying.
The architecture of authority
Technical writing differs from other forms of prose because readers expect information to follow predictable, logical patterns. Unclear writing can leave readers unsure of the author’s intent.
One of the most enduring frameworks for writing about technology in an understandable manner is the IMRaD structure: introduction, methods, results, and discussion.
Introduction: Define the problem and its relevance.
Methods: Detail the approach and justify the choices.
Results: Present the empirical findings.
Discussion: Interpret the outcomes and their implications.
More than just a template for academic papers, IMRaD is a road map for logical reasoning. Mastering the structure can help engineers communicate in a way that aligns with professional writing standards used in technical journals, so their work is better understood and more respected.
Bridging the training gap
Despite technical communication’s importance, engineering curricula often limit or lack formal instruction in it.
Developed by IEEE Educational Activities and the IEEE Professional Communication Society, the learning opportunity goes beyond foundational writing skills. It addresses today’s challenges, such as the ethical use of generative AI in the writing workflow, the complexities of team-based authorship, and publishing strategies.
The program centers on core skill areas that can influence an engineer’s ability to communicate. Participants learn to master the IMRaD structure and learn advanced editing techniques to help strip away jargon, making complex ideas more accessible. In addition, the course covers strategic approaches to publishing work in high‑impact journals and improving a writer’s visibility within the technical community.
The course is available on the IEEE Learning Network. Participants earn professional development credit and a shareable digital badge. IEEE members receive a US $100 discount. Organizations can connect with an IEEE content specialist to offer the training to their teams.
PC Versus is the first ever competitive PC building game where you settle every “my build vs your build” argument once and for all.
In PC Versus, pick components and build the best system possible for each task. Overclock for an edge, but push too far and your build crashes for an instant loss. The custom simulation system surprises you with every configuration thrown … Read More
Galactic Vault is a fast-paced FPS roguelite where you build weapons to their full potential while infiltrating high-security vaults.
In Galactic Vault, big corporations hoard all technology in a dystopian future. As a former VOLT operative, your mission is infiltrating and plundering tech vaults to recover cutting-edge equipment. Start with low-tech weapons and unlock advanced options with hard-earned currency for stronger starts.
Burden Street Station is a surreal narrative adventure where you shapeshift during conversations to uncover how God went missing.
In Burden Street Station, life’s moments are extracted from mortals and transformed into sentient books for consumption by higher beings. A lowly librarian and a book without a moment of its own are coerced into solving the mystery of a missing God.
Poppy Playtime – Chapter 5 Free Download PC Game Cracked in Direct Link and Torrent. Poppy Playtime – Chapter 5 – In the latest terrifying chapter of the Poppy Playtime saga, you are propelled further into the gruesome depths of the factory, with Playtime’s…
Disclaimer: Purchase of this content includes only the fifth chapter. You must first download the Base Game (free) to play this DLC.
Face off against the deadly puppetmaster behind the horrifying events of Playtime Co.
In the latest terrifying chapter of the Poppy Playtime saga, you are propelled further into the gruesome depths of the factory, with Playtime’s security system Huggy Wuggy in hot pursuit.
Abandoned by your only allies, your fight for survival gets all the more challenging as you race further into the abyss that is His domain.
Here, shadows whisper, and the puppet master who lords over this realm pulls the strings of madness. Can you stand against evil and finally put an end to this nightmare? Every bloody move forward will test your resolve as you uncover secrets years in the making.
Features:
Stomach-churning terrors await you in this new section of the factory as you uncover the dark works hidden within The Prototype’s stomping grounds.
In this chilling new layer of the Playtime facility, you will encounter the tortured denizens living in the darkness. They may aid you in your quest to defeat The Prototype, but can they be trusted?
Solve devious puzzles and overcome dangerous environmental obstacles with the power of new GrabPack tools and functionality.
As you reach the true rotten heart at the center of Playtime, you will discover some of the company’s gravest sins.
Will you escape this new realm of shadows with your sanity intact, or will you succumb to the horrors within?
DOWNLOAD LINKS
All links are interchangeable, you can download different parts on different hosts Request a game or request re-upload, visit Game Request If you need help a problem, visit F.A.Q
(See instructions if you don't know how to install: Instructions on how to install)
1. Extract/Install.
2. Crack if needed.
3. Play game.
4. Have fun ^^.
5. (OPTION) Install the update version if they have the future in the link below:
Cold Calling Free Download PC Game Cracked in Direct Link and Torrent. Cold Calling – Operate a telephone switchboard, meet caricatured historical figures, and avert a nuclear war in this alternate history Cold War comedy. Use tactile point-and-click…
CRACKED – FREE DOWNLOAD – TORRENT
Game Overview
Developer: Can’t Get Enough Games
Publisher: Can’t Get Enough Games
Release Date: 15 Feb, 2026
Genre: Adventure, Puzzle
November, 1962: The height of the Cold War. Mere weeks after the Cuban Missile Crisis, a new international entanglement is about to go nuclear. As the new White House switchboard operator, it’s your job to make sure long-distance negotiations don’t go sour. Get ready to phone it in.
In Cold Calling, you manage a chaotic, tactile switchboard, routing high-stakes diplomatic calls between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Connect loose wires, use wacky gadgets, and juggle waves of incoming calls punctuated by hilarious exchanges between characters in a globetrotting adventure where your choices affect the outcome of the story.
GAMEPLAY
Master the switchboard to keep calls on the line:
An arsenal of wacky gadgets.
Use physics-based wires to create paths for your calls, then choose from over two dozen unique gadgets to make your job easier. Find powerful synergies by combining absurd devices like a pirate cannon, a UFO, or…a slice of cheese?
Discover the mysteries of the Time Phone.
Navigate a hilarious narrative featuring dozens of caricatured real life historical figures, and utilize secret government technology to contact voices from the past (and future) in hopes of steering history away from disaster.
Solve puzzles and unravel a conspiracy.
Follow a masked stranger through classic point-and-click segments, then prepare for some old fashioned sleuthing. Your favorite character has a unique side story to unlock, but whose conversation will you choose to listen in on? Your decisions will lead you to one of eight unique endings.
PLAY COLD CALLING IF YOU LIKE…
…Hectic multitasking based challenges under time pressure. (Or not! You can play with no penalties if you’re mainly interested in the story.)
…Tower defense games. Cold Calling plays similarly in some ways, though with much more active interaction during each wave.
DOWNLOAD LINKS
All links are interchangeable, you can download different parts on different hosts Request a game or request re-upload, visit Game Request If you need help a problem, visit F.A.Q
(See instructions if you don't know how to install: Instructions on how to install)
1. Extract/Install.
2. Crack if needed.
3. Play game.
4. Have fun ^^.
5. (OPTION) Install the update version if they have the future in the link below:
Palpus X Annihilation Free Download PC Game Cracked in Direct Link and Torrent. Palpus X Annihilation – Isometric action shooter with light RPG elements. Brutally kill tons of alien monsters, find over a dozen powerful weapons, skill up your hero &…
CRACKED – FREE DOWNLOAD – TORRENT
Game Overview
Developer: Sebastian Vargek (Meister Palpus)
Publisher: Sebastian Vargek (Meister Palpus)
Release Date: 17 Feb, 2026
Genre: Action, Shooter, Sci-fi, RPG
THOUSANDS OF EVIL ALIEN MONSTERS ATTACK CONSTANTLY! BE ON YOUR TOES, STEER THE MASSES AND REACT FAST TO ENEMY AMBUSHES!
12 unique enemy types
14 weapons to find on your mission
Relentless hordes want to eat you
Avoid constant laser fire, rockets and mortars!
Watch your back at all times! (especially in the dark)
AUTOMATIC CHAINGUN TOWERS, HEAVY ARMED TRUCKS, HUGE DEFENSE TURRETS.
Play a handcrafted Campaign and Horde Mode
Control turrets and chaingun trucks
Explore different locations and find secret areas
Use explosives and turrets to your advantage
Skill up your characters abilities: Health, Strength, Accuracy and Speed
Leave nothing but a bloody mess behind!
BLOOD, BODIES, BULLET CASINGS… ALL DESTRUCTION STAYS FOREVER
Tons of chunks, splats, smoke and fire fill the screen.
Accompanied by the sound of your chaingun and a Heavy Metal soundtrack
Beautiful dynamic light system
(Ohh and there’s also a story):
The company has assigned you to investigate the sudden halt in communication from one of their high-tech research facilities.
They’ve picked up some strange bio-signals down there…
DOWNLOAD LINKS
All links are interchangeable, you can download different parts on different hosts Request a game or request re-upload, visit Game Request If you need help a problem, visit F.A.Q
(See instructions if you don't know how to install: Instructions on how to install)
1. Extract/Install.
2. Crack if needed.
3. Play game.
4. Have fun ^^.
5. (OPTION) Install the update version if they have the future in the link below:
Stormbridge Free Download PC Game Cracked in Direct Link and Torrent. Stormbridge – Can you build the longest bridge before the storm catches up? Stormbridge is a roguelite city builder about growth, survival, and watching everything fall apart….
Manage your resources as you build, survive, and stay ahead of the relentless storm on your tail. Unlock new epic buildings, build shields to protect your structures, or place turrets and go on the offensive. Brave blizzards and fiery tornadoes – and discover ways to neutralize them before they tear your bridge apart.
Can you build the longest bridge and stay ahead of the danger?
Settlers are the lifeblood of your bridge settlement. They staff buildings, keep production running, and make sure your resource chains don’t fall apart. Keep them fed, warm, happy, and healthy as the storm closes in, and plan housing and essentials so your community can grow instead of panic.
As your settlement expands, assign specialized roles like farmers, scientists, and engineers to boost key buildings and unlock stronger systems. The right people in the right jobs can mean the difference between a smooth run and a collapse.
This bridge isn’t just a crossing – it’s a moving, living community you’re trying to keep alive!
Losing and restarting is part of the experience! Every run teaches you something new. Permanent upgrades carry over between attempts, making you stronger and helping you push farther each time.
Recruit adorable companions along the way – whether it’s five unicorns or a whole zoo of critters (dogs, penguins, frogs, chickens, even an armadillo). Each pet grants a unique buff that can shape your strategy. As you progress, you’ll also unlock traits that offer meaningful bonuses, like extra starting resources or faster production.
Travel across distinct biomes as you piece together clues about the storm’s origins. Each region brings new mechanics, new tools, and new threats – and forces you to adapt your strategy to survive:
Tundra: Find ways to withstand freezing temperatures, manage heat, and keep your settlers from shutting down in the cold.
DOWNLOAD LINKS
All links are interchangeable, you can download different parts on different hosts Request a game or request re-upload, visit Game Request If you need help a problem, visit F.A.Q
(See instructions if you don't know how to install: Instructions on how to install)
1. Extract/Install.
2. Crack if needed.
3. Play game.
4. Have fun ^^.
5. (OPTION) Install the update version if they have the future in the link below:
Hold The Mine Free Download PC Game Cracked in Direct Link and Torrent. Hold The Mine – Explore and defend your mine against waves of monsters in this innovative roguelike survival game! Collect and manage your resources, discover buildings with…
CRACKED – FREE DOWNLOAD – TORRENT
Game Overview
Developer: Hookaria Games
Publisher: Goblinz Publishing, Gamirror Games
Release Date: 17 Feb, 2026
Genre: Strategy, Tower Defense, Building
In Hold the Mine, explore a long-forgotten mine, gather precious resources, and build powerful structures that synergize with the heroes you unleash along the way. As night falls, defend your mine against relentless waves of monsters.
Your goal? Hold the line and survive until the sun rises!
Each day, you’ll guide your dwarf through the mine with a limited number of expeditions, allowing you to mine several blocks in a row. Optimize your route and let them do the rest! But be careful not to venture too far into the unknown — who knows what dangers lurk in the darkness?
Use your resources to construct powerful buildings with unique effects. Discover blueprints and create smart synergies that boost your progress and defense as the mine grows deeper.
Free heroes trapped within the mine and enhance them using mysterious runes and exotic fruits found along the way. Unlock their abilities and upgrade their stats to unleash their full potential and protect the gate each night.
Certain buildings allow you to use battle-changing powers when the time is right. Use them wisely to help your heroes hold back the army of monsters sent by the cursed tower and prevent the mine’s door from being blown up.
Game Content
12 heroes with over 50 abilities to unlock
75+ buildings and relics with their own unique effects and powers
20+ types of blocks to discover
DOWNLOAD LINKS
All links are interchangeable, you can download different parts on different hosts Request a game or request re-upload, visit Game Request If you need help a problem, visit F.A.Q
(See instructions if you don't know how to install: Instructions on how to install)
1. Extract/Install.
2. Crack if needed.
3. Play game.
4. Have fun ^^.
5. (OPTION) Install the update version if they have the future in the link below:
Dobbel Dungeon Free Download PC Game Cracked in Direct Link and Torrent. Dobbel Dungeon – Gather your party, roll your dice and battle across the islands to put an end to a powerful curse once and for all in this roguelike turn-based tactical RPG!
CRACKED – FREE DOWNLOAD – TORRENT
Game Overview
Developer: Gamepie
Publisher: Gamepie
Release Date: 16 Feb, 2026
Genre: RPG, Strategy
A mysterious curse grips the land…
As a magical shockwave swept across the land, all sorts of wildlife suddenly transformed into monstrous versions of themselves and started rebelling against the locals… Gather your party, roll your dice and battle across the islands to put an end to this curse once and for all!
Become a master dice-manipulator and tactician as you set out on a quest to end the mysterious curse! Begin each adventure by selecting a party of 3 heroes, each with their own unique skill set and playstyle, before venturing out into the wild.
Rescue new heroes along the way, find powerful build-defining items and spend your hard-earned gold at that little shop whose owner you just saved from certain doom! The decisions you make and quests you complete during each run will help your heroes improve in unique ways each time you play.
Characters roll their dice at the start of their turn, which they can then use to power their various actions. There are no hit-or-miss systems in Dobbel Dungeon. Instead, as long as you have the required dice, your actions will execute exactly as described, giving you the opportunity to carefully plan around your rolls each turn!
Of course, if you find yourself disagreeing with your dice, there are ways to ‘gently nudge’ them in the right direction via various manipulative actions gained through items and skills!
Are you getting smacked around too much? Do you need more dice to fuel your vast array of actions? Or are you always just one step away from your target? Then go and get yourself some quality items to gain a tactical advantage!
But wait, there’s more! Besides boosting your stats, certain items may also provide additional actions, passive effects or even modifications to your skills! Customization galore!
DOWNLOAD LINKS
All links are interchangeable, you can download different parts on different hosts Request a game or request re-upload, visit Game Request If you need help a problem, visit F.A.Q
(See instructions if you don't know how to install: Instructions on how to install)
1. Extract/Install.
2. Crack if needed.
3. Play game.
4. Have fun ^^.
5. (OPTION) Install the update version if they have the future in the link below:
This is a brief description of a project that has already autoformalized a large portion of the general topology from the Munkres textbook (which has in total 241 pages in 7 chapters and 39 sections).
The project has been running since November 21, 2025 and has as of January 4, 2026, produced 160k lines of formalized topology. Most of it (about 130k lines) have been done in two weeks, from December 22 to January 4, for an LLM subscription cost of about $100. This includes a 3k-line proof of Urysohn’s lemma, a 2k-line proof of Urysohn’s Metrization theorem, over 10k-line proof of the Tietze extension theorem, and many more (in total over 1.5k lemmas/theorems).
The approach is quite simple and cheap: build a long-running feedback loop between an LLM and a reasonably fast proof checker equipped with a core foundational library. The LLM is now instantiated as ChatGPT (mostly 5.2) or Claude Sonnet (4.5) run through the respective Codex or Claude Code command line interfaces. The proof checker is Chad Brown’s higher-order set theory
system Megalodon, and the core library is Brown’s formalization of basic set theory and surreal numbers (including reals, etc). The rest is some prompt engineering and technical choices which we describe here. Based on the fast progress, low cost, virtually unknown ITP/library, and the simple setup available to everyone, we believe that (auto)formalization may become quite easy and ubiquitous in 2026, regardless of which proof assistant is used.
Based on Age.of.Empires.II.Definitive.Edition.The.Last.Chieftains-RUNE scene ISO release: rune-age.of.empires.ii.definitive.edition.the.last.chieftains.iso (52,654,440,448 bytes)
Game version: v101.103.38051.0 (#169123); 15 DLCs/Bonuses are included with Enhanced Graphics Pack & Bonus Soundtrack available as an optional download
100% Lossless & MD5 Perfect: all files are identical to originals after installation
NOTHING ripped, NOTHING re-encoded
Selective Download feature: you can skip downloading and installing of Enhanced Graphics Pack and voiceovers you don’t need
Significantly smaller archive size (compressed from 49 to 12.3~32.4 GB, depending on selected components)
Installation takes 9-50 minutes (depending on your system and selected components)
After-install integrity check so you could make sure that everything installed properly
HDD space after installation: up to 85.5 GB
Language can be changed in game settings
Repack uses XTool library by Razor12911
At least 2 GB of free RAM (inc. virtual) required for installing this repack
Copy contents of “_Windows 7 Fix” folder to the game root to be able to play on Windows 7
Game Description
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition celebrates the 20th anniversary of one of the most popular strategy games ever with stunning 4K Ultra HD graphics, a new and fully remastered soundtrack, and brand-new content, “The Last Khans” with 3 new campaigns and 4 new civilizations.
Explore all the original campaigns like never before as well as the best-selling expansions, spanning over 200 hours of gameplay and 1,000 years of human history. Head online to challenge other players with 35 different civilizations in your quest for world domination throughout the ages.
Choose your path to greatness with this definitive remaster to one of the most beloved strategy games of all time.
Enhanced Graphics Pack
The Enhanced Graphics Pack increases Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition to ultra-high fidelity resolution. Before you attempt to install, please make sure that your system requirements meet or exceed the minimum specs for this content: 2.4 Ghz i5 or greater or AMD equivalent, 8 GB RAM, Nvidia® GTX 650 / AMD HD 5850 or better
In example, if you want to launch the game w/p EGP and with Spanish UI/Subtitles/Voiceovers – skip all “selective/optional” files, but download fg-selective-all-non-english.bin, fg-selective-spanish.bin, fg-selective-spanish-2.bin & all main files (01-12).
Backwards Compatibility
This repack IS partially backwards compatible with previous AoE2DE repack. You can rehash the following files to save up to 10.3 GB of traffic:
Demolition of the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, the site of a mass shooting in 2016, will take place in mid-March in preparation for the construction of a permanent memorial, local media report.
This is just a notice for my subscribers about freshly updated Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition repack. Now it’s updated to v101.103.38051.0 (#169123) and includes 15 DLCs/Bonuses.
Vercel a testé deux méthodes pour aider les agents IA à coder avec les nouvelles APIs de Next.js 16 : des skills (documents dynamiques) et un simple fichier AGENTS.md (contexte statique). Résultat : le fichier markdown compressé à 8Ko a obtenu 100% de réussite, contre 79% max pour les skills, même avec des instructions explicites. Les skills sont trop dépendantes de la formulation et pas assez utilisées par les modèles, alors que le contexte passif évite les étapes de décision et reste toujours disponible. Un coup de npx @next/codemod@canary agents-md et c’est réglé pour ton projet.
With the continued growth of pirate IPTV services in recent years, TV broadcasters and distributors have been ramping up their anti-piracy efforts.
The International Broadcaster Coalition Against Piracy (IBCAP) has been particularly active. It’s also the main driver behind a new lawsuit filed yesterday by DISH Network at a New York federal court.
Dish Sues Pirate IPTV Operation
The American pay-TV provider accuses Moroccan resident Idriss Elkasmi and various unnamed defendants of running the IPTV operation, using various brands, including DMTN IPTV, Idriss Premium TV and Manx TV.
These services allegedly offered access to thousands of live channels and up to 100,000 movies and series on demand.
100,000+ movies and series
In addition, the complaint names Ali Ezzaary and various John Does as co-defendants. They allegedly promoted and enabled access to the pirate IPTV services as secondary infringers by collecting payments, among other things.
The complaint
Dish has been aware of the IPTV services for years already and repeatedly issued takedown notices, hoping to stop the infringing activity. However, that didn’t yield the desired result, after which Dish decided to take legal action.
“Even after receiving 68 cease-and-desist notices from DISH between 2021 and 2026, Elkasmi and the other Defendants have defiantly continued to operate the Infringing Service, willfully infringing DISH’s copyrights on a massive scale with actual knowledge that their activities are unlawful,” the complaint reads.
Leather Backpack & Breaking Bad
According to the International Broadcaster Coalition Against Piracy (IBCAP), which coordinates the legal action on behalf of Dish, the operators also used various deceptive tactics to hide the nature of their operation.
When an undercover Dish investigator purchased an IPTV subscription, Elkasmi’s WhatsApp account sent instructions to send the payment to another business called “Genuine Leather”.
When finalized, the investigator received a receipt falsely stating the purchase was for a “Philos Brown Leather BackPack.” Soon after, the same investigator received working credentials to access the pirate IPTV service.
As DISH’s investigative activity intensified ahead of filing, Elkasmi allegedly took additional steps to obscure his identity. He took down his LinkedIn profile and replaced his Facebook profile photo with an image of someone else entirely.
“The new photo used by Defendant Elkasmi is in fact an image of a famous Hollywood director named Vince Gilligan, who gained notoriety as the creator of a popular television show called ‘Breaking Bad,’ as well as its spinoff, ‘Better Call Saul.’ The same image appears on Mr. Gilligan’s IMDB page,” the complaint reads.
“There is no indication that Mr. Gilligan has any connection whatsoever to Defendant Elkasmi or the Infringing Service,” the complaint adds.
Fakebook profile
$21 Million & a Broad Injunction
The lawsuit mentions that at least 145 registered copyrighted works were infringed, and DISH seeks the maximum of $150,000 in statutory copyright infringement damages for each, totaling over $21 million.
Beyond the multi-million damages figure, DISH requests a permanent injunction and the transfer of domains including dmtn4k.com, dmtn-tv.net, and dmtn8k.com. In addition, it would like the injunction to cover third parties enabling the service. That includes hosting providers, CDNs, ISPs, and payment processors.
One of the IPTV portals
IBCAP executive director Chris Kuelling said the organization expects the case to follow the pattern of previous successful actions. In addition to a victory in court, he hopes that intermediaries, ranging from payment providers to CDNs, will help to keep the IPTV services offline.
“In line with past lawsuit wins, we expect a similar outcome in this case, including a broad injunction that can be enforced against third parties, such as hosting providers, CDNs, ISPs, and payment processors, to stop this infringement,” Kuelling said.
The involvement of third-party intermediaries could be key, as the Moroccan defendants have not been very responsive thus far. They allegedly ignored previous takedown requests from rightsholders in the past, so there’s a realistic chance that they will not appear in court either.
As of the filing date, dmtn8k.com and dmtniptv.net remain active, and these services continue to operate.
—-
A copy of the complaint filed by Dish Network at the Southern District of New York is available here (pdf).
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
worktrunk c'est un outil en CLI pour gérer les git worktree sans se prendre la tête, surtout utile quand tu fais bosser 10 agents IA en parallèle sur des branches différentes. Ça simplifie la création, le switch et le nettoyage des worktrees, avec des hooks pour automatiser tes workflows locaux. Install via brew/cargo/winget, et c'est parti pour lancer des tâches en parallèle sans que tout pète 🔥.
Earlier this month we spotted the addition of a new GFX1170 GPU target in the AMDGPU LLVM back-end. Making this GFX1170 target interesting is that its marked as an APU/SoC part with "RDNA 4m" while being part of the GFX11 series. The GFX11 series is for RDNA3, GFX115x is for RDNA 3.5, and GFX12 is RDNA4. More ISA changes have now been committed to the AMDGPU LLVM back-end that make a few more instruction differences better aligned with RDNA4...
Des débordements de la Garonne sont attendus ce jeudi matin à Bordeaux, où le niveau du fleuve pourrait dépasser les 7,05 mètres enregistrés en 1999. Une cellule de crise a été constituée à la mairie de Bordeaux, qui a lancé un plan communal de sauvegarde. Deux salles sont ouvertes pour les personnes nécessitant une mise à l’abri, et une troisième pour les sans-abri.
I’ve talked on Techdirt about just a few of my AI-related experiments over the past few years, including how I use it to help me edit pieces, which I still write myself. I still have no intention of letting AI write for me, but as the underlying technology has continued to level up, every so often I’ll run a test to see if it could write a better Techdirt post than I can. I don’t think it’s there (and I’m still not convinced it will ever get there), but I figured I can share the process with you, and let you be the judge.
I wanted to pick a fairly straightforward article, rather than a more complex one, just to see how well it works. In this case, I figured I’d try it with the story I published last week about Judge Boasberg ruling against the Trump administration and calling out how the DOJ barely participated in the case, and effectively told him to “pound sand” (a quote directly from the judge).
I know that just telling it to write a Techdirt article by itself will lead to pretty bland “meh” content. So before I even get to the prompt, there are some steps I need to include. First, over time I continue to adjust the underlying “system prompt” I use for editing my pieces. I won’t post the entire system prompt here as it’s not that interesting, but I do use it to make it clear its job is to help me be a better writer, not to be a sycophant, not to try to change things just for the sake of change, and to suggest things that will most help the reader.
I also have a few notes in it about avoiding recommending certain “AI-style” cliches like “it’s not this, it’s that.” Also, a specific one for me: “don’t suggest changing ‘fucked up’ to ‘messed up.’” It does that a lot for my writing.
But that’s not all. I also feed in Techdirt samples, which are a collection of ten of my favorite articles, so it gets a sense of what a “Techdirt article” looks like. On top of that, I give it a “Masnick Style Guide” that I had created after feeding a bunch of Techdirt articles into three different LLMs, asking for each to produce a style guide, and then having NotebookLLM combine them all into a giant “Masnick style-guide.”
Then, I feed it any links, including earlier stories on Techdirt, that are relevant, before finally writing out a prompt that can be pretty long. In this test case, I fed it the PDF file of the decision. I also gave it Techdirt’s previous stories about Judge Boasberg.
Finally, I gave it a starting prompt with a fair bit of explanation of what angle I was hoping to see a Techdirt post on this topic. So here’s my full prompt:
Can you write a Techdirt style first draft of a post (see the attached Techdirt post samples, as well as the even more important Masnick style guide, which you should follow) about the attached ruling in the JGG v. Trump case by Judge James Boasberg. I have also attached a page of previous articles about Judge Boasberg which you should consider, especially as some reference this same case.
You may also want to highlight that Judge Boasberg just was vindicated after the DOJ filed a vexatious complaint against him because of earlier rulings in this case, but that complaint has been easily dismissed. The crux of this article, though, should be on the very strong language Boasberg uses, including the astoundingly candid statement that he felt the government “apparently was no interested in participating in this process” and how he read their response as telling “the Court to pound sand.” There are other parts of the ruling that are useful as well. It should also call out the specific remedy here, and how weak it feels, given the situation explained in the ruling and the DOJ’s actions. Yes, they lost the case, but this still feels like a slap on the wrist with no real consequences for the DOJ.
As always with Techdirt posts, instead of doing in-line quotes, we usually do blockquotes, often of one or even multiple paragraphs from the original sources, so please adhere to that style. Take all of this info and draft the best Techdirt post you can regarding the topic.
And… you can see the results embedded below. I’ve also embedded my original article (though you can just go read it on the site directly). I’m amused that it added a “from the such and such dept” line as well as tags, both of which are core parts of Techdirt posts, but not things I asked it for.
I’m extremely biased, as this is a question of who writes better, me or the machine, and I still think I’m better than the machine. But, I also have to admit it’s not bad. It’s decent. If I had that submitted by another writer, there are definitely changes and edits I’d make, especially to the crappy cliche’d ending. But it’s way better than what most people think of as traditional ChatGPT output, in part because of all the context and detailed instructions I fed it.
Just for fun, I then also asked my editing tool to do its own edit on its own writing (usually not a good idea to let it grade its own homework), but here’s what it had to say:
solid draft. the “pound sand” framing works well and the frustration comes through. few things:
the tension setup: you flag “frustratingly toothless” in graf 3 then say “on one level this is a win” much later. that’s the right editorial instinct—there IS genuine tension here—but you’re burying the lede on your own argument. consider setting up that complexity earlier so readers know they’re getting nuance, not whiplash.
missing a key detail from the ruling: Boasberg notes that “even Plaintiffs’ counsel could not represent how many of the 137 are still in Venezuela and how many wish to proceed with habeas.” that’s devastating. the chaos is so complete that the lawyers literally don’t know where everyone is. worth including.
the numbered remedies block: you cut it off mid-list. the 5th point actually matters—there’s a March 13 deadline for the government to file a Status Report explaining how/when they’ll transport people back. that’s your next milestone. either include it or acknowledge you’re excerpting.
the Venezuela carve-out: you mention it but undersell it. the ruling specifically says it’s “mindful” of the “situation in Venezuela remains in flux” given “the United States’s recent law-enforcement action there.” that’s pretty ominous language from a federal judge about whatever the hell the administration is doing in Venezuela right now. might be worth a parenthetical noting this deserves its own article.
the closer: “I wouldn’t hold my breath” is fine but feels like boilerplate. you’ve got stronger material to end on—maybe the March 13 deadline, or something that points forward rather than just shrugging.
one small thing: “a complaint that was summarily dismissed” in graf 2—might want “recently dismissed” or similar since it was just last week. “summarily” suggests procedure when really the story is how embarrassing the dismissal was.
overall structure is good. the piece does what Techdirt does well: walks through the actual document, quotes liberally, and doesn’t pretend the “win” is bigger than it is.
You’ll note that it also calls out its own weak ending, just like I did. It is kind of wild to see the AI call out its own weaknesses, while making you wonder—if that’s the case—why did it not catch those earlier and fix them? And that then makes you wonder if it’s just coming up with a critique for the sake of giving one (though, that ending really is weak).
The other thing I’ll note is, again, this actually was still a fair bit of work. It was less than writing the whole thing myself, but even just writing out the prompt itself took time, and this piece would still need a fair bit of editing anyway for publication which would probably take away any time benefit.
Overall, though, you can see how the technology is certainly getting better. I still don’t think it can write as well as I do, but there are some pretty good bits in there.
Once again, this tech remains quite useful as a tool to assist people with their work. But it’s not really good at replacing your work. Indeed, if I asked the AI to write articles for Techdirt, I’d probably spend just as much time rewriting/fixing it as I would just writing the original in the first place. It still provides me very good feedback (on this article that you’re reading now, for example, the AI editor warned me that my original ending was pretty weak, and suggested I add a paragraph talking more about the conclusions which, uh, is what I’m now doing here).
I honestly think the biggest struggle with AI over the next year or so is going to be between the people who insist it can totally replace humans, leading to shoddy and problematic work, and the smaller group of people who use it as a tool to assist them in doing their own work better. The problems come in when people overestimate its ability to do the former, while underestimating its ability to do the latter.
Based on Styx.Blades.of.Greed-RUNE ISO release: rune-styx.blades.of.greed.iso (21,532,737,536 bytes)
5 DLCs are included and activated
100% Lossless & MD5 Perfect: all files are identical to originals after installation
NOTHING ripped, NOTHING re-encoded
Selective Download feature: you may skip downloading and installing of useless files (game trailer + PDB file for debugging)
Smaller archive size (compressed from 20.1 to 16.7/17.1 GB)
Installation takes 15-35 minutes (depending on your system)
After-install integrity check so you could make sure that everything installed properly
HDD space after installation: up to 23.4 GB
Language can be changed in game settings
Repack uses XTool library by Razor12911
At least 3 GB of free RAM (inc. virtual) required for installing this repack
Game Description
You play as Styx, a cunning goblin with a caustic sense of humor who has mastered the art of stealth. Your goal is to get your hands on Quartz, the most precious – and dangerous – resource in a world on the brink of war between elves, humans and orcs.
Styx: Blades of Greed refines the proven formula of the first two games by making freedom and creativity central to the experience. Explore vast vertical environments and master new tools and powers. Whether you’re discovering Styx for the first time or you’re a longtime fan, it has never been so exciting to be greedy!
Game Features
FROM PAWN TO BOSS QUITE THE RISE IN STATURE! – No more working for others! This time, our famous green-skinned friend is pursuing his own goal and leading his own crew. Aboard his zeppelin, Styx and his crew hunt down a new, mysterious power source: Quartz. Throughout your mischievous journey, you’ll encounter familiar faces and colorful new characters while outwitting the Inquisition’s traps. This adventure marks the beginning of the Great War and the creation of the Black Hand, the mercenary group central to the events of Of Orcs and Men.
INFILTRATION IS AN ART AND THE DAGGER IS THE BRUSH – Every great heist requires preparation! Craft weapons and potions before executing your next scheme. A wide range of abilities is at your disposal: Cloning and Invisibility return thanks to your Amber skills. Master Mind Control and Time Shift abilities granted by Quartz. Every situation is a stealth puzzle you can solve in multiple ways. Despite his small size, Styx relies on agility, sharp wit and biting humor to escape the trickiest situations. Always reaching for the dagger first? Who are we to judge… No harm seen, no harm done!
A FANTASY WORLD AWAITS, IF YOU FLY PAST THE LAW – Roam freely around three vast open environments: The Wall, which marks the boundary of the human world; the lush orc village of Turquoise Dawn; and the Ruins of the elven capital, Akenash. Soar through the skies with your glider, reach inaccessible spots in a flash with your grapple, and scale massive walls with your claws. Take advantage of the vertical environments to reach your targets. Every new tool unlocks previously unreachable areas with Metroidvania-style progression.
Surveillance technology vendors, federal agencies, and wealthy private donors have long helped provide local law enforcement “free” access to surveillance equipment that bypasses local oversight. The result is predictable: serious accountability gaps and data pipelines to other entities, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), that expose millions of people to harm.
The collection and sharing of our data quietly generates detailed records of people’s movements and associations that can be exposed, hacked, or repurposed without their knowledge or consent. Those records weaken sanctuary and First Amendment protections while facilitating the targeting of vulnerable people.
Cities can and should use their power to reject federal grants, vendor trials, donations from wealthy individuals, or participation in partnerships that facilitate surveillance and experimentation with spy tech.
If these projects are greenlit, oversight is imperative. Mechanisms like public hearings, competitive bidding, public records transparency, and city council supervision aid to ensure these acquisitions include basic safeguards — like use policies, audits, and consequences for misuse — to protect the public from abuse and from creeping contracts that grow into whole suites of products.
Clear policies and oversight mechanisms must be in place before using any surveillance tools, free or not, and communities and their elected officials must be at the center of every decision about whether to bring these tools in at all.
Here are some of the most common methods “free” surveillance tech makes its way into communities.
Trials and Pilots
Police departments are regularly offered free access to surveillance tools and software through trials and pilot programs that often aren’t accompanied by appropriate use policies. In many jurisdictions, trials do not trigger the same requirements to go before decision-makers outside the police department. This means the public may have no idea that a pilot program for surveillance technology is happening in their city.
In Denver, Colorado, the police department is running trials of possible unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for a drone-as-first-responder (DFR) program from two competing drone vendors: Flock Safety Aerodome drones (through August 2026) and drones from the company Skydio, partnering with Axon, the multi-billion dollar police technology company behind tools like Tasers and AI-generated police reports. Drones create unique issues given their vantage for capturing private property and unsuspecting civilians, as well as their capacity to make other technologies, like ALPRs, airborne.
Functional, Even Without Funding
We’ve seen cities decide not to fund a tool, or run out of funding for it, only to have a company continue providing it in the hope that money will turn up. This happened in Fall River, Massachusetts, where the police department decided not to fund ShotSpotter’s $90,000 annual cost and its frequent false alarms, but continued using the system when the company provided free access.
Importantly, police technology companies are developing more features and subscription-based models, so what’s “free” today frequently results in taxpayers footing the bill later.
Gifts from Police Foundations and Wealthy Donors
Police foundations and the wealthy have pushed surveillance-driven agendas in their local communities by donating equipment and making large monetary gifts, another means of acquiring these tools without public oversight or buy-in.
In Atlanta, the Atlanta Police Foundation (APF) attempted to use its position as a private entity to circumvent transparency. Following a court challenge from the Atlanta Community Press Collective and Lucy Parsons Labs, a Georgia court determined that the APF must comply with public records laws related to some of its actions and purchases on behalf of law enforcement. In San Francisco, billionaire Chris Larsen has financially supported a supercharging of the city’s surveillance infrastructure, donating $9.4 million to fund the San Francisco Police Department’s (SFPD) Real-Time Investigation Center, where a menu of surveillance technologies and data come together to surveil the city’s residents. This move comes after the billionaire backed a ballot measure, which passed in March 2025, eroding the city’s surveillance technology law and allowing the SFPD free rein to use new surveillance technologies for a full year without oversight.
Free Tech for Federal Data Pipelines
Federal grants and Department of Homeland Security funding are another way surveillance technology appears free to, only to lock municipalities into long‑term data‑sharing and recurring costs.
Through the Homeland Security Grant Program, which includes the State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) and the Urban Areas Security (UASI) Initiative, and Department of Justice programs like Byrne JAG, the federal government reimburses states and cities for “homeland security” equipment and software, including including law‑enforcement surveillance tools, analytics platforms, and real‑time crime centers. Grant guidance and vendor marketing materials make clear that these funds can be used for automated license plate readers, integrated video surveillance and analytics systems, and centralized command‑center software—in other words, purchases framed as counterterrorism investments but deployed in everyday policing.
Vendors have learned to design products around this federal money, pitching ALPR networks, camera systems, and analytic platforms as “grant-ready” solutions that can be acquired with little or no upfront local cost. Motorola Solutions, for example, advertises how SHSP and UASI dollars can be used for “law enforcement surveillance equipment” and “video surveillance, warning, and access control” systems. Flock Safety, partnering with Lexipol, a company that writes use policies for law enforcement, offers a “License Plate Readers Grant Assistance Program” that helps police departments identify federal and state grants and tailor their applications to fund ALPR projects.
Grant assistance programs let police chiefs fast‑track new surveillance: the paperwork is outsourced, the grant eats the upfront cost, and even when there is a formal paper trail, the practical checks from residents, councils, and procurement rules often get watered down or bypassed.
On paper, these systems arrive “for free” through a federal grant; in practice, they lock cities into recurring software, subscription, and data‑hosting fees that quietly turn into permanent budget lines—and a lasting surveillance infrastructure—as soon as police and prosecutors start to rely on them. In Santa Cruz, California, the police department explicitly sought to use a DHS-funded SHSP grant to pay for a new citywide network of Flock ALPR cameras at the city’s entrances and exits, with local funds covering additional cameras. In Sumner, Washington, a $50,000 grant was used to cover the entire first year of a Flock system — including installation and maintenance — after which the city is on the hook for roughly $39,000 every year in ongoing fees. The free grant money opens the door, but local governments are left with years of financial, political, and permanent surveillance entanglements they never fully vetted.
The most dangerous cost of this “free” funding is not just budgetary; it is the way it ties local systems into federal data pipelines. Since 9/11, DHS has used these grant streams to build a nationwide network of at least 79–80 state and regional fusion centers that integrate and share data from federal, state, local, tribal, and private partners. Research shows that state fusion centers rely heavily on the DHS Homeland Security Grant Program (especially SHSP and UASI) to “mature their capabilities,” with some centers reporting that 100 percent of their annual expenditures are covered by these grants.
Civil rights investigations have documented how this funding architecture creates a backdoor channel for ICE and other federal agencies to access local surveillance data for their own purposes. A recent report by the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.) describes ICE agents using a Philadelphia‑area fusion center to query the city’s ALPR network to track undocumented drivers in a self‑described sanctuary city.
Ultimately, federal grants follow the same script as trials and foundation gifts: what looks “free” ends up costing communities their data, their sanctuary protections, and their power over how local surveillance is used.
Protecting Yourself Against “Free” Technology
The most important protection against “free” surveillance technology is to reject it outright. Cities do not have to accept federal grants, vendor trials, or philanthropic donations. Saying no to “free” tech is not just a policy choice; it is a political power that local governments possess and can exercise. Communities and their elected officials can and should refuse surveillance systems that arrive through federal grants, vendor pilots, or private donations, regardless of how attractive the initial price tag appears.
For those cities that have already accepted surveillance technology, the imperative is equally clear: shut it down. When a community has rejected use of a spying tool, the capabilities, equipment, and data collected from that tool should be shut off immediately. Full stop.
And for any surveillance technology that remains in operation, even temporarily, there must be clear rules: when and how equipment is used, how that data is retained and shared, who owns data and how companies can access and use it, transparency requirements, and consequences for any misuse and abuse.
“Free” surveillance technology is never free. Someone profits or gains power from it. Police technology vendors, federal agencies, and wealthy donors do not offer these systems out of generosity; they offer them because surveillance serves their interests, not ours. That is the real cost of “free” surveillance.
'Potential data protection incident' at an 'independent licensing partner,' we're told
Adidas has confirmed it is investigating a third-party breach at one of its partner companies after digital thieves claimed they stole information and technical data from the German sportswear giant.…
[James]’ Mechanical Organ of Dutch origin has been around longer than he has, but thanks to being rebuilt over the years and lovingly cared for, it delivers its unique performances just as well as it did back in the day. Even better, we’re treated to a good look at how it works.
The organ produces music by playing notes on embedded instruments, which are themselves operated by air pressure, with note arrangements read off what amounts to a very long punch card. [James] gives a great tour of this fantastic machine, so check it out in the video embedded below along with a couple of its performances.
The machine is mobile and entirely self-contained. It would be wheeled out to a venue, where it would play music as long as one could keep cranking the main wheel and the perforated cardboard book containing the chosen musical arrangement hasn’t reached its end. As perforations in the card scroll by inside the machine, each hole triggers valves that operate pipes, percussion hits, and even operate animatronic figures.
Folded stacks of perforated cardboard make up the musical arrangement.
The air pressure needed to do all this comes from a reservoir fed by two bellows operated by continuous rotation of a large wheel, a job that requires a fair bit of effort. Turning that crank would likely have been the responsibility of the lowest-ranking person within reach. Today, the preferred method is a belt drive and electric motor.
The perforated cardboard arrangements mean that the machine is just as programmable today as it ever was, and happily plays classics as easily as Lady Gaga, Daft Punk, and Queen. [James] has an enormous library of music, so take a moment to listen to it play “Night Fever” by the Bee Gees and Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky”.
One interesting tidbit [James] shares is that there is a bit of artistry and skill involved in arranging music for the machine. Some instruments play immediately when triggered (such as the pipes) while others trigger after a delay (like percussion), so one needs to take all this into account when punching the cardboard. There’s a bit more info on [James]’ website about his machine and its history.
In addition to being a fascinating piece of musical and mechanical history, it is another example of just how effective of a technology punched card was. Many of us might think of early computing or even music when we think of punched cards, but the original use was in running looms and knitting machines.
Connexion
Lobsters
FitGirl Repacks
torrentfreak.com
With the continued growth of pirate IPTV services in recent years, TV broadcasters and distributors have been ramping up their anti-piracy efforts.
Morgan - Cacahuètes 🥜
La Presse Libre
theregister.co.uk
