TOS S1E27 "The Alternative Factor"

TL;DR:

Incorporating Tails into the Tor Project's structure allows for easier collaboration, better sustainability, reduced overhead, and expanded training and outreach programs to counter a larger number of digital threats.

I had no idea this issue had been identified. While I find this tool very useful, the project is seeming rather questionable to me now.

It makes more sense to me to have the switches appear as red when the device has the ability to record you. When color is used as an indicator for something, the general convention is that red is negative. Meaning that there is a greater possibility of something going wrong when a red indicator is being displayed. You could argue that "webcam is not working for some reason" is a negative, and that seeing the bright red indicator can bring your attention to the switch as a hint to how to fix the issue. I would argue against that by stating that having a webcam record you when you do not want it to is a much bigger potential negative than the webcam not recording when you do want it to.

Also:

• When a traditional video camera displays a red indicator light, that means the camera is recording.
• On the underside of the Framework 16, the expansion module latches are red when disengaged

PolyCube is a block-stacking puzzle game in full 3D, with optional VR support. Move and spin your block pieces in all directions to place them in the puzzle before time is up and the piece drops.

The developer was a full-time web dev who wanted to try out solo game development, but they ended up hating the business management side of things, so they eventually gave up the "hobby" and just set the game to free permanently.

https://blog.flipper.net/released-firmware-1/

What’s new in Firmware 1.0

• 3rd-party apps: We’ve introduced dynamic app loading support. Now you can install hundreds of community-developed apps from the Apps Catalog, and the number of apps continues to grow.
• New NFC subsystem: Completely rewritten from scratch, resulting in a significant increase in card reading speed. New NFC card types support and a new plugin system for user card parsers.
• JavaScript support: You can now develop apps for Flipper Zero using JavaScript.
• General system improvements: Battery life reaches 1 month in standby. Bluetooth data transfer speed with Android devices increased by up to 2x. Firmware updates now upload via Bluetooth 40% faster.

More details in the blog post. JavaScript support looks intriguing.

I just came across this linked to in the Obtainium README. It is sort of a Ninite-like webpage that allows you to quickly and easily add apps from a curated list into Obtainium on your device. Really useful when setting up a new device or something.

I do wish it was more like Ninite, in that you currently have to tap the "Add to Obtainium" button under each and every individual app that you want go add . I wish this site also allowed you to instead check a checkbox on each app that you want, and then press one button that would add all the checked apps to Obtainium for you.

We’re excited to share a preview of a Framework Laptop 13 Mainboard with a new CPU architecture today, and it’s probably not the one you think it is. The team at DeepComputing has built the first ever partner-developed Mainboard, and it uses a RISC-V processor! This is a huge milestone both for expanding the breadth of the Framework ecosystem and for making RISC-V more accessible than ever. We designed the Framework Laptop to enable deep flexibility and personalization, and now that extends all the way to processor architecture selection. DeepComputing is demoing an early prototype of this Mainboard in a Framework Laptop 13 at the RISC-V Summit Europe next week, and we’ll be sharing more as this program progresses.

There is excellent philosophical alignment between RISC-V and Framework. Both are built on the idea that an open ecosystem is more powerful than the sum of its parts. To explain why, first we’ll go into what RISC-V even is. RISC-V is a fully open Instruction Set Architecture (ISA), which is the interface point between software and hardware. It’s a defined set of instructions that software is compiled and assembled into that the processor executes to run the actual program. x86 (or the latest version, x86-64) is the most common ISA for PCs today, and it’s what is used in the processors for each Framework Laptop we’ve shipped to date. The x86 ISA was invented by Intel, extended on by AMD, and is proprietary, with Intel and AMD being effectively the only two companies able to use and create processors around it. ARM is another popular ISA, owned by Arm Holdings. Arm licenses the ARM architecture out, which enables companies to pay a license fee for cores to make their own processors that leverage it. What makes RISC-V unique is that it is an entirely open architecture, which means that anyone can extend on it and create their own processors that use it without paying a fee. RISC-V International is the collaborative organization that exists to help develop the standard and define common versions to ensure cross-compatibility of hardware and software. There are hundreds of companies now developing cores and chips around RISC-V, but most of these have been hidden away in embedded applications. The DeepComputing RISC-V Mainboard is one of the first instances of leveraging this ecosystem for the main processor in a consumer-facing product.

All of this is what makes RISC-V unique from an ecosystem enablement perspective. The actual technology is equally interesting. The base instruction set of RISC-V is simple and streamlined, while there are a number of extensions enabling high performance and specialized compute. This means that RISC-V cores can be developed for anything from tiny control CPUs embedded inside a sensor (the Fingerprint Reader we’ve used in Framework Laptops since 2021 actually has a RISC-V core!) to monstrous multi-hundred-core server processors. The DeepComputing RISC-V Mainboard uses a JH7110 processor from StarFive which has four U74 RISC-V cores from SiFive. SiFive is the company that developed CPU cores using the RISC-V ISA, StarFive is the processor designer that integrated those CPU cores with other peripherals, DeepComputing created a Mainboard leveraging that processor, and Framework makes laptops that can use the Mainboard. The power of an open ecosystem!

This Mainboard is extremely compelling, but we want to be clear that in this generation, it is focused primarily on enabling developers, tinkerers, and hobbyists to start testing and creating on RISC-V. The peripheral set and performance aren’t yet competitive with our Intel and AMD-powered Framework Laptop Mainboards. This board also has soldered memory and uses MicroSD cards and eMMC for storage, both of which are limitations of the processor. It is a great way to start playing with RISC-V though inside of a thin, light, refined laptop. The Mainboard will be able to drop into any Framework Laptop 13 chassis or into the Cooler Master Mainboard Case. DeepComputing is also working closely with the teams at Canonical and Red Hat to ensure Linux support is solid through Ubuntu and Fedora. We’ll continue to keep you up to date as we work with the team at DeepComputing to complete development of this new Mainboard and enable access to it. You can sign up in the Framework Marketplace to get notified when we have updates.

We have a couple of other updates around scaling access to Framework Laptop 13. The first is that just like we did for Framework Laptop 16 last week, today we’re sharing open source CAD for the Framework Laptop 13 shell, enabling development of skins, cases, and accessories. The second is that we now have Framework Laptop 13 Factory Seconds systems available with British English and German keyboards, making entering the ecosystem more affordable than ever. We’re eager to continue growing a new Consumer Electronics industry that is grounded in open access, repairability, and customization at every level.

Scroll through Local here and you will see. Communities and users that are local to this Lemmy.one have a black box for a photo. Viewing the profile/community from another instance displays the black box as well. It seems that users who have not set a custom profile picture just have a default Lemmy lemur icon, and that displays just fine.

If I try to upload a new profile photo, I get the following error:

Request error: error sending request for url (http://pictrs:8080/image): error trying to connect: tcp connect error: Connection refused (os error 111)