Passkeys, designed as password replacements, offer enhanced security against phishing and data breaches. However, their current implementation presents usability challenges due to inconsistencies across platforms and browsers, hindering widespread adoption.

Despite broad support from various platforms, passkey workflows, appearances, and functionalities differ significantly, causing confusion for users. This inconsistency arises from competing implementations, making it difficult for users to seamlessly switch between devices and browsers.

While password managers can mitigate some usability issues by syncing passkeys across devices, this reliance undermines passkeys' core aim of replacing passwords entirely. Furthermore, the persistence of password fallbacks and weak MFA methods like SMS reduces the overall security boost offered by passkeys.

Apple and Meta are in a dispute in Europe concerning the balance between data interoperability and user privacy. The disagreement centers on the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), which mandates that large tech companies like Apple and Meta cannot limit competitors' access to essential platform services.

Apple argues that Meta's numerous interoperability requests could compromise user privacy and security, potentially granting Meta access to sensitive user data. Apple states that granting these requests would allow Meta to access a wide range of private information.

Meta counters that Apple's concerns are unwarranted and fabricated to avoid complying with the DMA. The conflict highlights the ongoing tension between competition regulations and data protection in the digital realm.

A web application recreating the 1972 "Limits to Growth" World3 model is under development. The model allows users to adjust parameters like resource levels and consumption rates to explore different scenarios.

The application, still in its early stages, currently functions best in modern browsers such as Chrome, Opera, and Safari, with limited compatibility in older browsers like Internet Explorer.

While functional, this version serves as a demonstration and users seeking rigorous analysis are encouraged to use dedicated simulation software. Further development is expected.

Website update: Bench Accounting users are greeted with a welcome-back message, indicating a system update or maintenance. More information will be available soon.

The site features a prominent image and brief message. No specific details about service disruptions or planned improvements are given.

Visitors are directed to wait for further announcements. The overall tone suggests a temporary pause in service, pending a future update.

Despite the popularity of low-cost RF microcontrollers, their inner workings often lack documentation. Vendors typically only provide APIs for standard protocols like BLE, leaving the radio's intricacies undocumented.

This presentation delves into the TI SimpleLink family, known for its extensive general-purpose documentation, but strangely lacking details on its radio section. The core handling RF communication is in an inaccessible ROM, with limited information provided about it.

Researchers reverse-engineered TI's RF patch format to understand the radio's behavior, control it in unconventional ways, and even replace the firmware. They investigated hidden DSP Modem cores, potentially leading to a cheap, single-chip SDR.

A philosopher explores the possibility of consciousness in a simple thermostat, suggesting that even systems with minimal information processing might have basic phenomenal states, different from our own but still existing.

The article delves into the complexity of consciousness across different species, hypothesizing a connection between information processing and phenomenal experience, with simpler systems potentially possessing simpler phenomenal states.

It argues that if consciousness is a fundamental property, it should exist across simple and complex systems alike, potentially extending to even simple mechanisms such as thermostats.

A new tool offers a Tableau-like data exploration interface directly within data applications. It provides a simplified way to interact with and visualize data without needing separate software.

The tool is described as a wrapper around existing projects, suggesting it leverages existing functionalities for data visualization. User comments indicate interest in expanding capabilities to include time-series data and integration with other notebook environments.

Discussions among users highlight a desire for enhanced features, particularly the inclusion of time-series data analysis. Integration with platforms like Zeppelin notebooks is also proposed as a beneficial addition.

Top chess player Magnus Carlsen rejoined a New York tournament after previously withdrawing due to a dress code violation involving jeans. The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has since updated its rules, allowing for "elegant deviations" from the formal dress code.

Carlsen, who was defending his titles, initially faced a fine for wearing jeans to the tournament. He ultimately left the competition, citing frustration with the situation. Following his departure, FIDE revised the dress code to allow jeans.

Carlsen's return to the championships is considered positive news within the chess world. FIDE stated they will add "special assistants" to help judges assess players' attire going forward.

SQLite, maintained by just three people, boasts over a trillion active databases, outpacing all other database systems combined. Its origins trace back to a US warship, where its creator sought a serverless database solution. This unique database is not legally open source but operates under a public domain license, resulting in fewer restrictions.

Unlike many open-source projects, SQLite doesn't accept outside contributions; participation requires an invitation and a public domain dedication. Its rigorous testing, including proprietary elements, ensures high reliability, achieving 100% branch coverage. The project's unusual aspects continue with a Code of Ethics based on The Rule of St. Benedict, rather than a standard Code of Conduct.

Notable features include a single-writer model (with recent WAL mode addition), optional foreign keys and strong typing, and limited ALTER commands. SQLite's backward compatibility is unwavering, even to the point of not fixing certain bugs. Its creator also developed the Fossil version control system and Lemon parser generator, both powered by SQLite itself. The database's speed is noteworthy, sometimes exceeding even file system operations.

Rite Aid, once a major US drugstore chain, is experiencing significant financial difficulties, leading to widespread store closures and causing significant disruption for customers.

The company has filed for bankruptcy, resulting in a reduction of over 40% in its store count in just a few years. Many remaining stores are described as "zombies," operating with sparse inventory and increasingly empty shelves, leading customers to seek alternative providers.

This decline is attributed to intense competition from large retailers like Walmart and Amazon, coupled with mounting debt and ongoing legal issues related to the opioid crisis. The situation reflects broader challenges facing the entire pharmacy sector.