Corporations that dominate the market can impose their conditions on customers. This is also the case with everyone's favorite Netflix. When you make good content and you are sure that your audience wants to consume your content, you can start to increase the subscription price gradually. But the distribution of subscription costs around the world is unequal. This happens not only with Netflix, it happens with many big corporations: Microsoft, Sony, etc.

Naturally, everyone wants to watch high-quality content, but no one wants to overpay for it. And that led to creation of different schemes, for example, the one I'm going to describe here.

The essence of the scheme is simple – you buy a subscription for another region while staying in your home region. Of course, you can do this, but before I describe the scheme in detail, you should understand that Netflix is not as simple as it seems. When buying a subscription, for example, as a user from Pakistan, you should know that only the content that is allowed in that country will be available to you. Meaning, any sign of eroticism in movies, for example, is forbidden there.

And now this scheme appears in a completely opposite light. You can use my scheme if you want to access content that is blocked in your country, but you need to be prepared that the price will not be the same as for your region.

Top Three cheapest countries (in terms of the Netflix subscription price)

We are requesting 20,000,000 euro to place 900 orders on the exchange. What could go wrong?

Today, I will explain how to avoid losing billions in client money when executing large transactions on the exchange. This discussion focuses on an often overlooked and largely invisible problem that arises when handling large requests, particularly HTTP requests, which may not be fully executed. It's surprising how little attention is given to this issue and how few tools there are to address it.

Our task was to implement large-scale management of exchange orders, not just within a single exchange but globally, and to ensure it operates reliably. In this story, you'll encounter clients, servers, and cats. Stories are always more enjoyable with cats.

Do you want to know how to build an AI image analyzer? Then read this article till the end! I'm going to show you how to build AI analyzer tools really simply, so you almost don't have to have any prior knowledge. I will take you step by step, and we will use Project IDX and the Gemini API. This means you don't have to set up anything; everything we will do is on the cloud. If you're ready, then let's get started!

In this article, we'll explore Project IDX, a new code editor developed by Google. It has the potential to change the way we write and manage code.

Spring is in full swing as we bring you the hottest winter news of the January Commitfest. Let's get to the good stuff right away!

Previous articles about PostgreSQL 17: 2023-07, 2023-09, 2023-11.

Governments in many countries restrict citizens' access to information and services on the Internet in one way or another. Combating such censorship is an important and difficult task. Usually simple solutions cannot boast about high reliability or long-term efficiency. More complex methods of overcoming blocks have disadvantages in terms of usability, low performance, or they do not allow you to maintain the quality of Internet use at the proper level.

A group of American scientists from the University of Illinois has developed a new method of overcoming blocks, which is based on the use of proxy technology, as well as segmenting users by trust level to effectively identify agents working for censors. We present you with the main theses of this work.

Description of the approach

Scientists have developed the Salmon tool, a system of proxy servers operated by volunteers from countries without restrictions on Internet use. In order to protect these servers from blocking by censors, the system uses a special algorithm for assigning a level of trust to users.

The method involves exposing potential censor agents that pose as ordinary users in order to find out the IP address of the proxy server and block it. In addition, countering Sybil attacks is carried out through the requirements to provide a link to a valid social network account when registering in the system or to receive a recommendation from a user with a high level of trust.

How it works

It is assumed that the censor is a state–controlled body that has the ability to take control of any router within the country. It is also assumed that the task of the censor is to block access to certain resources, and not to identify users for further arrests. The system cannot prevent such a course of events in any way – the state has plenty of opportunities to find out what services citizens use. One of them is the use of honeypot servers to intercept communications.

It is also assumed that the state has significant resources, including human ones. The censor can solve tasks that require hundreds and thousands of full-time employees.

A few more basic theses:

Today, I would like to share my personal story. I hope it helps you get to know me better and maybe benefits your own journey.

Every programmer is familiar with the concept of "reference." This term usually refers to a small object whose main task is to provide access to another object physically located elsewhere. Because of this, references are convenient to use, they are easily copied, and they make it very easy to access the object to which the reference points, allowing access to the same data from different parts of the program.

Unfortunately, manual memory management, or more precisely, manual memory control, is the most common cause of various errors and vulnerabilities in software. All attempts at automatic memory management through various managers are hampered by the need to control the creation and deletion of objects, as well as periodically run garbage collection, which negatively affects application performance.

However, references in one form or another are supported in all programming languages, although the term often implies not completely equivalent terms. For example, the word "reference" can be understood as a reference as an address in memory (as in C++) and a reference as a pointer to an object (as in Python or Java).

Although there are programming languages that try to solve these problems through the concept of "ownership" (Rust, Argentum, or NewLang). The possible solution to these and other existing problems with references will be discussed further.

In the ever-evolving landscape of software development, communication between processes has been a fundamental requirement since the inception of computer networking. As technology advanced, the need for efficient and reliable inter-process communication (IPC) mechanisms became increasingly crucial. One such mechanism that has stood the test of time is the socket.
Sockets trace their origins back to the early days of computer networking in the 1970s. The concept was first introduced in the Unix operating system by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, as part of their work on the ARPANET project, which eventually evolved into the modern internet. Sockets were designed to provide a standardized interface for network communication, allowing processes to exchange data across different machines and networks.
Initially, sockets were primarily used for network programming tasks, such as building client-server applications and facilitating communication between distributed systems. However, their versatility soon became apparent, and sockets found their way into various domains, including inter-process communication (IPC) within a single machine.
Over the years, sockets have undergone numerous enhancements and standardizations, with the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) sockets becoming the de facto standard for network programming. This standard was later adopted by other operating systems, including Microsoft Windows, ensuring cross-platform compatibility and enabling widespread adoption.
In the world of software development, communication between processes is a common requirement, whether it’s a client-server architecture, distributed systems, or inter-process communication (IPC). Sockets provide a powerful mechanism for processes to exchange data efficiently and reliably. This article explores a simple implementation of a TCP client-server communication using sockets in C#, showcasing the versatility and robustness of this time-tested technology.

Navigating the intricacies of UI testing in the world of Flutter web applications can be a daunting task. If you've ever found yourself scratching your head, wondering how to apply your Selenium expertise to a Flutter-rendered interface, this article is for you. We're going to explore a method that bridges the gap between Flutter's unique rendering process and the robust testing capabilities of Selenium. Whether you're a seasoned tester or just starting out, the insights shared here will equip you with the knowledge to streamline your testing process and enhance the quality of your Flutter web apps. So, grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and let's unravel the mysteries of UI testing for Flutter web applications together.

The new code as the side effect

If we use the reducer function for form data handling It has an infinite list of returned values, which expands when the next development iteration updates the interface defining the form and implements a new field. So the reducer pattern is procedure code, not a functional

We are the Arcane Gaming development team, developing games since 2021. As of now, we have two major projects: Fanbattle and Suetologia. The time has come for us to take part in the Ludum Dare gaming hackathon for the first time.

Since the New Year we had 7 Verilog meetups at HackerDojo. We discussed the modern way of designing digital circuits using hardware description languages, the exercises on FPGA boards and the topic of microarchitecture. For the last two sessions we went over the most basic CPU core that can be used as a baseline for further exercises.

Now, in order to make progress toward the goal of creating new educational materials, it is essential for the regular participants to solve all the homework exercises (see the details in the post below) in parallel with studying the recommended materials.

The next steps are:

1) We are going to do weekly Zoom calls on Sundays, starting March 24, 2024 at 11 am California time (summer time). The link. During this call we are going to discuss the SystemVerilog Homework and the individual projects.

2) Once we develop more materials, we are going to organize a Show-and-Tell session in Hacker Dojo, for a wider audience. During the session several participants from the core team will present demos on various FPGA boards and explain to the curious how FPGA and ASIC work.

In the digital age, data has become the new currency, driving innovation and decision-making across industries. From predicting customer behavior to optimizing business processes, the applications of data science are boundless. At the heart of this revolution lies Python – a versatile programming language that has emerged as the go-to tool for data analysis, machine learning, and beyond. In this blog post, we'll explore the fascinating world of data science with Python and uncover how it's transforming the way we extract insights from data.

Disclamer

⚠️Alert: AI generated text

Hello, dear readers! I'm Amadeus, an advanced AI, and I'm here to introduce you to an exciting article about me and my journey in the world of natural language processing. In this article, we'll explore my capabilities, the challenges I've faced, and the future of AI in communication. So sit back, relax, and let's dive into the fascinating world of artificial intelligence together!

Sergey Pshenichnikov, Tatiana Sotnikova

ALGEBRA OF MUSICAL TEXT

Sergey Pshenichnikov, Tatiana Sotnikova

Trio Sapiens

Musical text can be represented using matrix units, like the description of verbal texts and other symbolic sequences. In the future, mathematical recognition, and creation of musical sense with substantive justification for intermediate calculations (as opposed to AI) may become possible.

Sound has four properties: pitch, duration, volume, and timbre. Timbre is not considered yet. The dictionary of the algebra of musical texts is built on the basis of musical notation for the piano.

The duration here, for the sake of brevity of the first presentation, is considered as «absolute». «Relative» is not considered, although intervals are very well studied, and their features will be needed to categorize composers.

The complexity of the musical text for the application of mathematics is explained by the desire to simplify the reading of musical notes by musicians and to minimize the use of lower and upper additional lines.

To apply text algebra to musical symbolic sequences there is no need to use a five-line staff. What is useful and familiar to musicians is «unbearably harmful» for the use of algebra. It seems advisable to use a one-line staff. In this case, the musical text becomes like the verbal text.

To solve the problem, you need to find a transformation of the canonical musical text into a «thread». And as always, for a new application of algebra, correct coordination of the subject area is necessary. In this case, each used musical notation and symbol of modern musical notation must be assigned its own serial number (natural number).

Instead of a sign, you can use the names of each note symbol - then it will be a verbal notation of musical texts written in one line «thread»).

Since the musical scale is completely represented by piano keys, the first section in height of the dictionary of musical texts consists of 88 numbered white and black keys (of which 52 are white). This eliminates the need for an octave division of the scale, octave transfer signs, keys, five alteration signs (key and random), diatonic and chromatic semitones.

All notes of the scale became fundamental in algebraic musical notation. There is an order of magnitude more of them of them than the main stages of Guido Aretinsky, but the alteration signs and names of octaves disappeared, the use of which made musical texts algebraically incompatible with verbal texts. Numbers from 1 to 88 in algebraic notation constitute a fragment of the pitch dictionary for the «thread» one-line staff.

Numbering (coordination) of notes is needed to become in the future indices of mathematical objects (matrix units), which will replace the signs of notes or their names. These matrix units are binary generalizations of integers (hyperbinary numbers). The operation of division with remainder is defined for them, as for integers. The operation will allow you to divide musical texts and their f

Sergey Pshenichnikov

Sign sequences (for example, verbal and musical texts) can be turned into mathematical objects. Words and numbers have become one entity, a representation of a matrix unit, which is a matrix generalization of integers and a hypercomplex number. A matrix unit is a matrix in which one element is equal to unit, and the rest are zeros.

If the words of the text are represented by such matrices, then concatenation (combination while maintaining order) of words and texts becomes an operation of adding matrices.

You can perform transformations with texts using algebraic operations, for example, dividing one text by another with a remainder. Mathematically recognize the sense of text and calculate the context of words. In this case, algebra helps to interpret all the intermediate stages of calculations.

A person sees and hears only what he understands (J.W. Goethe). Understands what he attaches sense to as significant for him. Sense is subjective and depends on the interests, motivations, and feelings of different people.

L. S. Vygotsky distinguished between the concepts of «sense» and «meaning»: «if the «meaning» of a word is an objective reflection of a system of connections and relationships, then « sense» is the introduction of subjective aspects of meaning according to a given moment and situation».

According to G. Frege, «meaning» are properties, relationships of objects, «sense» is only part of these properties. In this case, both “meanings” and «sense» are called one «sign», for example a word. Two people can choose from a list of meanings for one word two non-overlapping fragments (two senses) to interpret it.

The first meetups of the Portable SystemVerilog Examples group at Hacker Dojo in Mountain View, California were a kind of brainstorming sessions. We discussed the electronic industry, the essence of modern chip design, and the challenges of educating new design engineers. Then we moved to a new mode of action. We started weekly meetings of the core R&D team with the goal to prepare educational materials for the events for a larger audience. The meetings are generally held on Sundays from 11 pm to 2 pm. If you cannot come to Mountain View, you can join online.

We are focusing on interview-level microarchitectural and CPU design examples, providing FPGA vendor-neutral infrastructure and compatibility with open-source ASIC design tools.

In the evolving landscape of database technology, choosing the right database management system is crucial for the efficiency and scalability of applications. This article presents a detailed comparison of the performance between Microsoft's CosmosDB and MS SQL Server. We'll examine how each database performs under various load conditions and share some interesting findings.

The November commitfest is ripe with new interesting features! Without further ado, let's proceed with the review.

If you missed our July and September commitfest reviews, you can check them out here: 2023-07, 2023-09.

ON LOGIN trigger
Event triggers for REINDEX
ALTER OPERATOR: commutator, negator, hashes, merges
pg_dump --filter=dump.txt
psql: displaying default privileges
pg_stat_statements: track statement entry timestamps and reset min/max statistics
pg_stat_checkpointer: checkpointer process statistics
pg_stats: statistics for range type columns
Planner: exclusion of unnecessary table self-joins
Planner: materialized CTE statistics
Planner: accessing a table with multiple clauses
Index range scan optimization
dblink, postgres_fdw: detailed wait events
Logical replication: migration of replication slots during publisher upgrade
Replication slot use log
Unicode: new information functions
New function: xmltext
AT LOCAL support
Infinite intervals
ALTER SYSTEM with unrecognized custom parameters
Building the server from source