Weird things I learned while writing an x86 emulator
In the blog post, the author shares unexpected trivia and lessons learned from writing an x86 and amd64 emulator for Time Travel Debugging, which involves meticulous attention to CPU operation details. Key observations include the peculiarities of x86 encoding schemes, differences in flag behaviors for INC and ADD instructions, and complexities with segment overrides in 32-bit versus 64-bit modes. The insights are aimed at providing a deeper understanding of how x86 CPUs function, especially useful for those interested in writing emulators.
Vision language models are blind
Large vision-language models (VLMs) like GPT-4o and Gemini-1.5 Pro perform well on complex tasks but fail surprisingly simple visual tasks, such as identifying overlapping circles or counting intersecting lines, which humans find easy. Across seven distinct visual tasks, these VLMs demonstrated poor performance, indicating their vision capabilities are limited and often unreliable. This suggests that the vision in these models is akin to a person with impaired sight rather than true visual understanding.
Multi-agent chatbot murder mystery – AI Alibis (free, in-browser)
The text indicates that a React application is being referenced. It highlights the necessity of enabling JavaScript. Without JavaScript, the app cannot run.
Big Ball of Mud
The "Big Ball of Mud" paper by Brian Foote and Joseph Yoder explores one of the most prevalent software architectures characterized by its haphazard and expedient design rather than by formal structures. The paper identifies contributing patterns like Throwaway Code and Piece-meal Growth and emphasizes the importance of refactoring and sustained commitment to code maintenance to prevent or improve such chaotic systems. Ultimately, the authors acknowledge that while messy, these architectures often work effectively and suggest strategies for evolving better-structured software while recognizing the practical forces leading to the emergence of "Big Balls of Mud."
AMD to buy Silo AI for $665M
AMD plans to acquire Finnish start-up Silo AI for $665 million in a bid to challenge Nvidia. This purchase highlights AMD\'s efforts to strengthen its capabilities in artificial intelligence technology. The acquisition is part of AMD\'s strategic move to enhance its competitive edge in the tech sector.
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