Jonathan Corbet
Posts
445Following
34Followers
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Jonathan Corbet
corbet
So @lwn is currently under the heaviest scraper attack seen yet. It is a DDOS attack involving tens of thousands of addresses, and that is affecting the responsiveness of the site, unfortunately.
There are many things I would like to do with my time. Defending LWN from AI shitheads is rather far from the top of that list. I *really* don't want to put obstacles between LWN and its readers, but it may come to that.
(Another grumpy day, sorry)
There are many things I would like to do with my time. Defending LWN from AI shitheads is rather far from the top of that list. I *really* don't want to put obstacles between LWN and its readers, but it may come to that.
(Another grumpy day, sorry)
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Jonathan Corbet
corbet
So somebody took a couple of LWN's recent conference articles, threw them into an LLM blender with some other stuff, and produced ... this ...
https://www.webpronews.com/linux-kernels-future-tab-integrates-rust-navigates-ai-boosts-collaboration/
Google News propagates that stuff - something they have long refused to do with LWN's original material. But somehow we're supposed to continue to exist to feed material into that machine?
Sorry, having a grumpy day.
https://www.webpronews.com/linux-kernels-future-tab-integrates-rust-navigates-ai-boosts-collaboration/
Google News propagates that stuff - something they have long refused to do with LWN's original material. But somehow we're supposed to continue to exist to feed material into that machine?
Sorry, having a grumpy day.
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Jonathan Corbet
corbet
We're definitely winning now...
https://electrek.co/2025/12/31/energy-dept-orders-colorado-to-waste-millions-to-reopen-a-dead-coal-plant/
https://electrek.co/2025/12/31/energy-dept-orders-colorado-to-waste-millions-to-reopen-a-dead-coal-plant/
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Jonathan Corbet
corbet
I must confess I found this amusing... I don't normally look quite so psychedelic though.
https://canartuc.medium.com/linux-foundation-tab-election-jonathan-corbet-steps-down-after-18-years-80cebb9ef9f1
https://canartuc.medium.com/linux-foundation-tab-election-jonathan-corbet-steps-down-after-18-years-80cebb9ef9f1
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Jonathan Corbet
corbet
Power is back on here. After two days without, one definitely appreciates the luxury of being able to flip on a light.
According to the official numbers, the peak wind gust in my neighborhood was 102mph. Suffice to say I didn't get my bike ride in yesterday... otherwise all seems well at this point, though.
[Now looking harder at vehicle-to-home power solutions.]
According to the official numbers, the peak wind gust in my neighborhood was 102mph. Suffice to say I didn't get my bike ride in yesterday... otherwise all seems well at this point, though.
[Now looking harder at vehicle-to-home power solutions.]
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Jonathan Corbet
corbet
Peak gust at the nearby NCAR weather station (which I helped set up nearly 30 years ago!): 88.4 m/h (140km/h). So far.
No power until 10pm tomorrow, or so the utility promises.
At least nobody seems to have set anything on fire. So far.
https://archive.eol.ucar.edu/cgi-bin/weather.cgi?site=fl&period=5-minute&units=english
No power until 10pm tomorrow, or so the utility promises.
At least nobody seems to have set anything on fire. So far.
https://archive.eol.ucar.edu/cgi-bin/weather.cgi?site=fl&period=5-minute&units=english
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Jonathan Corbet
corbet
Why NCAR matters. The Joint Aviation Weather Studies (JAWS) project described here is one I worked on quite a bit.
https://www.rmpbs.org/blogs/science-environment/ncar-boulder-microbursts
https://www.rmpbs.org/blogs/science-environment/ncar-boulder-microbursts
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Jonathan Corbet
corbet
So today I learn that the National Weather Service has a "particularly dangerous situation" designation that is more severe than a red flag warning. There has never been one in Colorado -- until now.
I would have rather not learned that.
I would have rather not learned that.
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Jonathan Corbet
corbet
Oh boy, fun times in Boulder ... >100mph winds, red-flag warnings, power failures ... for the second time this week. Not the Christmas weather we were hoping for.
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/COBOULDER/bulletins/4009a6b
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/COBOULDER/bulletins/4009a6b
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Jonathan Corbet
corbet
I worked at NCAR for 18 years; we did a lot of research that benefited a lot of people, and I felt proud to be a part of that institution. The administration's desire to destroy it is certainly in character; we can't have leading-edge science in a country ruled by ignorance, after all. But this one hits close to home. It will take generations to recover from the damage that is being done.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/climate/national-center-for-atmospheric-research-trump.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/climate/national-center-for-atmospheric-research-trump.html
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Jonathan Corbet
corbet
I encountered this gathering in Japan; was really tempted to post it as another Maintainers Summit group photo but ... resisted ...
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Jonathan Corbet
corbet
So I took some grief yesterday about the "clickbait" headline on the brief Rust news I put up:
https://lwn.net/Articles/1049831/
In person, though, I've gotten far more grief for adding the "(successful)" parenthetical afterward — folks say the original was better.
Oh well, I've learned to be more careful with headlines now.
Next article: Seven Shocking Conclusions from the Linux Plumbers Conference — but #4 will warm your heart.
https://lwn.net/Articles/1049831/
In person, though, I've gotten far more grief for adding the "(successful)" parenthetical afterward — folks say the original was better.
Oh well, I've learned to be more careful with headlines now.
Next article: Seven Shocking Conclusions from the Linux Plumbers Conference — but #4 will warm your heart.
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Jonathan Corbet
corbet
For those who are curious about tomorrow's Maintainers Summit session on machine-learning tools, Sasha Levin has put together a good summary of the state of the discussion: https://lwn.net/ml/all/aTYmE53i3FJ_lJH2@laps
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Jonathan Corbet
corbet
So it turns out that experiencing a middle-of-the-night earthquake on the 23rd floor of a Tokyo hotel is not conducive to a good night's sleep. Who knew?
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Jonathan Corbet
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Kernel Recipes
KernelRecipes@fosstodon.orgHeya, Heya!
Before the presents land under the Christmas tree, we’re super happy and honored to reveal the name of our godfather for the 2026 edition: @corbet.
Huge thanks to him for giving us a bit of his time — we know how precious it is.
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Jonathan Corbet
corbet
@bjst I too miss Rockbox - that was a great project. If somebody were looking for a similar project today, how about replacement firmware for the humble television with a better interface and no surveillance?
RE: https://mastodon.social/@bjst/115644471160611216
RE: https://mastodon.social/@bjst/115644471160611216
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Jonathan Corbet
corbet
In 2017 Randall Munroe posted a strip called "Seven Years" about being the caregiver for a loved one dealing with cancer:
https://xkcd.com/1928/
That strip literally made me cry, it was such a clear telling of what that experience is like; much of it could have been about my own life.
Except that my own experience had a different ending.
Today he put out "Fifteen Years":
https://xkcd.com/3172/
This one made me want to cheer. What a joy to see a story that has played out so differently, so much better. I have never crossed paths with Mr. Munroe, but I rejoice in his and his family's good fortune as if he were a good friend.
Here's to many more years.
https://xkcd.com/1928/
That strip literally made me cry, it was such a clear telling of what that experience is like; much of it could have been about my own life.
Except that my own experience had a different ending.
Today he put out "Fifteen Years":
https://xkcd.com/3172/
This one made me want to cheer. What a joy to see a story that has played out so differently, so much better. I have never crossed paths with Mr. Munroe, but I rejoice in his and his family's good fortune as if he were a good friend.
Here's to many more years.
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🏳️🌈🖖🏽
Jonathan Corbet
corbet
EFF is asking for US folks to file comments on a proposed rules change that would make killing bad patents much harder.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/11/patent-office-about-make-bad-patents-untouchable
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/11/patent-office-about-make-bad-patents-untouchable
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Jonathan Corbet
corbet
The company that provides LWN's health insurance just sent me a helpful thing about how a very small number of employees, those with expensive chronic conditions, drive the bulk of insurance claim costs.
We are far too small to have such a plan, but bigger companies pay their claim costs. As these companies lay people off, surely they wouldn't target the few employees that, we are being told, are the reason their health-insurance costs are going through the ceiling. The ones who most need the insurance they would stand to lose.
Right?
https://www.anthem.com/employer/the-benefits-guide/the-high-cost-reality-what-2024-trends-mean-for-self-funded-employers
We are far too small to have such a plan, but bigger companies pay their claim costs. As these companies lay people off, surely they wouldn't target the few employees that, we are being told, are the reason their health-insurance costs are going through the ceiling. The ones who most need the insurance they would stand to lose.
Right?
https://www.anthem.com/employer/the-benefits-guide/the-high-cost-reality-what-2024-trends-mean-for-self-funded-employers
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