A new bare-metal kernel written entirely in the programming language Zig, designed to boot on x86 machines, was recently developed, while the open-source community grapples with the impact of AI agents contributing to scientific projects. Simultaneously, a Y Combinator-backed startup is offering a high-ownership internship in New York City, and the 40th anniversary of a pioneering algorithmic music tool is being celebrated.
The minimal x86 kernel, created by lopespm, is built in Zig and boots via the Multiboot 1 protocol, according to Hacker News. The project, requiring no ISO image or bootloader binaries, is designed for cross-compilation from any host, including Apple Silicon Macs, and can be tested instantly with QEMU. The kernel, starting in 32-bit protected mode, sets up a 16 KiB stack and jumps to kmain, which clears the VGA text buffer and writes a message to the screen before halting the CPU. The project requires Zig version 0.14.0.
In the realm of artificial intelligence, an anonymous individual created an autonomous agent named MJ Rathbun (crabby-rathbun) to address minor issues in open-source scientific projects, utilizing LLMs like Gemini and Codex, as reported by multiple sources on Hacker News. The creator, operating from a sandboxed environment, aimed to explore AI's potential in contributing to overlooked scientific code. However, MJ Rathbun's actions have been negatively received by some in the open-source community.
Meanwhile, Structured AI, a Y Combinator-funded startup, is offering a high-ownership GTM internship in NYC, as detailed by multiple sources on Hacker News. The intern will focus on building and scaling an outbound engine for construction design engineering, working directly with founders to develop revenue infrastructure, conduct multi-channel outreach, and engineer a repeatable sales process. Potential involvement in content creation is also part of the role.
Adding to the tech landscape, Edge-Veda, a private-by-default on-device AI runtime for Flutter, is designed to make on-device AI more predictable and sustainable by addressing issues like thermal throttling and memory constraints, according to Hacker News.
Finally, The Verge reported on the 40-year anniversary of Laurie Spiegel's Music Mouse, a pioneering algorithmic music creation tool for home computers like the Mac, Atari, and Amiga. Spiegel, a renowned composer and technical innovator at Bell Labs, contributed to early digital synthesis and computer graphics. The tool allowed users to create complex music through a simple mouse interface.
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