Tootfinder

Angor is a crowdfunding protocol for nostr and bitcoin.
Dan here is building it. Kickstarter without middle men.
Accountability is key. What stops the fund raiser just fleeing with the coin?
Funds are programmed to be released in stages, time locked in a multisig.
So if they aren't meeting milestones, investors can withdraw. If the founders are buying lambos instead of building, just cash out at that point.
Permissionless and decentralised, no servers except nostr relays and bitcoin nodes. No third party's claiming 30 percent fees. The system is a nostr client scanning relays for investment object types. Allowing investment into the funding contracts and subscription to updates.
#nostr #nostrshire #angor

Estimating Spatially Resolved Radiation Fields Using Neural Networks
Felix Lehner, Pasquale Lombardo, Susana Castillo, Oliver Hupe, Marcus Magnor
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.17654 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2512.17654 https://arxiv.org/html/2512.17654
arXiv:2512.17654v1 Announce Type: new
Abstract: We present an in-depth analysis on how to build and train neural networks to estimate the spatial distribution of scattered radiation fields for radiation protection dosimetry in medical radiation fields, such as those found in Interventional Radiology and Cardiology. Therefore, we present three different synthetically generated datasets with increasing complexity for training, using a Monte-Carlo Simulation application based on Geant4. On those datasets, we evaluate convolutional and fully connected architectures of neural networks to demonstrate which design decisions work well for reconstructing the fluence and spectra distributions over the spatial domain of such radiation fields. All used datasets as well as our training pipeline are published as open source in separate repositories.
toXiv_bot_toot

I’ve spoken with my boss (he’s a bit of a dickhead but his heart’s in the right place) and confirmed that I won’t be getting fired for opposing Israel’s ongoing genocide and supporting the human rights of the Palestinian people to live with freedom and dignity like the rest of us but not everyone is as lucky.

Pro-Palestinian influencer Dr. Nahla Al-Sarraj fired following Zionist smear campaign
Dr. Nahla Al-Sarraj gained hundreds of thousands of social media followers by discussing the Gaza genocide. She was fired after a pressure campaign from Israel lobby groups that she believes aimed to silence her. Despite this, she remains unbowed.

An Alabama state board votes to keep its contract with PBS for now, rejecting an effort to become the first state to cut ties following federal budget cuts (Kim Chandler/Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/alabama-pbs-2149809fa142c792fab0ca6e8730ee80

Alabama Public Television to keep PBS contract
The commission that oversees Alabama Public Television voted to continue paying its contract with PBS. The decision came after a public backlash to the idea of dropping PBS. The Alabama Educational Television Commission voted without dissent to continue paying the contract with PBS that runs until July. It also voted to create a committee to explore the future direction of Alabama Public Television. A proposal to take the first step toward severing ties failed when no commissioner seconded the …

Interviews with copywriters on generative AI's impact: job losses to AI, work used for training, falling wages and rates, freelancers losing clients, and more (Brian Merchant/Blood in the Machine)
https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/i-was-forced-to-use-ai-until-the

"I was forced to use AI until the day I was laid off." Copywriters reveal how AI has decimated their industry
Copywriters were one of the first to have their jobs targeted by AI firms. These are their stories, three years into the AI era.

Sony unveils a cheaper, Japan-only PlayStation 5 Digital Edition for ~$350, a ~25% discount, following a similar move by Nintendo with the Switch 2 (Financial Times)
https://www.ft.com/content/f6edb22a-0b19-4073-9e28-ec29b096dde3

Sony launches cheaper Japan-only PlayStation 5 console
Region-locked version at 25% discount in move to boost domestic sales

Auf isländisch 🇮🇸 heisst Jahresende übrigens
šrslok.
Dachte, das solltet ihr wissen.
In diesem Sinne: Guten Rutsch ins 2025!
#silvester2025 #happynewyear2026 #diesendungmitdermaus

The CIVICUS Monitor has downgraded the United States of America’s civic space rating, reflecting a sharp deterioration of fundamental freedoms in the country. The People Power Under Attack report now rates the USA as “Obstructed” following a year of sweeping executive actions, restrictive laws, and aggressive crackdowns on free speech and dissent.
...
“The backsliding on rule of law and fundamental freedoms in the United States is truly alarming,” said Mandeep Tiwana...

United States of America - Civicus Monitor
USA downgraded by CIVICUS Monitor

#TIL about Benford's law where for some data sets of numbers, the first digit is usually 1 and rarely 9 (with descending probability in between). It's especially common in data sets following the power law (which is common in nature).
Seems a useful consideration when generating random numbers shown directly to players (like a multiple choice) -- even if they're unfamiliar, …