Olly 👾<p>:blobcatbigfan: 8 Bit Mechanical Computer built from K’nex.</p><p>Long before electricity was a common household utility, humanity had been building machines to do many tasks. Transportation, manufacturing, agriculture and essentially everything had non-electric analogs, and perhaps surprisingly, there were mechanical computers as well….</p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/EtIJUwkOAwM" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="">youtu.be/EtIJUwkOAwM</span><span class="invisible"></span></a></p><p><a href="https://nerdculture.de/tags/knex" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>knex</span></a> <a href="https://nerdculture.de/tags/8bit" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>8bit</span></a> <a href="https://nerdculture.de/tags/alu" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>alu</span></a> <a href="https://nerdculture.de/tags/mechanical" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>mechanical</span></a> <a href="https://nerdculture.de/tags/computer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>computer</span></a> <a href="https://nerdculture.de/tags/diy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>diy</span></a> <a href="https://nerdculture.de/tags/retrocomputing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>retrocomputing</span></a> <a href="https://nerdculture.de/tags/engineer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>engineer</span></a> <a href="https://nerdculture.de/tags/artist" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>artist</span></a> <a href="https://nerdculture.de/tags/media" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>media</span></a> <a href="https://nerdculture.de/tags/tech" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>tech</span></a> <a href="https://nerdculture.de/tags/art" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>art</span></a> <a href="https://nerdculture.de/tags/news" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>news</span></a></p>
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#engineer
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Remember: Behind every robot that turns evil, is an engineer who specifically installed red LEDs into the eyes just for this occasion.
We're expanding our R&D team in Finland and we're looking for Android System Engineers. If you are interested in learning how to compile, change, and deploy your own Android OS, develop and ideate on system applications our customers will enjoy using worldwide and build future technologies from scratch, this is for you.
If you or, someone you know is interested on joining us at HMD, tag them, reach out to me.
PS: This position is Europe-based and you can work remotely from Europe. Most of the team is in Finland.
#engineer #term #status #thread
https://mas.to/@nemo/114979601693559383
1/9
There are job descriptions with titles like "support engineer" or "helpdesk engineer" that, despite the use of "engineer," do not always involve traditional engineering tasks such as design, development, or system architecture. These roles focus on technical support, troubleshooting, and user assistance rather than core engineering.
mas.tonemo™ 🇺🇦 (@nemo@mas.to)1/5 In both the United States and Canada, the term "engineer" and related titles such as "professional engineer" (PE in the US, P.Eng. in Canada) are legally protected and regulated. Using these titles without proper licensure is generally prohibited to ensure public safety.
#engineer #term #status #thread
1/5 In both the United States and Canada, the term "engineer" and related titles such as "professional engineer" (PE in the US, P.Eng. in Canada) are legally protected and regulated. Using these titles without proper licensure is generally prohibited to ensure public safety.
LameHug Malware uses AI LLM to craft Windows Data-Theft Commands in Real-Time.
LameHug was discovered by Ukraine’s national cyber incident response team [CERT-UA] and attributed the attacks to Russian state-backed threat group APT28 [a.k.a. Sednit, Sofacy, Pawn Storm, Fancy Bear, STRONTIUM, Tsar Team, Forest Blizzard].
![The malware is written in Python and relies on the Hugging Face API to interact with the Qwen 2.5-Coder-32B-Instruct LLM, which can generate commands according to the given prompts.
<https://huggingface.co/Qwen/Qwen2.5-Coder-32B-Instruct>
Created by Alibaba Cloud, the LLM is open-source and designed specifically to generate code, reasoning, and follow coding-focused instructions. It can convert natural language descriptions into executable code [in multiple languages] or shell commands.
👾CERT-UA found LameHug after receiving reports on July 10 about malicious emails sent from compromised accounts and impersonating ministry officials, attempting to distribute the malware to executive government bodies.👾](https://nerdculture.de/system/media_attachments/files/114/970/381/418/365/938/original/dd1297179d0c75b1.jpeg)
![[ImageSource: CERT-UA]
Malicious email attempting LameHug infection.
The emails carry a ZIP attachment that contains a LameHub loader. CERT-UA has seen at least three variants named ‘Attachment.pif,’ ‘AI_generator_uncensored_Canvas_PRO_v0.9.exe,’ and ‘image.py.’
The Ukrainian agency attributes this activity with medium confidence to the Russian threat group APT28. In the observed attacks, LameHug was tasked with executing system reconnaissance and data theft commands, generated dynamically via prompts to the LLM.](https://nerdculture.de/system/media_attachments/files/114/970/382/047/980/819/original/59a464a39297d942.jpeg)
![[ImageSource: CERT-UA]
Prompts sent to the LLM for command generation.
These AI-generated commands were used by LameHug to collect system information and save it to a text file [info.txt], recursively search for documents on key Windows directories [Documents, Desktop, Downloads], and exfiltrate the data using SFTP or HTTP POST requests.
LameHug is the first malware publicly documented to include LLM support to carry out the attacker's tasks. From a technical perspective, it could user in a new attack paradigm where threat actors can adapt their tactics during a compromise without needing new payloads.
‼️BEWARE: Furthermore, using Hugging Face infrastructure for command and control making communication stealthier, keeping the intrusion undetected for a longer period. By using dynamically generated commands can also help the dangerous malware remain undetected by security software or static analisys tools that look for hardcoded commands.‼️](https://nerdculture.de/system/media_attachments/files/114/970/382/811/604/736/original/63201105e8df2657.jpeg)
#NVIDIA #Engineer Now Co-Maintainer Of "NOVA" #OpenSource Rust #GPU Driver
NOVA opensource NVIDIA GPU effort the past year and 1/2 has been led by #RedHat engineer #DaniloKrummrich as the main NOVA-Core driver maintainer for #kernel code that continues being built out piece-by-piece for mainline tree.
Now joining him as a co-maintainer is NVIDIA engineer, #AlexandreCourbot. Name may ring a bell as he started out in 2011 working on Tegra graphics driver support for #Linux.
https://www.phoronix.com/news/NOVA-Core-Co-Maintainer
www.phoronix.comNVIDIA Engineer Now Co-Maintainer Of "NOVA" Open-Source Rust GPU DriverThe NOVA-Core driver as the basis for a modern, Rust-written open-source NVIDIA GPU driver for the upstream Linux kernel and eventual successor to the reverse-engineered Nouveau DRM driver has a new co-maintainer.
Building a #Stirling #Engine #Bike.
A Stirling Engine is a heat engine, powered by the expansion and contraction of a working fluid [such as air] which is heated and cooled in a cycle. In the video [Tom Stanton] begins by demonstrating the Stirling Engine with some model engines and explains the role of the displacer piston. His target power output for his bike engine is 150 watts [about 0.2 horsepower]….
GIF
![[ImageSource: Tom Stanton]
[Tom] goes on to 3D print and machine various parts for his bike engine. He uses myriad materials including aluminum and Teflon. He isn’t yet comfortable machining steel, so he had the steel part he needed for handling the hot end of the engine manufactured by a third party.](https://nerdculture.de/system/media_attachments/files/114/959/158/004/078/123/original/7b0ab8697642f95e.jpeg)
♬ 
“There’s a common misconception that state-of-the-art technology has to be expensive, energy consumptive and hard to engineer. That’s because we have been persuaded to believe that #InnovativeTechnology is whatever bombastic billionaires claim it is, whether that’s commercial #spacecraft or the endless iterations of generative #AItools.
As the #Canadian #technologist and #engineer #UrsulaFranklin once said, fantasies of technology would have it that innovation is always “investment-driven, shiny, lab-born, experimental, exciting”. But more often than not, in the real world, it is “#NeedsDriven, #scrappy, on #location, #iterative, #practical, #mundane”.
The real pioneering #technologies of today are genuinely useful #systems I like to call “frugal tech”, and they are brought to life not by eccentric billionaires but by people doing more with less. They don’t impose #TopDown “#solutions” that seem to complicate our lives while making a few people very rich. It turns out that genuinely #innovative #technology really can set people free.” — Eleanor Drage
#OpEd / #EleanorDrage / #tech / #FrugalTech / #Cambridge #LeverhulmeCentre / #FutureOfIntelligence <https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/aug/02/billionaire-big-tech-frugal-elon-musk-innovation>
The Guardian · Enough of the billionaires and their big tech. ‘Frugal tech’ will build us all a better world
New Koske Linux Malware hides in cute Panda Images.
Researchers from IT-Security Company AquaSec analyzed Koske and described it as "a sophhisticated Linux threat." Based on the observed adaptive behavior, the researchers believe that the malware was developed using large language models or automation frameworks.
https://www.aquasec.com/blog/ai-generated-malware-in-panda-image-hides-persistent-linux-threat/
GIF
![[ImageSource: AquaSec]
Seemingly innocuous panda image [top], file contents [bottom].
A user opening them will see a cute panda bear but a script interpreter will execute the shell code appended at the end of the file. The attacks AquaSec discovered hide one payload in each image, both launched in parallel.
“One payload is C code written directly to memory, compiled, and executed as a shared object .so file that functions as a rootkit,” explains AquaSec. “The second is a shell script, also executed from memory, which uses standard system utilities to run stealthily and maintain persistence while leaving few visible traces.”
‼️It also performs network hardening and proxy evasion, overwriting /etc/resolv.conf to use Cloudflare and Google DNS, locking it using the chattr +i command, flushing iptables, resetting proxy variables and using a custom module to brute-force working proxies via curl, wget and raw TCP checks.‼️
👾This type of adaptability and behavior is what led AquaSec researchers to suspect that the threat actor developed the malware either with the help of a LLM or an automation platform.👾](https://nerdculture.de/system/media_attachments/files/114/936/081/680/349/901/original/ccb25bc6ec937af7.jpeg)
![[ImageSource: AquaSec]
Complete Attack Chain.
The C-based rootkit is compiled in memory and uses LD_PRELOAD to override the readdir() function, hiding malware-related processes, files and directories from user-space monitoring tools.
The rootkit filters entries based on strings like koske, hideproc, or by reading hidden PIDs from /dev/shm/.hiddenpid. After establishing network access and setting up persistence, the shell script downloads cryptominers from GitHub.
Before deployment, the host’s CPU and GPU are evaluated to determine which miner would be the most efficient choice. Koske supports mining for 18 different coins, including the hard-to-trace Monero, Ravencoin, Zano, Nexa and Tari. If a coin or mining pool becomes unavailable, the malware automatically switches to a backup from its internal list, indicating a high degree of automation and adaptability.
‼️AquaSec warns that while AI-powered malware like Koske is already concerning, future variants may leverage real-time adaptability, evolving into a far more dangerous class of threats.‼️](https://nerdculture.de/system/media_attachments/files/114/936/082/127/632/225/original/20abe68881cf0cbd.jpeg)
#shortbreak #shorts #engineer #engineering #DIY #garbage #litter #automating #trashcan #humor
=D Best procrastination project!
(just a hint: what if you simply stop buying so much packaged crap?!)
PerfektBlue Bluetooth Flaws impact #Mercedes, #Volkswagen & #Skoda Cars.
Four vulnerabilities dubbed #PerfektBlue and affecting the #BlueSDK #Bluetooth stack from #OpenSynergy. The company confirmed the flaws last year in June and released patches to customers in September 2024 but many automakers have yet to push the corrective firmware updates….
https://pcacybersecurity.com/resources/advisory/perfekt-blue
![[ImageSource: PCA Cyber Security]
Getting a reverse shell on a Mercedes-Benz NTG6 system
PCA Cyber Security demonstrated PerfektBlue attacks on infotainment head units in Volkswagen ID.4 [ICAS3 system], Mercedes-Benz [NTG6] & Skoda Superb [MIB3], and obtained a reverse shell on top of the TCP/IP that allows communication between devices on a network, such as components in a car.
‼️The researchers say that with remote code execution on in-vehicle infotainment [IVI] a attacker could track GPS coordinates, eavesdrop on conversations in the car, access phone contacts and potentially move laterally to more critical subsystems in the vehicle.‼️
A statement from Mercedes was not immediately avaialable and VW said that they started investigating the impact and ways to address the risks immediatelly after learning about the issues. "The investigations revealed that it is possible under certain conditions to connect to the vehicle's infotainment system via Bluetooth without authorization," a VW spokesperson said.
The German car maker said that leveraging the vulnerabilities is possible only if several conditions are met at the same time:
• The attacker is within a maximum distance of 5 to 7 meters from the vehicle
• The vehicle's ignition must be switched on
• The infotainment system must be in pairing mode, i.e., the vehicle user must be actively pairing a Bluetooth device
• The vehicle user must actively approve the external Bluetooth access of the attacker on the screen](https://nerdculture.de/system/media_attachments/files/114/930/857/742/205/077/original/92f4efae9e5d07ff.jpeg)
Programming Like It’s 1986, For Fun and Zero Profit.
Some people slander #retrocomputing as an old man’s game, just because most of those involved are more ancient than the hardware they’re playing with. But there are veritable children involved too — take the [ComputerSmith], who is recreating Conway’s game of life on a Macintosh Plus that could very well be as old as his parents.
![If there’s any nostalgia here, it’s at least a generation removed — thus proving for the haters that there’s more than a misplaced desire to relive one’s youth in exploring these ancient machines.
Apparently [ComputerSmith] brought this project to VCS Southwest, so anyone who was there doesn’t have to wait for Part 2 of the video to show up to see how this turns out, or to snag a copy of the code [which was apparently available on diskette]. If you were there, let me know if you spotted the youngest Macintosh Plus programmer, and if you scored a disk from him.](https://nerdculture.de/system/media_attachments/files/114/924/686/137/672/581/original/fce489fca4b2d411.jpeg)
![[ImageSource: ComputerSmith]
So what does a young person get out of programming on a 1980s Mac?
Well, aside from internet clout, and possible YouTube monetization, there’s the sheer intellectual challenge of the thing. You cant go sniffing around StackExchange or LLMs for code to copy-paste when writing C for a 1986 machine, not if you’re going to be fully authentic. ANSI C only dates to 1987, after all, and figuring out the quirks and foibles of the specific C implementation is both half the fun, and not easily outsourced.
👾Object Pascal would also have been an option [and quite likely more straightforward — at least the language was clearly-defined], but [ComputerSmith] seems to think the exercise will improve his chops with C, and he’s likely to be right.👾](https://nerdculture.de/system/media_attachments/files/114/924/687/284/624/745/original/bb9eb12cc4f1229e.jpeg)
A Silicon Valley #engineer has pleaded guilty to stealing thousands of trade secrets worth hundreds of millions of dollars, including crucial #military #technology.
San Jose-based Chenguang Gong, a 59-year-old dual #Chinese and American citizen, admitted downloading over 3,600 documents from two electronics manufacturers and storing them on personal storage drives. Some of the documents he downloaded included information on sensors used by aircraft to confuse infrared-seeking missiles. Others describe radiation-hardened cameras that the US placed in orbit to give an early warning of rocket launches and track #hypersonic vehicles.
https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/22/engineer_admits_trade_theft/
The Register · Silicon Valley engineer admits theft of US missile tech secrets
Continued thread
“This is the biography of an extraordinary family, an impossible sea and an engineering miracle”
Bella Bathurst’s THE LIGHTHOUSE STEVENSONS tells the story of Robert Louis Stevenson’s ancestors – four generations who designed & built the great lights around Scotland. They were lifesavers & pioneers, & their lives were as full of drama & adventure as anything RLS wrote.
Winner of the Somerset Maugham Award 1999
Bella Bathurst · The Lighthouse Stevensons - Bella Bathurst‘Whenever I smell salt water, I know that I am not farm from one of the works of my ancestors. The Bell Rock stands monument for my grandfather, the Skerry Vhor for my Uncle Alan, and when the lights come out at sundown along the shores of Scotland, I am proud to think they burn […]
“When the lights come out at sundown along the shores of Scotland, I am proud to think they burn more brightly for the genius of my father.”
—from MEMOIRS OF HIMSELF, Robert Louis Stevenson’s uncompleted (indeed, barely begun) autobiography
Thomas Stevenson (1818–1887), lighthouse engineer & father of Robert Louis Stevenson, was born #OTD, 22 July
1/2
My freelance quote for your software project.
50 - if you tell me what you want, I confirm the requirements, and I build it for you
100 - if I have to pry a description of what you want out of you like pulling a tooth
250 - if I have to build it on a "company laptop" you supply
350 - if I have to regularly video call with you for no particular reason
400 - if I have to use JIRA
450 - if I have to use Github
500 - if I have to use Zoom
750 - if I have to use Teams
1,250 - if you ever want to "watch me work" by sharing my desktop
1,500 - if the project is fixing something your employees built for you
1,800 - if it's fixing something a previous contractor built
2,500 - if it's fixing / completing a project a previous, cheaper freelancer failed to complete
19,500 - if it's fixing something created with "AI"
Để trở thành kỹ sư lái tàu cần gì? 
Bài viết này sẽ cho bạn cái nhìn tổng quan về quá trình đào tạo, yêu cầu và những khó khăn của nghề lái tàu. Một công việc đòi hỏi sự tập trung cao độ và trách nhiệm lớn!
#tàuhoa #đườngsắt #kỹsư #laitàu #trains #railroad #engineer #locomotive
https://www.trains.com/trn/railroads/locomotives/what-it-takes-to-become-a-locomotive-engineer/
TrainsWhat it takes to become a locomotive engineer - TrainsWhat does it take in becoming a locomotive engineer in today's high-demand world of modern railroading?
DuckDuckGo Browser now lets you hide AI-generated Images in Search Results.
The company says it’s launching the feature in response to feedback from users who said AI images can get in the way of finding what they’re looking for.
![[ImageSource: DuckDuckGo]
Users can test the feature by performing an image search and selecting the drop-down option labeled “AI images: show” or “AI images: hide”. The filter operates based on manually curated open-source blocklists containing known AI image sources, including major contributions from uBlock Origin and the uBlacklist Huge AI Blocklist.
👾Also you can turn on the filter in their search settings by tapping the “Hide AI-Generated Images” option.👾
It’s worth noting that DuckDuckGo’s example for the new feature depicts an image search for a baby peacock, likely in reference to Google facing controversy last year for showing more AI-generated images of baby peacocks rather than real-life images when conducting an image search for the bird.
<https://tech.yahoo.com/ai/articles/google-ai-slop-invasion-feels-130000513.html>
According to DuckDuckGo, these resources significantly reduce the presence of AI-generated images in the results, although the company acknowledges the system may not block every such image.](https://nerdculture.de/system/media_attachments/files/114/891/149/026/196/788/original/41347b4ff3be7746.jpeg)
Have you subscribed to Ryan's YouTube channel yet? If he gets 16k subscribers by August he has agreed to visit a fair... If he gets 20k he will even ride some of the rides which will certainly bring some hilarity!
... And if you haven't watched his videos yet you are in for a treat.
YouTubeRyan The Ride MechanicI’m Ryan the Ride Mechanic. I’ve always liked rollercoasters. I’ll be covering all sorts of amusement related topics. For all of these I’m simply going off my 14 years in the industry worth of experience. I’ll give the real world explanation as to why they work and what can go wrong. Keep in mind, I’m wrong about some of these things. No two machines are built alike.
Welcome to the coolest channel that mechanics, ride engineers and manufactures already all tuned in to!
Check me out on Side Friction Podcast if you need more.
You can email me Chanel related questions to ryantheridemechanic@yahoo.com
If you send pictures that you don’t want out please mark them with “do not release” on the photo.