HackerNews Summary (2023-04-28 02AM)

Source: Senior Microsoft exec says Windows 11 kernel will soon be booting with Rust inside

Summary
Microsoft has been experimenting with Rust as part of the Windows kernel for memory safety and security. David Weston, Vice President at Microsoft, announced that Windows 11 will soon be booting with Rust in the kernel, with 36k lines of code already added, and said that there are no major performance regressions in tested scenarios.

Facts

🎛️ Microsoft is interested in Rust due to its memory safety and security features.

👢 Windows 11 is set to boot with Rust in the kernel within the next several weeks or months.

💻 36k lines of Rust code have been added to Windows already, with no major performance regressions.

🏗️ Rust was used to convert internal C++ data types to their Rust equivalents.

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Source: Upward Farms throws in towel ten years after founding vertical-farming business

Summary
US vertical-farming company, Upward Farms has ceased operations after struggling to compete with traditional farming due to the highly capital-intensive nature of indoor controlled-environment agriculture.

Fact

🌱 Upward Farms used aquaponics technology to cultivate microgreens such as kale and mustard.

💸 Vertical or indoor controlled-environment farming is highly capital intensive, requiring external funds to finance the technology and running costs.

📉 Most companies involved in vertical farming are unprofitable.

🐟 Upward Farms was also rearing “hybrid striped” bass at its Brooklyn farm.

🌍 Upward Farms had planned to target new customers beyond New York City with a new 250,000-square-foot facility in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.

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Source: Europe’s Longest Bicycling Tunnel Opens in Norway

Summary
A tunnel designed for bikers and walkers was built in Bergen, Norway; New York City now converts food waste into fuel, producing enough energy for 2,500 homes; a planning tool for urban design professionals called VR95 puts them in a child’s direct point of view, encouraging them to construct more child-friendly cities.

Fact

🚲 The world’s longest bike and pedestrian tunnel in Bergen, Norway can cut off 20 minutes from a typical hike commute.

♻️ On the 31st of March, New York City produced its first gas processed from organic waste to feed into the grid, enough for 2,500 homes.

👧 VR95, a planning tool designed mainly for urban designers, is now providing them with the direct point of view of a child around three-foot high, to promote designing of more child-friendly cities.

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