The demoscene is still alive and well, and the proof is in this truly awe-inspiring game demo by [daivuk] : a Quake-like “boomer shooter” squeezed into a Windows executable of only 64 kB he calls “QUOD”. We’ve included the full explanation video below, but before you check out all the technical details, consider playing the game. It’ll make his explanations even more impressive.

OK, what’s so impressive? Well, aside from the fact that this is a playable 3D shooter in 64kB, with multiple enemies, multiple levels, oodles of textures, running, jumping et cetera–it’s so Quake-like he’s using TrenchBroom to make the levels. Of course he’s reprocessing them into a more space-efficient, optimized format. Yeah, unlike the famous .kkrieger and a lot of other demos in the 64kB space, this isn’t all procedurally generated. [daivuk] did make his own image editing program for procedurally generated textures, though. Which makes sense: as a PNG, the QUOD logo is probably half the size of the (compressed) executable.

The low-poly models are created in Blender, and all created to be symmetric–having the engine mirror the meshes saves 50% of the vertex data. . Blender is just exporting half of a low-poly mesh; just as he wrote his own image editor, he has his own bespoke model tool. This allows tiling model elements, as well as handling bones and poses to keyframe the model’s animation.

Audio is treated similarly to textures and meshes: built up at runtime from stored data and a layered series of effects. When you realize all the sounds were put together in his sound tool from square and sine waves, it makes it very impressive. He’s also got an old-style tracker to create the music. All of these tools output byte arrays that get embedded directly in the game code.

The video also gets into some of his optimization techniques; we like his use of a map file and analyzing it with a python tool to find the exact size of game elements and test his optimizations thereby. One thing he notes is that his optmizations are all for space, not for speed. Except, perhaps, for one thing: [daivuk] created a new language and virtual machine for the game, which seems downright extravagant. It actually makes sense, though, as the virtual machine can be optimized for the limits of the game, as he explains starting at about 20 minutes into the video. Apparently it saved a whole 2kB, which seems like nothing these days but actually let [daivuk] fit an extra level into his 64kB limit. Sure, it’s still bigger than Quake13k–and how did we never cover that?–but you get a lot more game, too.

So, to recap: [daivuk] didn’t just make a game with an impressively tiny size on disk, he made the entire toolchain, and a language for it to boot. If you think this is overoptimized, check out Wolfenstien in 600 lines of AWK. Of course in spite of the 1980s file size, this needs modern hardware to run. You can get surprising graphics performance from a fraction of that, like this ATtiny sprite engine.

Thanks to [Keith Olson] for the tip, which probably took up more than 64kB on our tips line.

from the about-face dept

One of the more perplexing questions in all of the coverage I’ve done on RFK Jr. has been whether or not Kennedy is some misguided true believer or if this is all some grift for power, influence, and/or money. While most people who watch how RFK Jr. has operated on the topic of vaccines, for instance, both before and after he entered government, they assume he’s a real, if stupid, crusader. But they will tell you the same when it comes to processed foods and pesticides, two topics on which Kennedy has also crusaded for years, and two topics that have been noticeably absent or reversed now that he’s in government.

The pesticide topic was recently thrust back into the news. Trump signed an executive order that essentially demanded that two chemicals be produced in higher quantities: phosphorus and glyphosate. Kennedy then came out to cheerlead the executive order as well, which was odd when you consider what glyphosate is chiefly used for.

Trump on Wednesday night signed an executive order invoking the Defense Production Act to compel the domestic production of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides. Glyphosate is the chemical in Bayer-Monsanto’s Roundup and is the most commonly used herbicide for a slew of U.S. crops. Trump, in the order, said shortages of both phosphorus and glyphosate would pose a risk to national security.

Kennedy backed the president in a statement to CNBC Thursday morning.

“Donald Trump’s Executive Order puts America first where it matters most — our defense readiness and our food supply,” he said. “We must safeguard America’s national security first, because all of our priorities depend on it. When hostile actors control critical inputs, they weaken our security. By expanding domestic production, we close that gap and protect American families.”

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Bayer-Monsanto has been the defendant in a number of lawsuits over its Roundup product. Specifically, those suits have been powered by claims that glyphosate causes non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a form of cancer primarily impacting blood cells. Whether or not you or I think those claims are true, Kennedy sure said he did, since he acted as counsel in some of these suits.

Kennedy, a former environmental attorney, notably once won a nearly $290 million case against Monsanto for a man who claimed his cancer was caused by Roundup. The executive order came down one day after Bayer proposed paying $7.25 billion to settle a series of lawsuits claiming Roundup causes cancer.

The MAHA crowd is understandably pissed. Building a career on these very concrete health stances, only to reverse course while in government to appease Dear Leader, is a fairly horrible look. And it’s actually a worst of both worlds situation, as his MAHA crowd is pointing to his failed promises and hypocrisy, while those who are generally his opponents are pointing out that this might be a stance in which he was actually acting rationally before pulling a u-turn.

“This was one of the few issues where Secretary Kennedy actually embraced credible science,” said Kayla Hancock, Director of Public Health Watch, a project of Protect Our Care. “But RFK Jr. tossed out his years of anti-pesticide advocacy and conviction like a used tissue to stay in the good graces of Donald Trump, who cares more about making his chemical company donors happy than protecting the public’s health. This makes it clear, Secretary Kennedy has no problem selling out his supposed value if there’s a quick buck to be made for special interest donors, or political points to be scored.” 

This seems as close to a solid answer to the question I posed at the start of this post as we’re likely to get. Kennedy, whatever else he might be, is not a true-believing crusader willing to hold firm to his beliefs. He simply does and says whatever will propel his influence and revenue. That’s it.

You’ve been lied to, MAHA people. Lied to and used to put in office the very people who have betrayed you. Let that sink in.

Filed Under: donald trump, executive order, glyphosate, health, health and human services, maga, maha, pesticides, rfk jr., roundup

Companies: monsanto

• New Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S II weighs just 998g
• It promises quieter, faster autofocus and six stops of stabilization
• Available from March, costing £2,999 / $2,999 / AU$5,399

Nikon has announced the Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S II, a second-gen overhaul of its telephoto zoom promising class-leading weight savings, a faster autofocus system and a redesigned optical formula – all while retaining the f/2.8 maximum aperture that makes this type of lens so useful in low light. The new lens will be available from March 2026, priced at $2,999 / £2,999 / AU$5,399.

The headline figure is its weight. At just 998g (with the tripod collar removed), the new lens is 362g lighter than the original Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S and, according to Nikon, the lightest lens among 70-200mm f/2.8 options for full-frame mirrorless cameras.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? I thought 5-Down was very tricky, and not really representative of the clue, either. Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Goosebumps-inducing
Answer: SCARY

6A clue: Buddy, informally
Answer: HOMIE

7A clue: Rub off, as pencil markings
Answer: ERASE

8A clue: Enjoys a quiet weekend morning, perhaps
Answer: LAZES

9A clue: David Szalay novel that won the 2025 Booker Prize
Answer: FLESH

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Section of a bookcase
Answer: SHELF

2D clue: Color similar to salmon that’s also named for a sea creature
Answer: CORAL

3D clue: Leave speechless
Answer: AMAZE

4D clue: Gets out of bed
Answer: RISES

5D clue: “Uff-da!”
Answer: YEESH

from the copyright-gone-mad dept

“The Diary of a Young Girl” is a Dutch language diary written by the young Jewish writer Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Although the diary and Anne Frank’s death in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp are well known, few are aware that the text has a complicated copyright history – one that could have important implications for the legal status and use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) in the EU. TorrentFreak explains the copyright background:

These copyrights are controlled by the Swiss-based Anne Frank Fonds, which was the sole heir of Anne’s father, Otto Frank. The Fonds states that many print versions of the diary remain protected for decades, and even the manuscripts are not freely available everywhere.

In the Netherlands, for example, certain sections of the manuscripts remain protected by copyright until 2037, even though they have entered the public domain in neighboring countries like Belgium.

A separate foundation, the Netherlands-based Anne Frank Stichting, wanted to publish a scholarly edition of Anne Frank’s writing, at least in those parts of the world where her diary was in the public domain:

To navigate these conflicting laws, the Dutch Anne Frank Stichting published a scholarly edition online using “state-of-the-art” geo-blocking to prevent Dutch residents from accessing the site. Visitors from the Netherlands and other countries where the work is protected are met with a clear message, informing them about these access restrictions.

However, the Anne Frank Fonds was unhappy with this approach, and took legal action. Its argument was that such geo-blocking could be circumvented with VPNs, and so its copyrights in the Netherlands could be infringed upon by those using VPNs. The lower courts in the Netherlands dismissed this argument, and the case is now before the Dutch Supreme Court. Beyond the specifics of the Anne Frank scholarly edition, there are important issues regarding the use of VPNs to get around geo-blocking. Because of the potential knock-on effect the ruling in this case will have on EU law, the Dutch Supreme Court has asked for guidance from the EU’s top court, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

The CJEU has yet to rule on the issues raised. But one of the court’s advisors, Advocate General Rantos, has published a preliminary opinion, as is normal in such cases. Although that advice is not binding on the CJEU, it often provides some indication as to how the court may eventually decide. On the main issue of whether the ability of people to circumvent geo-blocking is a problem, Rantos writes:

the fact that users manage to circumvent a geo-blocking measure put in place to restrict access to a protected work does not, in itself, mean that the entity that put the geo-blocking in place communicates that work to the public in a territory where access to it is supposed to be blocked. Such an interpretation would make it impossible to manage copyright on the internet on a territorial basis and would mean that any communication to the public on the internet would be global.

Moreover:

As the [European] Commission pointed out in its written observations, the holder of an exclusive right in a work does not have the right to authorise or prohibit, on the basis of the right granted to it in one Member State, communication to the public in another Member State in which that right has ceased to have effect.

Or, more succinctly: “service providers in the public domain country cannot be subject to unreasonable requirements”. That’s a good, common-sense view. But perhaps just as important is the following comment by Rantos regarding the use of VPNs to circumvent geo-blocking:

as the Commission points out in its observations, VPN services are legally accessible technical services which users may, however, use for unlawful purposes. The mere fact that those or similar services may be used for such purposes is not sufficient to establish that the service providers themselves communicate the protected work to the public. It would be different if those service providers actively encouraged the unlawful use of their services.

That’s an important point at a time when VPNs are under attack from some governments because of concerns about possible copyright infringement by those using them.

The hope has to be that the CJEU will agree with its Advocate General’s sensible and fair analysis, and will rule accordingly. But there is another important aspect to this story. The basic issue is that the Anne Frank Stichting wants to make its scholarly edition of Anne Frank’s diary available as widely as possible. That seems a laudable aim, since it will increase understanding and appreciation of the young woman’s remarkable diary by publishing an academically rigorous version. And yet the Anne Frank Fonds has taken legal action to stop that move, on the grounds that it would represent an infringement of its intellectual monopoly in some parts of Frank’s work, in some parts of the world. The current dispute is another clear example of how copyright has become for some an end in itself, more important than the things that it is supposed to promote.

Follow me @glynmoody on Mastodon and on Bluesky. Republished from Walled Culture.

Filed Under: anne frank, anne frank’s diary, cjeu, copyright, diary of anne frank, geoblocking, netherlands, public domain, vpns

Companies: anne frank fonds, anne frank stichting

The four astronauts preparing to end a five-decade gap in crewed lunar flights will have to wait until at least April before they can begin the Artemis II mission.

During the SLS rocket’s second wet dress rehearsal last weekend, NASA discovered an issue with the flow of helium to the rocket’s upper stage.

Engineers decided that to fix the problem, the massive rocket, which is currently on the launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, will have to be transported back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). That four-mile rollback to the VAB is expected to take place on Tuesday, February 24.

On Monday, NASA confirmed that as a result of the latest issue, the rocket will no longer be launching on the recently announced March 6 target date, adding that the Artemis II mission will now lift off “no earlier than April 2026.”

NASA added: “The quick work to begin preparations for rolling the rocket and spacecraft back to the VAB potentially preserves the April launch window, pending the outcome of data findings, repair efforts, and how the schedule comes to fruition in the coming days and weeks.”

The Artemis II crew members — NASA’s Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch, along with the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen — left quarantine on Saturday evening and remain at NASA’s facility in Houston, Texas.

NASA originally targeted February 8 for the launch, but another issue in the first wet dress rehearsal prompted a delay, with NASA then announcing March 6 as a possible launch date. But that, too, has now been disregarded, with the team currently looking to launch in April.

The much-anticipated mission will involve the crew performing detailed tests on the Orion spacecraft’s systems while flying around the moon, with a smooth journey paving the way for a crewed lunar landing in the Artemis III mission, which could take place before the end of this decade.

Interested in following the 10-day mission when it finally gets underway? NASA recently shared a fascinating video revealing exactly how the flight is expected to unfold.

It’s getting to be that time of year again. Summer Game Fest and will go until June 8. The Live Kickoff show will once again be hosted by Geoff Keighley and takes place on June 5 at 5PM ET. This is where we’ll see all of those juicy reveals and trailers.

The opening event will be streamed globally on just about every digital platform, including YouTube, Twitch, X and even Steam. Those in the Los Angeles area will be able to pick up tickets for the live show sometime in the Spring.

The kickoff event is just the beginning. There’s something called Play Days, which is an expo in downtown LA produced by iam8bit. This invite-only event promises “immersive exhibits and hands-on experiences from the industry’s leading publishers and developers.” Coverage of this will be shared across digital and social platforms.

There is, of course, another livestream scheduled for immediately after the kickoff. Day of the Devs: SGF Edition should provide us with even more trailers and reveals, this time for indie games.

Finally, there’s a “thought leadership event” on June 8 that’s primarily for developers and publishers. Game Business Live “brings together top industry voices on one stage for insightful discussions on key changes, challenges and opportunities shaping the global video game industry.”

We’ll be covering the event live and will have all of those trailers ready to go. After all, that’s pretty much the main reason people watch these things.