construction Archives

Tech Optimizer

June 13, 2025

Postgres and the Lakehouse Are Becoming One System — Here’s What Comes Next

Developers are increasingly using Postgres for application needs alongside lakehouse technologies for analytics and data science. Postgres has evolved into a versatile operational database suitable for various applications, while lakehouse technologies enable organizations to manage and analyze large-scale data efficiently. There is a growing synergy between these systems, although they often operate in silos managed by different teams. An emerging architectural paradigm views Postgres and lakehouses as complementary layers within a modular framework to address both operational and analytical requirements. Historically, OLTP systems were used for transactions and OLAP systems for analysis, but this model is shifting. Scenarios such as financial applications requiring real-time risk reports and SaaS applications calculating usage metrics are becoming standard. Effective communication between product-engineering teams managing operational systems and data teams overseeing lakehouse services is essential for enhancing system resilience. A trend called operational medallion architecture incorporates bronze, silver, and gold layers for real-time and user-facing systems. The bronze layer consists of raw data, the silver layer contains cleaned data in Postgres for real-time analytics, and the gold layer features pre-aggregated data for low-latency experiences. Each layer is queryable, allowing for bidirectional data movement between S3 and Postgres. Key developments facilitating the integration of operational databases and lakehouses include the maturation of Iceberg as a flexible table format, the evolution of Postgres with support for various data types and querying capabilities, and a growing demand for composability among developers. The market is moving towards modular, open, and developer-friendly architectures that integrate operational and analytical layers. Future data infrastructure will focus on interconnected components and coherent modern data architecture that serves both operational and non-operational use cases seamlessly.

AppWizard

June 12, 2025

Minecraft Pride Month Build Features Rainbow Ship; Check Details

A player known as u/WulfyTime constructed a wooden ship in Minecraft adorned with rainbow sails and pride flags to celebrate Pride Month. The ship serves as a symbol of inclusion and creativity within the game. WulfyTime shared their creation in the r/Minecraft Builds community, receiving positive feedback from other users who admired the attention to detail and the immersive experience of the build. The ship exemplifies the diverse and imaginative projects that players undertake in Minecraft, highlighting the game's role as a platform for creative expression.

AppWizard

June 9, 2025

Texas YouTuber recreates San Antonio Tower Life Building in ‘Minecraft’

Eric, a Texas-based YouTuber known for his channel Mogswamp, has dedicated over 500 hours of gameplay and a year of planning to recreate the Tower Life building in Minecraft. He became fascinated with the building, the fifth tallest in San Antonio, due to its distinctive design and visibility across the city. To ensure accuracy in his recreation, Eric researched drone footage, historical background, blueprints, and took his own photographs. The San Antonio Museum of Science and Technology (SAMSAT) is using Minecraft Education to engage students in various subjects, offering summer camps that incorporate technology and education. The Tower Life building is currently undergoing renovations to convert vacant office floors into apartment units while remaining a prominent feature of the San Antonio skyline.

AppWizard

June 4, 2025

How to build a creeper farm in Minecraft | Esports News

In Minecraft, players can build a Creeper farm to obtain a reliable source of gunpowder, which is essential for crafting TNT, fireworks, and splash potions. To construct an efficient Creeper farm, players need to gather materials such as building blocks, wooden trapdoors, carpet, cat mobs, slabs, campfires or magma blocks, chests, and hoppers. The construction steps include: 1. Choosing a location elevated above sea level or over the ocean to reduce other mob spawns. 2. Creating a flat spawning platform with solid blocks, attaching trapdoors to restrict spawns to creepers, and placing carpets to prevent spider spawns. 3. Positioning domesticated cats at the center of each platform to scare creepers into the trap zone. 4. Installing campfires or magma blocks at the base to eliminate creepers and using hoppers to collect loot. 5. Adding multiple layers of platforms to increase spawn rates and using trapdoors to guide creepers off the platforms. 6. Illuminating or slabbing nearby caves to prevent unwanted mob spawns. With careful planning and execution, players can establish a self-sustaining farm for a steady supply of gunpowder.

AppWizard

June 3, 2025

How to watch the PC Gaming Show 2025

The PC Gaming Show 2025 is scheduled to air on June 8 and will showcase over 70 games from studios like 11 Bit, CCP, People Can Fly, Ghost Ship, and Ubisoft. The event will be hosted by Mica Burton, Sean "Day[9]" Plott, and Frankie Ward, and will include a live construction of a gaming PC, which will be given away to a viewer. The broadcast will be available on platforms such as Twitch, YouTube, X, Facebook, PC Gamer, GamesRadar+, GOG.com, Steam, and Bilibili, with localized subtitles in multiple languages. Co-streaming will feature popular content creators like MissMikkaa, CohhCarnage, DieHardDiva, GRONKH, Forsen, and SodaPoppin. Updates can be found at pcgamingshow.com and on Bluesky, X, and Instagram.

AppWizard

June 3, 2025

This Real-Life Minecraft Compass Points the Way to the Nearest Lodestone

Minecraft has evolved over 15 years from a basic game to a complex platform that allows players to craft advanced tools, including a compass that can guide them to specific locations. Chaosgoo has created a DIY compass that replicates the in-game compass in real life, allowing users to set destinations via a companion app. The compass uses a custom printed circuit board (PCB) featuring an ESP32-C3-MINI microcontroller with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, a USB connector, a lithium battery charger, and a digital compass. It includes 42 individually addressable RGB LEDs and a light diffuser that creates a voxel-like appearance for the compass needle. The device is designed for 3D printing and is portable. Documentation for building the compass is primarily in Chinese, but resources are available on MakerWorld, OSHW Hub, and GitHub.

Tech Optimizer

June 3, 2025

Snowflake Inc. (SNOW) Acquires Crunchy Data to Add Enterprise-Grade Postgres to Its AI Data Cloud

Artificial intelligence (AI) is significantly increasing energy consumption, with data centers using electricity comparable to small cities. Industry leaders, including Sam Altman and Elon Musk, have raised concerns about the sustainability of this energy demand, warning of potential limitations in AI development due to energy shortages. A specific company is emerging as a key player in the AI energy sector, owning vital nuclear energy assets and having expertise in large-scale energy projects. This company is also involved in U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exportation and is strategically positioned to benefit from increased demand for energy resources. It is debt-free and has a cash reserve that constitutes nearly one-third of its market capitalization, along with investments in AI ventures. Recent assessments suggest that the company's stock is undervalued, trading at less than seven times earnings when excluding cash and investments. The company is generating real cash flows and possesses critical infrastructure that supports its growth in the evolving energy landscape.

AppWizard

June 2, 2025

Explore New Worlds and Sounds: How to Safely Download Minecraft APK and Spotify Premium APK

Smartphones are essential for accessing creative and entertainment applications like Minecraft and Spotify. The Minecraft APK allows users to play the game on unsupported devices, access updates without delays, and experiment with mods. The Spotify Premium APK enables ad-free streaming, offline downloads, and superior sound quality. Safe downloading involves choosing trusted sources, enabling "Unknown Sources" in device settings, installing cautiously while monitoring permissions, and keeping the device updated to prevent vulnerabilities.

Tech Optimizer

June 1, 2025

Supercharging vector search performance and relevance with pgvector 0.8.0 on Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL

The Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible Edition has integrated support for pgvector 0.8.0, enhancing vector search capabilities significantly. This version achieves up to 9x faster query processing and delivers 100x more relevant search results compared to previous iterations. Key improvements in pgvector 0.8.0 include: - Up to 5.7x improvement in query performance for specific patterns. - Introduction of the iterative_scan feature, enhancing recall for filter queries requiring approximate nearest neighbor (ANN) index searches. - Improved cost estimation for more efficient query planning, allowing the selection of traditional indexes for complex filtered searches. - Flexible performance tuning with two modes for iterative_scan: relaxed_order and strict_order. Previous versions faced challenges with overfiltering, where combining vector similarity search with traditional SQL filters resulted in fewer results than expected. The HNSW indexing algorithm accelerates vector similarity searches by creating a multi-layered graph structure for efficient navigation. Iterative index scans in pgvector 0.8.0 improve query reliability and performance by applying filters during the scanning process, reducing false negatives and enhancing performance. The configuration options for iterative scanning include off, strict_order, and relaxed_order, with relaxed_order providing the best balance between performance and accuracy. In performance tests, pgvector 0.8.0 demonstrated substantial improvements across various query patterns, with significant enhancements in result completeness and recall. The database can now efficiently handle enterprise-scale applications, such as e-commerce and recommendation systems, with high performance and result quality even as product catalogs expand. Best practices for deploying pgvector 0.8.0 include using HNSW with recommended parameters, creating additional indexes on commonly filtered metadata columns, and tuning query parameters based on specific use cases. Operational best practices involve using Graviton4-based instances for optimal performance, monitoring and tuning slow vector queries, and considering partitioning for very large tables.

AppWizard

May 27, 2025

Get 17 PC Games For Just $12 In This Bundle Deal

Fanatical is hosting a sale featuring 17 games, all available as redeemable Steam keys, with proceeds benefiting Into Games, a non-profit supporting emerging developers in the UK. Many games are compatible with the Steam Deck. Notable titles include Worms Revolution, Call of the Wild: The Angler, Garfield Lasagna Party, and Overcooked. The featured games in the Into Games Bundle 2025 include: - Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous Enhanced Edition (Steam Deck Playable) - Tormented Souls (Steam Deck verified) - Blood West (Steam Deck verified) - Content Warning (Steam Deck Playable) - Call of the Wild: The Angler (Steam Deck verified) - These Doomed Isles (Steam Deck verified) - Overcooked (Steam Deck verified) - Nippon Marathon (Steam Deck Playable) - Desta: The Memories Between (Steam Deck verified) - Picture Everything: Puzzle Cross Galaxy - Itty Bitty Toilet Kitty - I'll be Brave, Tomorrow - Train Valley 2 (Steam Deck Playable) - Worms Revolution (Steam Deck Playable) - Little Orpheus - Hyper Sentinel - Garfield Lasagna Party Fanatical is also offering other bundles, including the Build Your Own Supreme Collection, a Capcom bundle with classic titles, a Killer Bundle, and the Mystery Egg promotion.