veilgen (u/veilgen) - Readit News

veilgen commented on Show HN: Localscope–Limit scope of Python functions for reproducible execution localscope.readthedocs.io... · Posted by u/tillahoffmann

veilgen · 5 months ago

This looks like a handy tool, especially for catching unintended global variable access in environments like Jupyter notebooks, where scope bugs can easily creep in. The ability to disassemble functions and analyze their dependencies could be particularly useful for debugging and enforcing best practices in functional programming, as seen in JAX.

Would be interesting to see how it compares to static analysis tools like mypy or linters—does it catch edge cases they might miss? Nice work!

veilgen commented on Show HN: OpenTimes – Free travel times between U.S. Census geographies opentimes.org... · Posted by u/dfsnow

veilgen · 5 months ago

This is an impressive project! Providing free access to such a massive dataset of pre-computed travel times could be a game-changer for researchers and policymakers who rely on spatial accessibility data but often face high costs with commercial providers.

The technical approach is also fascinating—using static Parquet files on R2 instead of a traditional database keeps costs low while maintaining accessibility via SQL and DuckDB. Offloading computation to GitHub Actions is a clever way to handle large-scale processing efficiently.

It'll be interesting to see how this evolves, especially with the potential addition of traffic-aware travel times. Great work!

veilgen commented on Show HN: I made a tool to port tweets to Bluesky mantaining their original date bluemigrate.com... · Posted by u/nols05

veilgen · 5 months ago

This is interesting, but it raises concerns about the integrity of timestamps on Bluesky. Allowing backdated posts could lead to misuse, such as manipulating historical context or creating a false impression of long-term presence on the platform.

On the other hand, it could be useful for users who want to maintain a consistent archive of their content across platforms. But the question remains: should platforms allow this kind of timestamp manipulation?

veilgen commented on Ask HN: Why is Firefox's spell check so awful? Is there a way to make it better? · Posted by u/solardev

veilgen · 5 months ago

Ican understand your frustration with Firefox's default spell checker. While it's not as advanced as Chrome's cloud-based checker, there are a few things you can try to improve it:

1. Install a Better Dictionary: Firefox allows you to install custom dictionaries. You can search for dictionaries that might be more comprehensive or suited to your needs, such as specialized dictionaries for slang, names, or specific topics. To do this:

Go to Firefox Settings > Language > Choose a Dictionary.

Install additional dictionaries from the available list or download them from reputable sources.

2. Add Words to the Dictionary: If it’s not recognizing common words, you can manually add them to Firefox’s dictionary. Simply right-click on the word that’s flagged as incorrect and choose “Add to Dictionary.”

3. Enable Third-Party Extensions: There are extensions available for Firefox like Grammarly or LanguageTool that offer more accurate spell checking and even grammar suggestions. They can integrate cloud-based checks similar to Chrome's approach.

4. Consider Cloud-Based Spell Checkers: If you don’t mind sending data to a cloud service, using third-party spell checkers (like the ones mentioned above) can offer better performance. They can work across browsers, so it’s a similar experience to what you had with Chrome.

Unfortunately, Firefox doesn’t have the same advanced cloud integration for spell checking as Chrome, but these options might help make the experience better!

veilgen commented on A tool to generate realistic fake data for security testing–how effective is it? github.com/hexa-01/Veilge... · Posted by u/veilgen

Hill_77 · 5 months ago

Interesting tool! Generating synthetic encrypted data is a smart approach to avoid exposing real data during security testing. For me, the biggest challenge with bypassing detection systems is making the fake data both realistic enough to evade detection while still being entirely synthetic. Ensuring that the data behaves like real-world data (in terms of structure and randomness) without being too predictable is key. How does Veilgen manage the balance between randomness and structure to avoid triggering detection systems? Also, curious if you've considered integrating machine learning models to make the generated data evolve based on specific detection mechanisms over time?

veilgen · 5 months ago

Thanks for the thoughtful question! Veilgen addresses the balance between randomness and structure by leveraging advanced algorithms that simulate real-world data patterns while avoiding over-predictability. We focus on creating data that mimics natural distributions and interactions, ensuring it behaves similarly to actual datasets but doesn't trigger detection systems due to its organic structure.

Regarding machine learning, it's definitely something we've been exploring. Integrating ML could allow the synthetic data to adapt more dynamically to evolving detection systems. This approach could help ensure that the generated data continues to evade detection as detection mechanisms become more sophisticated. We're excited to see how this technology can evolve and improve with time

veilgen commented on A tool to generate realistic fake data for security testing–how effective is it? github.com/hexa-01/Veilge... · Posted by u/veilgen

veilgen · 5 months ago

Hey HN,

I’ve been working on Veilgen, a tool designed to generate fully synthetic, encrypted fake data for security testing and red teaming. Unlike real or scraped data, Veilgen creates randomized structured data, making it ideal for:

Testing AI-driven detection systems without exposing real data. Simulating SSRF/RCE payloads with obfuscated and encrypted inputs. Eypassing security filters using structured yet unpredictable fake data. Running on Android/Linux with optional root features for deeper security analysis.

Since modern security systems rely heavily on AI-based anomaly detection, traditional evasion techniques are becoming less effective. How do you approach generating fake data for testing? What’s the biggest challenge in bypassing detection systems?

Would love to hear your feedback

veilgen commented on Ask HN: What makes an open-source project generate discussions beyond GitHub? · Posted by u/estheryo

veilgen · 5 months ago

That’s an interesting challenge. Stars on GitHub indicate interest, but discussions elsewhere often require a mix of strong community engagement, clear use cases, and active outreach.

Projects that naturally spark discussions tend to:

1. Solve a pressing problem—People talk about tools that significantly impact their workflows.

2. Have strong storytelling—A compelling narrative around the project’s origin, challenges, or breakthroughs makes it more shareable.

3. Engage actively in relevant communities—Posting insightful content on HN, Reddit, and Twitter (not just announcements) can help.

4. Encourage contributions beyond code—If the project welcomes blog posts, case studies, and integrations, it creates more discussion opportunities.

Have you tried running AMAs or writing deep-dive articles about the project’s internals and use cases? That often sparks technical conversations beyond GitHub.

veilgen commented on Show HN: Prompt Engineering Studio – Toolkit for deploying AI prompts at scale · Posted by u/retrovrv

veilgen · 5 months ago

This looks like a powerful step toward making prompt engineering more scalable and production-ready. The version control approach, along with staging environments and real-time analytics, seems particularly useful for teams handling high-volume AI workloads.

One question: How do you handle prompt drift over time? As models evolve, prompt effectiveness can degrade—do you provide any automated testing or monitoring to detect when a deployed prompt needs adjustment?

Looking forward to exploring Portkey’s capabilities.