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This is a brief high level explanation of how the infamous mark-and-sweep garbage collection (GC) algorithm works.

The program is running. It needs to allocate memory in the heap. But wait! There isn't enough free memory in the heap. So, the mark-and-weep garbage collector is "triggered".

The first thing that happens is that the GC first looks through the heap and marks all of the objects that you use. This is not unlike how a pet dog might mark all of the objects you routinely use.

Next, the GC scans the heap and identifies all of the marked objects. All of the unmarked objects are thrown out to the curb while all of the marked objects are kept. Just as a dog would only be interested in keeping the objects you use, and not the ones that you do not use.

Some mark-and-weep GCs also do hoarding by gathering all the marked objects together into a single big pile, freeing up all the rest of the space into one large continuous empty space. These hoarded objects may be hidden under the couch cushions, but they are still there.

Now the memory allocation is tried again. It probably succeeds. If not, it is possible that the runtime system could be designed to ask the OS for more memory. However the OS does not have an unlimited amount of memory to give.

Mark and sweep is the oldest and simplest GC algorithm. It has one gigantic disadvantage. The entire program must be stopped while the GC is running.

One of the first improvements I saw on mark and sweep back in about 1989 in Macintosh Common Lisp, was ephemeral garbage collection. The system created three heaps. The eden space, the survivor space, and the tenured space. New objects are allocated in eden space. GC only mark-sweeps the eden space at first. Any surviving objects are moved to survivor space. Then the memory allocation is attempted again. If at some point, while cleaning up eden space, the survivor space fills up, it is necessary to also mark-sweep the survivor space. Surviving objects are promoted to tenured space. This improvement made GC pauses more frequent but very short, almost unnoticable.

We've come a long way. The state of the art GCs on Java run on multiple cpu cores, in parallel with the primary workload, and the maximum stop the world pause time is 1 millisecond even if heap size is many terabytes of memory. (See: Red Hat's Shenandoah garbage collector for Java, and Oracle's ZGC for Java; note Oracle is down-stream of OpenJDK.)

Surviving objects will have been marked many times making the dog very pleased.

Tennessee man who dragged officer into mob gets over 7 years in prison

A Tennessee man who dragged a police officer into a mob of rioters, initiating one of the most harrowing acts of violence during the U.S. Capitol attack, was sentenced on Thursday to more than seven years in prison.

Albuquerque Cosper Head declined to address the court before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced him to seven years and six months of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. The judge said Head was responsible for “some of the darkest acts committed on one of our nation’s darkest days.”

[....] Head engaged in some of the most barbaric violence during the Capitol riot, repeatedly assaulting police officers who were guarding a tunnel on the Lower West Terrace, according to prosecutors.

[....] Metropolitan Police Department Officer Michael Fanone was on the front lines of the battle for control of the tunnel entrance when Head grabbed him. Head yelled “I’ve got one!" as he wrapped his arms around Fanone's neck and dragged him into the crowd outside the tunnel, prosecutors said.

Head restrained Fanone while other rioters beat and shocked the officer with a stun gun at the base of his skull. Fanone lost consciousness during the assault, which his body camera captured on video.

"Although Head was separated from Officer Fanone in the moments that followed, Head would have been able to hear the sound of the taser being activated again, Officer Fanone’s screams of agony, and the yells from another rioter to ‘Kill him with his own gun!’” prosecutors wrote in a court filing.

This is the face of the MAGAs. "It was just a normal tourist day."

Judge Jackson wrote:

“The dark shadow of tyranny unfortunately has not gone away,” Jackson said. “There are people who are still disseminating the lie that the election was stolen. They’re doing it today. And the people who are stoking that anger for their own selfish purposes, they need to think about the havoc they’ve wreaked, the lives they’ve ruined.”

We have people right here in this fine forum who believe, without a shred of evidence, that the election was stolen. They proudly and openly said so.

Who are the fascists? The ones intimidating voters. The ones passing legislation so the state can override the votes of the people. The ones trying to make voting more difficult. The ones on Jan 6 who tried to overturn a peaceful election to install a buffoon not elected by the people. The ones offended that non-white people are somehow permitted to vote with impunity!

The wheels of justice turn slowly. But they turn. Looking forward to progress in the Dominion and Smartmatic lawsuits.

St. Louis at Performing Arts High School

Adult and teen killed in St. Louis school shooting, police say

A teen student and an adult were killed in a shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis on Monday morning, police Commissioner Michael Sack said.

Police located the shooter, and he was shot during an exchange of gunfire, he said. He was later pronounced as deceased, Sack said. Police previously said the gunman was in custody.

Authorities did not immediately identify the victims or the shooter, but Sack said during a news conference those slain were a woman who was pronounced dead at a hospital and a teen girl who was killed at the scene. The shooter was a man who appeared to be about 20 years old, he said.

Eight victims were transported to an area hospital, the commissioner said. News of the shooting arrived via social media.

Police arrived within minutes, Sack said, and spoke to students who described the attacker as carrying “a long gun.”

It is unfortunate that teens and crazy people have access to guns like children have access to candy.

Jury decides conspiracy theorist Alex Jones should pay nearly $1 billion in damages to Sandy Hook families for his lies about the school massacre

Far-right talk show host Alex Jones should pay eight families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims and one first responder $965 million in compensatory damages, a Connecticut jury decided Wednesday [....]

[....] the decision could shrink or even doom Jones’ Infowars media empire [....]

The plaintiffs and their attorneys were visibly emotional when the jury’s decision were read. [....]

Jones baselessly said again and again after the 2012 mass shooting, in which 26 people were killed, that the incident was staged, and that the families and first responders were “crisis actors.” [....]

In a particularly explosive moment in the trial, Jones tangled with an attorney for the plaintiffs, accusing him of “ambulance chasing,” before descending into an unhinged rant in court about “liberals.”

The judge overseeing the case admonished Jones several times during his testimony, warning him even at one point that he could be held in contempt of court if he violated her rules moving forward.

Alex Jones had his free speech. Nobody, especially the government, prevented him from speaking.

Can your free speech cause damages to others for which you can be liable?

Can you shout Fire in a crowded theater without consequences of your free speech?

Can you say the word "Balm" in an airport? (I packed a little balm in my carrion.)

Can you threaten the POTUS without the secret service (SS) wanting to have a chat with you?

In quasi related news, the wheels of justice continue to turn in other cases of lying liars telling outlandish lies causing damages. Of particular interest is Dominion and Smartmatic which I've journaled about before.

It can be frustrating that it takes justice so long to catch up. But it usually does.

Good News everyone!

Low level management has informed middle management that our entire aircraft fleet now has continuous satellite internet connectivity. Lower management proposes that all data recorded by the flight data recorder should also be streamed to the cloud so there may be a backup in the event the flight data recorder were destroyed in a severe crash.

Middle management recognizes the wisdom of this. The middle manglers observe this presents an opportunity for cost savings. It we stream the entire fright data recorder to the cloud it is possible to remove the fright data recorder from the scarecraft. This would save the cost of the fright data recorder unit and also its weight (aka more money).

Over the protests of lower management and engineers, this becomes a corporate directive.

Upper management recognizes the brilliant cost savings and awards themselves large bonuses.

Next the upper level manglers recognize that if the fright data recorder can be moved to the cloud then why can't the entire fright control system and all in fright navigation be moved to the cloud? All of upper management unanimously concurs, observing how plainly obvious it is to move scarecraft fright control systems to the cloud! The cloud is so obviously the natural place for things moving through the sky! The CEO points out that his own brother in law had a cloud connected pet food feeder which rarely had any problems. In the event of a problem pets can be easily and cheaply replaced. Those are the only two metrics that matter. Thus the cloud is sufficiently reliable. Rare service outages can be worked out case by case, by individuals close to the problem.

It is hereby decreed!

Kansas City, MO

1 dead, 5 injured in mass shooting outside Westport Ale House

One person is dead and five others are hurt following a shooting outside of the Westport Ale House at 41st and Broadway.

The five remaining victims are expected to survive the shooting, according to the Missouri Highway Patrol.

The shooting happened at around 11 p.m. on Sunday.

Officers say a disturbance inside the building spilled outside and shots were fired.

Three off-duty officers who were working at the Ale House returned fire. It’s unclear if the officers hit anyone.

Maybe people who have no self control or impulse control should not have firearms.

See Also:

Six shot, one killed in incident involving off-duty KCPD officers outside Westport bar

1 killed, 5 injured in shooting outside Westport Ale House Sunday

Gary Indiana.

3 dead, 7 wounded after shooting at block party in Gary

[ . . . . ] Marquise Hall, 26, from Lafayette, Indiana, Ashanti Brown, 20, from Olympia Fields, Illinois, and Laurance Magnum, 25, from Merrillville, Indiana were all pronounced dead on the scene by the Lake County Coroners Office.

Some of the gunshot victims self-transported to area hospitals -- others were transported by ambulance, police said.

Due to the enormity of the scene, mutual aid was requested from surrounding police agencies.

3 dead, 7 wounded after shooting at July Fourth block party in Gary, Indiana, police say

GARY, Ind. – Gunfire during a July Fourth block party in northwestern Indiana left three people dead and seven wounded early Tuesday, police said.

Why does the USA have a problem with gun violence? I wonder why that could be?

Some will deny the problem exists. Others will runaway from the problem. Some will hand wave it away . . . oh, look, a shiny! Maybe we can get Alex Jones to say it is all a hoax and the victims made it all up. (BTW, how's that defamation case going?)

If a state has a well regulated militia it would seem that they would have adequate training, marksmanship and be a mentally stable person before being entrusted with a firearm.

The age of men is over. The time of the Orc has come.

Highland Park, Ill.

WATCH: Officials provide update after Highland Park July 4 parade shooting

6 dead in mass shooting at Highland Park July 4 parade

At least six people were killed and two dozen others hospitalized in a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, police officials said at a press conference Monday.

The latest: Lake County sheriff’s office deputy chief Christopher Covelli said at the press conference Monday that the suspect was an 18- to 20-year-old white male with long black hair who should be considered "armed and dangerous."

The shooting "appears to be completely" random, Covelli said.
Officials recovered a rifle at the scene, said Covelli, who did not specify if the weapon had a high-capacity magazine.
Information about the victims' ages was not released.

Highland Park Parade Gunman Fired From Rooftop, Police Say Shooting Appears ‘Completely Random'

Highland Park shooting witness captures gunshots on video

We have a problem. Other countries don't seem to have this problem. Some people choose to run away from the problem, deny it exists, or resist any efforts to keep guns out of the hands of crazy people.

If a woman cannot get an abortion, even in the case of rape, then the penalty for rape (by a male man^[1]) should be castration. (Choice of chemical or surgical.)

The rape and subsequent non-abortable pregnancy are a major life changing event to the woman (eg, "the victim"). The rapist (eg "not the victim") should learn a lesson by a similar major life changing event.

This penalty carried out a number of times will tend to discourage rape. At least among the teachable.

Others who have more self control than a three year old can observe from the sidelines whether any learnin' is takin' place.

^[1]not a US Postal Service worker

CBS News:
31 Patriot Front members arrested near pride event in Idaho

Police arrested 31 men found inside a U-Haul truck near a pride event in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, on Saturday. Police said they believe the men were affiliated with a white supremacist group and were intending to riot.

"It is clear to us, based on the gear the individuals had with them ... along with paperwork that we seized from them, that they came to riot downtown," [...]

[...] police were alerted about the U-Haul around 1:38 p.m. by a concerned citizen who said they saw members of the group getting into the back of the truck. The group was confronted by police about 10 minutes later, White said.

The men were seen in videos posted to social media all wearing khakis, navy blue shirts, beige hats, and cloth facial coverings. The outfit is similar to what is worn by Patriot Front, which the Southern Poverty Law Center describes as a white supremacist group. [...]

Police also found shields inside the U-Haul and at least one smoke grenade, White said.

All 31 men are being charged with conspiracy to riot, a misdemeanor, and further charges "might be pending," White said.

[....] police had information that indicated they would attempt to riot in other areas as well.

It is funny how domestic terrorists love to use the word Patriot to describe themselves. Just as countries that name themselves with words like "People's", "Democratic" and "Republic" are not of the people, not democratic and are anything but free.

Not a surprise that they are white supremacists.

At a Pride event, one could infer that they do not like people who are different from themselves in other ways. Or the people at a pride event make them uncomfortable and it makes their pants fit funny.

I'm looking forward to the replies. "They were all wearing white masks. I'm sure they only wanted to be Kourteous, Klean and Kareful!"

See Also:

ABC 7 News
'They came to riot': Members of white supremacist group arrested near Idaho pride event, police say

ABC News:
31 Patriot Front members arrested near Idaho pride event

US News:
31 Patriot Front Members Arrested Near Idaho Pride Event

Newsweak:
Patriot Front Members Allegedly Detained on Way to Crashing Pride Event

Twitter:
Holy s**t a cop in Coeur D’Alene straight up said they have informants inside Patriot Front who told them they were loading up in the back of a UHaul with weapons

holy s**t. patriot front detained

(Note: some fowl language was censored because it is not suitable for all porpoises.)