- Status flags are a key part of most processors, indicating if an arithmetic result is negative, zero, or has a carry, for instance. In this post, I take a close look at the flag circuitry in the Intel 8086 processor (1978), the chip that launched the PC revolution.1 Looking at the silicon die of the 8086 reveals how its flags are implemented. The 8086’s flag circuitry is surprisingly complicated, full of corner cases and special handling. Moreover, I found an undocumented zero register that is used by the microcode.
- World Report 2024: Singapore (hrw.org)
Singapore’s criminal justice system fell under the international spotlight as the authorities carried out the highest number of executions for drug-related offenses in over a decade, including the first woman put to death in almost 20 years. The government harassed, intimidated, and persecuted civil society activists and independent media practitioners in the lead-up to presidential elections in September, which saw the election of Tharman Shanmugaratnam, a former deputy prime minister and finance minister, to the largely ceremonial post.