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Hi HN,

I built a small web app that lets you sign PDFs and replicate initials across all pages entirely client-side. PDFs are processed in the browser only — nothing is uploaded to a server.

Why I built it:

Most tools require accounts or uploads

Initialing long contracts page-by-page is tedious

Some clients are sensitive about document privacy

Features:

Typed or drawn signatures

One-click “initial all pages”

Works without signup

Free option (watermark), paid to remove it

Tech notes:

PDF manipulation is done client-side (JS)

No server-side PDF processing

Payments only touch Stripe/PayPal

Link: https://instantpdfsign.com/

Would love feedback on:

UX issues

Edge cases with PDFs

Anything you’d do differently technically

Thanks!

Solidity, the programming language for Ethereum, has released versions 0.8.32 and 0.8.33, introducing new features and improvements such as enhanced static analysis, gas usage reporting, and a new ABI encoder. These updates aim to improve the efficiency, security, and developer experience of Solidity-based smart contracts.

I built a platform that creates personalized stories with age-appropriate content.

Stack: - Claude, Gemini, and 11Labs for content generation - Preact + Vite frontend - Cloudflare Workers/Pages/D1/R2/Queues - Stripe for payments

The demo stories on the homepage let you experience a full story without signing up. Would love feedback on the reading experience and whether the pricing makes sense.

The article discusses the challenges facing the concept of the 'metaverse', including technical limitations, lack of user adoption, and the shifting priorities of tech companies, leading some to question whether the metaverse vision will ever be fully realized.

The article discusses an alternative approach to rating incidents, focused on assessing the complexity of the situation rather than solely the severity. It introduces a framework for evaluating incidents based on their level of complexity, providing a more nuanced understanding of the challenges faced.

The article discusses the challenges of dealing with high-cardinality metrics in Prometheus, and how ClickHouse can be used as an effective solution for storing and querying these metrics. It highlights the advantages of ClickHouse, such as its ability to handle high-cardinality data and provide efficient querying capabilities.

A16z, a prominent venture capital firm, has hired Daniel Penny, a former Marine who was acquitted in a high-profile homicide case, as an investor. The hiring of Penny, a controversial figure, has sparked discussion and debate within the tech community.

Imagine a cemetery with no bodies.

Each headstone represents a line of descent that will not continue. Not a person who died, but a lineage that ends. The marker might list the earliest known ancestor and the last descendant, or simply note that the line terminates here. What is being memorialized is not a life, but a future that will never exist.

The goal would not be judgment or blame. Lines end for countless reasons: chance, choice, illness, migration, history. This would be a quiet space for acknowledging that extinction happens not only to species and cultures, but also to family lines, and that this kind of ending is usually invisible.

By using the familiar language of a cemetery, the idea makes an abstract concept concrete. Walking through it, you would be surrounded not by the dead, but by unrealized continuities. It is less about mourning individuals and more about reflecting on fragility, contingency, and time.

What do you think of this idea?

The article discusses Linus Torvalds' approach to coding, highlighting his preference for a 'vibe' coding style that focuses on clear communication and collaboration over strict adherence to rules and processes.

The article examines the Trump administration's approach to cryptocurrencies, focusing on its efforts to regulate the industry and its potential impact on the US financial system and geopolitics. It discusses the administration's concerns about cryptocurrency's use in illicit activities and its attempts to establish greater control over the technology.

Personally, I've been reading about how historical empires handled delegation and trust—who gets autonomy, who needs oversight, how that scales. Finding it weirdly applicable to how I think about system design and working with AI tools.

Curious if others have pulled from history/humanities in ways that actually transferred.

Hey HN,

Got tired of how bloated GitHub became- copilot everywhere, janky JS, slow loads. So I built GitClassic, a read-only GitHub interface that's pure server-rendered HTML, kind of like old.reddit.com. No JavaScript.

Try it: https://gitclassic.com

Browse any public repo, files, READMEs. Loads instantly, works on any connection. No account needed for public repos.

Stack: Node on Lambda, server-side rendering, cached against GitHub's API. Pro adds private repo access via GitHub OAuth.

Built this in about 3 hours. Would love feedback on what's missing or broken. Issues are next.

Thanks, Chris

The article discusses the Anthropic Messages API, which allows developers to integrate Anthropic's language models, including the popular ChatGPT, into their own applications. It provides an overview of the API's features and capabilities, including the ability to generate, classify, and summarize text.

most product managers operate like they're perpetually starting from scratch. every quarter brings new frameworks, fresh priorities, and pivot-ready roadmaps. after shipping dozens of features with claude and cursor over the past year, I've noticed something: the PMs who consistently ship meaningful products aren't the ones with the most creative ideas; its super boring:

they're the ones who've developed core product principles and can defend them.

early in my career, I'd enter planning meetings armed with the latest product blog post wisdom, ready to ship whatever seemed compelling that week. my roadmaps looked like whatever was trending.

the breakthrough came when I started treating core beliefs like compiler optimizations rather than configuration files. instead of swapping out my entire product philosophy quarterly, I began iterating on a small set of principles.

now when someone proposes a feature that "users are asking for," I don't scramble for ad-hoc justification. I can immediately connect it back to principle #3: "Optimize for user agency over engagement." when engineering pushes back on scope, principle #7 kicks in: "Shipping incomplete solutions beats perfect vaporware."

the technical parallel is obvious. you don't rewrite your entire codebase every sprint. you refactor, optimize, and build on stable foundations. product strategy should work the same way.

what's counterintuitive is how much this constraint actually increases creative output. when you're not burning cognitive cycles on philosophical debates, you can focus on execution nuances. the best product decisions emerge from deep principle iteration, not principle innovation.

most PMs treat their product beliefs like New Year's resolutions. the ones who ship treat them like algorithms worth optimizing.

The article explores the concept of 'cognitive hygiene' and discusses the importance of establishing anchors and constraints in modern life to maintain mental well-being. It highlights the challenges posed by the increasingly digital and distraction-filled environment and provides practical strategies for creating a healthier and more focused lifestyle.

The article discusses a method to use a smartphone as a persistent terminal for a Mac computer, allowing users to access their Mac's terminal from their phone and continue working remotely. It provides step-by-step instructions on how to set up and use this feature.

The article discusses the 'do-nothing challenge,' a growing trend where people refrain from using their phones or digital devices for a set period. It examines the potential benefits and limitations of this practice, highlighting that while it can provide a temporary break, it may not lead to long-term improvements in focus or productivity.

The article argues that the microservices architecture, while popular, may not always be the best solution for every project, and that a monolithic approach can sometimes be more appropriate. The author discusses the trade-offs and challenges involved in implementing microservices and suggests that developers should carefully consider their specific needs before deciding on an architectural approach.

The article discusses the declining popularity of the ancient Chinese board game Go, as younger generations in China are increasingly drawn to more interactive and digital forms of entertainment. It explores the cultural and economic factors contributing to the game's fading prominence in modern times.

A severe geomagnetic storm of G4 intensity occurred on January 19, 2026, leading to widespread power grid disruptions, satellite communication issues, and increased auroral activity visible across a large portion of the Earth.

The article discusses the history and evolution of the Windows Start menu, focusing on its design changes and the rationale behind them across various Windows versions, from Windows 95 to the present day.