Chrome extensions spying on 37M users' browsing data
A research study analyzed 287 popular Chrome extensions, revealing that a significant number contained code that could potentially spy on users' online activities, including accessing sensitive data and sending it to external servers without user consent.
Windows Notepad App Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
It's all a blur
The article discusses the blurring of boundaries between the virtual and physical worlds, as technology becomes increasingly integrated into our daily lives. It explores the implications of this convergence, including the challenges and opportunities it presents for individuals and societies.
FAA closes airspace around El Paso, Texas, for 10 days, grounding all flights
The FAA temporarily closed airspace around El Paso, Texas due to an unspecified 'national security' incident. The closure affected flights and air traffic in the area, though the reason for the closure has not been publicly disclosed.
Show HN: AI agents play SimCity through a REST API
This is a weekend project that spiraled out of control. I was originally trying to get Claude to play a ROM of the SNES SimCity. I struggled with it and that led me to Micropolis (the open-sourced SimCity engine) and was able to get it to work by bolting on an API.
The weekend hack turned into a headless city simulation platform where anyone can get an API key (no signup) and have their AI agent play mayor. The simulation runs the real Micropolis engine inside Cloudflare Durable Objects, one per city. Every city is public and browsable on the site.
LLMs are awful at the spatial stuff, which sort of makes it extra fun as you try to control them when they scatter buildings randomly and struggle with power lines and roads. A little like dealing with a toddler.
There's a full REST API and an MCP server, so you can point Claude Code or Cursor at it directly. You can usually get agents building in seconds.
Website: https://hallucinatingsplines.com
API docs: https://hallucinatingsplines.com/docs
GitHub: https://github.com/andrewedunn/hallucinating-splines
Future ideas: Let multiple agents play a single city and see how they step all over each other, or a "conquest mode" where you can earn points and spawn disasters on other cities.
Exposure Simulator
This article provides a step-by-step tutorial on using an exposure simulator to preview the effects of different camera settings on the final image. It explains how the simulator works and offers practical tips for optimizing exposure when taking photographs.
A Cosmic Miracle: A Remarkably Luminous Galaxy at z=14.44 Confirmed with JWST
The article reports the confirmation of a remarkably luminous galaxy at a redshift of z = 14.44 using data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), making it one of the most distant galaxies observed to date, providing insights into the early universe.
Do not apologize for replying late to my email
The article discusses the importance of not apologizing for responding to emails, as it can undermine one's confidence and professionalism. It emphasizes the need to communicate effectively and confidently without unnecessary apologies or self-deprecation.
The Feynman Lectures on Physics (1961-1964)
The Feynman Lectures on Physics is a series of physics lectures delivered by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman at the California Institute of Technology. The lectures cover a wide range of topics in physics, from classical mechanics to quantum mechanics, providing a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the field.
The Singularity will occur on a Tuesday
The article explores the concept of the technological singularity, a hypothetical point in time when technological growth becomes so rapid that it leads to unforeseeable changes in human civilization. It discusses the potential impacts and implications of the singularity, including the possibility of superintelligent artificial intelligence and the transformation of the human condition.
Ex-GitHub CEO launches a new developer platform for AI agents
The article introduces Entire, a new platform that aims to revolutionize the way people interact with the digital world by providing a seamless and personalized experience. It highlights Entire's vision to create a more connected and empowered digital ecosystem.
Show HN: Itsyhome – Control HomeKit from your Mac menu bar (open source)
Hey HN!
Nick here – developer of Itsyhome, a menu bar app for macOS that gives you control over your whole HomeKit fleet (and very soon Home Assistant). I run 130+ HomeKit devices at home and the Home app was too heavy for quick adjustments.
Full HomeKit support, favourites, hidden items, device groups, pinning of rooms/accessories/groups as separate menu bar items, iCloud sync – all in a native experience and tiny package.
Open source (https://github.com/nickustinov/itsyhome-macos) and free to use (there is an optional one-time purchase for a Pro version which includes cameras and automation features).
Itsyhome is a Mac Catalyst app because HomeKit requires the iOS SDK, so it runs a headless Catalyst process for HomeKit (and now Home Assistant) access while using a native AppKit plugin over a bridge protocol to provide the actual menu bar UI – since AppKit gives you the real macOS menu bar experience that Catalyst alone can't.
It comes with deeplink support, a webhook server, a CLI tool (golang, all open source), a Stream Deck plugin (open source, all accessories supported), and the recent update also includes an SSE event stream (HomeKit and HA) - you can curl -N localhost:8423/events and get a real-time JSON stream of every device state change in your home.
Home Assistant version is still in beta – would anyone be willing to test it via TestFlight?
Appreciate any feedback and happy to answer any questions.
Exploring a Modern SMTPE 2110 Broadcast Truck
The article explores a modern SMPTE 2110 broadcast truck, showcasing the advanced technology and equipment used in live television production. It provides a detailed overview of the truck's capabilities and features, highlighting the evolution of broadcast technology.
Show HN: CodeMic
With CodeMic you can record and share coding sessions directly inside your editor.
Think Asciinema, but for full coding sessions with audio, video, and images.
While replaying a session, you can pause at any point, explore the code in your own editor, modify it, and even run it. This makes following tutorials and understanding real codebases much more practical than watching a video.
Local first, and open source.
p.s. I’ve been working on this for a little over two years and would love to hear your thoughts.
Visualize MySQL query execution plans as interactive FlameGraphs
The Day the Telnet Died
The article discusses the decline of the Telnet protocol, which was once widely used for remote access and administration but has since been largely replaced by more secure alternatives like SSH. It explores the reasons behind Telnet's gradual disappearance and the implications for network security and connectivity.
CoLoop (YC S21) Is Hiring Ex Technical Founders in London
Work at a Startup is hiring for a Senior Front-end Engineer position to join their growing team and contribute to the development of their web application. The ideal candidate should have strong expertise in JavaScript, React, and modern front-end technologies.
Clean-room implementation of Half-Life 2 on the Quake 1 engine
The article discusses the Half-Life 2 (HL2) game engine and its significance in the gaming industry. It highlights HL2's advanced graphics, physics-based gameplay, and its influence on the development of other game engines.
Both GCC and Clang generate strange/inefficient code
The article discusses how both GCC and Clang compilers generate similar machine code for a simple C program, indicating that the choice between these compilers may not significantly impact the performance of the resulting executable, at least for this particular example.
Fun With Pinball
The article explores the world of small pinball boards, highlighting their unique features, challenges, and the communities that have emerged around their preservation and appreciation.
My eighth year as a bootstrapped founder
This article chronicles the author's experience as a bootstrapped founder over the past 8 years, highlighting the challenges, successes, and lessons learned in building a profitable online business without external funding.
The Little Learner: A Straight Line to Deep Learning (2023)
The Little Learner is a book that explores the world of machine learning and artificial intelligence, providing an accessible introduction to these technologies and their potential implications for society.
Signy: Signed URLs for Small Devices
Signy is an open-source credential management system that allows users to securely store and manage their digital credentials, including passwords, API keys, and other sensitive information. The platform provides a user-friendly interface and advanced security features to protect users' data.
Simplifying Vulkan one subsystem at a time
The article discusses the Khronos Group's efforts to simplify the Vulkan API by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable subsystems. This approach aims to make Vulkan more accessible to developers by reducing the complexity and learning curve associated with the full Vulkan API.
Show HN: I taught GPT-OSS-120B to see using Google Lens and OpenCV
I built an MCP server that gives any local LLM real Google search and now vision capabilities - no API keys needed.
The latest feature: google_lens_detect uses OpenCV to find objects in an image, crops each one, and sends them to Google Lens for identification. GPT-OSS-120B, a text-only model with
zero vision support, correctly identified an NVIDIA DGX Spark and a SanDisk USB drive from a desk photo.
Also includes Google Search, News, Shopping, Scholar, Maps, Finance, Weather, Flights, Hotels, Translate, Images, Trends, and more. 17 tools total.
Two commands: pip install noapi-google-search-mcp && playwright install chromium
GitHub: https://github.com/VincentKaufmann/noapi-google-search-mcp
PyPI: https://pypi.org/project/noapi-google-search-mcp/
Booyah!
Mathematicians disagree on the essential structure of the complex numbers (2024)
The article explores the fundamental properties and applications of complex numbers, a crucial concept in mathematics that extends the real number system to include imaginary units. It delves into the algebraic structure, geometric interpretation, and practical uses of complex numbers in various fields such as physics and engineering.
Europe's $24T Breakup with Visa and Mastercard Has Begun
The European Union is taking steps to reduce its reliance on the major credit card networks Visa and Mastercard, with the goal of creating a homegrown alternative payment system that would give the EU more control over cross-border transactions and reduce fees charged to merchants and consumers.
Willow – Protocols for an uncertain future [video]
The Falkirk Wheel
The Falkirk Wheel is a unique rotating boat lift that connects the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal, enabling boat passage between the two waterways. It is a major tourist attraction in Falkirk, Scotland, known for its innovative engineering and design.
Flirt: The Native Backend
The article discusses the benefits of using a native backend for web applications, including improved performance, security, and maintainability. It provides an overview of the Flirt framework, a lightweight and flexible solution for building native backend services in Rust.