Bring Bathroom Doors Back to Hotels
Voyager 1 is about to reach one light-day from earth
Voyager 1, the iconic NASA spacecraft, is nearing a significant milestone as it approaches a distance of one light-day from Earth. This remarkable achievement highlights the enduring legacy of the Voyager program and its ongoing exploration of the outer reaches of our solar system.
Running Unsupported iOS on Deprecated Devices
The article describes a method to run unsupported iOS apps on jailbroken devices, providing a solution for users who want to use apps that are no longer compatible with their iOS version.
S&box is now an open source game engine
C100 Developer Terminal
Caligra is a comprehensive web-based platform that provides a suite of tools and services to help businesses manage their online presence, including website building, e-commerce, and digital marketing solutions.
The EU made Apple adopt new Wi-Fi standards, and now Android can support AirDrop
The European Union has mandated the adoption of new Wi-Fi standards, leading Apple to implement these standards in its devices. As a result, Android devices can now support AirDrop, a popular file-sharing feature previously exclusive to Apple's ecosystem.
Gemini CLI Tips and Tricks for Agentic Coding
The article provides a series of tips and tricks for using the Gemini command-line interface, a utility for capturing and diffing screenshots. It covers various features and shortcuts to streamline the workflow when working with Gemini.
A Fast 64-Bit Date Algorithm (30–40% faster by counting dates backwards)
The article introduces a new algorithm called 'Fast Date 64' that can efficiently represent and work with calendar dates using a 64-bit integer. This method offers significant performance improvements compared to traditional date representations, making it suitable for high-performance applications and systems with strict memory and processing constraints.
Alan.app – Add a Border to macOS Active Window
This article discusses the life and work of Alan Turing, a pioneering computer scientist and mathematician. It covers Turing's groundbreaking contributions to fields like artificial intelligence and cryptography, as well as the personal challenges he faced due to his sexuality.
Compressed filesystems à la language models
The article explores the potential of using large language models (LLMs) to fuse and combine multiple AI models, enabling more advanced and versatile AI systems. It discusses the technical challenges and opportunities in this emerging field of LLM-based model fusion.
Fara-7B: An efficient agentic model for computer use
FARA is an open-source framework developed by Microsoft that provides a unified approach to building and deploying machine learning (ML) models. It streamlines the entire ML lifecycle, including data preparation, model training, and deployment, with the goal of making it easier for developers and data scientists to build and scale ML applications.
A woman on a mission to photograph every species of hummingbird
The article profiles photographer Leila Jeffrey, who is on a mission to photograph every species of hummingbird in the world, a task that has taken her to over 30 countries and required incredible patience and skill to capture these elusive and diverse birds.
A cell so minimal that it challenges definitions of life
The article explores the discovery of a new type of cellular organism, Candidatus Plasticity, which challenges traditional definitions of life. This organism has a highly minimalistic genome and metabolic capabilities, raising questions about the essential characteristics of living systems.
Don't Download Apps
The article argues that people should be cautious about downloading apps, as they can pose risks to privacy and security. It suggests alternative solutions, such as using web-based services and being mindful of the permissions granted to apps.
Show HN: I turned algae into a bio-altimeter and put it on a weather balloon
Hi HN - My name is Andrew, and I'm a high school student.
This is a write-up on StratoSpore, a payload I designed and launched to the stratosphere. The goal was to test if we could estimate physical altitude based on algae fluorescence (using a lightweight ML model trained on the sensor data).
The blog post covers the full engineering mess/process, including:
- The Hardware: Designing PCBs for the AS7263 spectral sensor and Pi Zero 2 W.
-The biological altimeter: How I tried to correlate biological stress (fluorescence) with altitude.
- The Communications: A custom lossy compression algorithm I wrote to smash 1080p images down to 18x10 pixels so I could transmit them over LoRA (915 Mhz) in semi-real-time.
The payload is currently lost in a forest, but the telemetry data survived. The code and hardware designs are open source on GitHub: https://github.com/radeeyate/stratospore
I'm happy to answer technical questions about the payload, software, or anything else you are curious about! Critique also appreciated!
Show HN: Safe-NPM – only install packages that are +90 days old
This past quarter has been awash with sophisticated npm supply chain attacks like [Shai-Hulud](https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/alerts/2025/09/23/widesprea...() and the [Chalk/debug Compromise](https://www.wiz.io/blog/widespread-npm-supply-chain-attack-b...). This CLI helps protect users from recently compromised packages by only downloading packages that have been public for a while (default is 90 days or older).
Install: npm install -g @dendronhq/safe-npm Usage: safe-npm install react@^18 lodash
How it works: - Queries npm registry for all versions matching your semver range - Filters out anything published in the last 90 days - Installs the newest "aged" version
Limitations: - Won't protect against packages malicious from day one - Doesn't control transitive dependencies (yet - looking into overrides) - Delays access to legitimate new features
This is meant as a 80/20 measure against recently compromised NPM packages and is not a silver bullet. Please give it a try and let me know if you have feedback.
Show HN: Yolodex – real-time customer enrichment API
hey hn, i’ve been working on an api to make it easy to know who your customers are, i would love your feedback.
what it does
send an email address, the api returns a json profile built from public data, things like: name, country, age, occupation, company, social handles and interests.
It’s a single endpoint (you can hit this endpoint without auth to get a demo of what it looks like):
curl https://api.yolodex.ai/api/v1/email-enrichment \
--request POST \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--data '{"email": "john.smith@example.com"}'
everyone gets 100 free, pricing is per _enriched profile_: 1 email ~ $0.03, but if i don’t find anything i wont charge you.why i built it / what’s different
i once built open source intelligence tooling to investigate financial crime but for a recent project i needed to find out more about some customers, i tried apollo, clearbit, lusha, clay, etc but i found:
1. outdated data - the data about was out-of-date and misleading, emails didn’t work, etc
2. dubious data - i found lots of data like personal mobile numbers that i’m pretty sure no-one shared publicly or knowingly opted into being sold on
3. aggressive pricing - monthly/annual commitments, large gaps between plans, pay the same for empty profiles
4. painful setup - hard to find the right api, set it up, test it out etc
i used knowledge from criminal investigations to build an api that uses some of the same research patterns and entity resolution to find standardized information about people that is:
1. real-time
2. public info only (osint)
3. transparent simple pricing
4. 1 min to setup
what i’d love feedback on
* speed: are responses fast enough? would you trade-off speed for better data coverage?
* coverage: which fields will you use (or others you need)?
* pricing: is the pricing model sane?
* use-cases: what you need this type data for (i.e. example use cases)?
* accuracy: any examples where i got it badly wrong?
happy to answer technical questions in the thread and give more free credits to help anyone test
How Does Microwaving Grapes Create Plumes of Plasma?
The article explores the fascinating phenomenon of how microwaving grapes can create plumes of plasma, a state of matter that is hotter than the surface of the sun. The experiment reveals insights into the unique properties of grapes and the complex behavior of matter when exposed to intense electromagnetic radiation.
Statistical Process Control in Python
The article discusses how to implement statistical process control (SPC) using Python, covering the basics of SPC, how to calculate control limits, and how to visualize the process using control charts. It provides practical examples and code snippets to help readers understand and apply SPC techniques.
DRAM prices are spiking, but I don't trust the industry's why
DRAM prices have been rising significantly, with industry experts citing various factors such as increased demand, supply chain disruptions, and a global semiconductor shortage. However, the article cautions that some of the industry's stated reasons for the price hikes may not be entirely accurate or complete.
Optery (YC W22) Hiring CISO, Release Manager, Tech Lead (Node), Full Stack Eng
Optery is hiring for various roles, including engineering, product, and design positions. The company focuses on developing privacy-preserving technologies to help individuals and businesses regain control over their personal data.
Show HN: KiDoom – Running DOOM on PCB Traces
I got DOOM running in KiCad by rendering it with PCB traces and footprints instead of pixels.
Walls are rendered as PCB_TRACK traces, and entities (enemies, items, player) are actual component footprints - SOT-23 for small items, SOIC-8 for decorations, QFP-64 for enemies and the player.
How I did it:
Started by patching DOOM's source code to extract vector data directly from the engine. Instead of trying to render 64,000 pixels (which would be impossibly slow), I grab the geometry DOOM already calculates internally - the drawsegs[] array for walls and vissprites[] for entities.
Added a field to the vissprite_t structure to capture entity types (MT_SHOTGUY, MT_PLAYER, etc.) during R_ProjectSprite(). This lets me map 150+ entity types to appropriate footprint categories.
The DOOM engine sends this vector data over a Unix socket to a Python plugin running in KiCad. The plugin pre-allocates pools of traces and footprints at startup, then just updates their positions each frame instead of creating/destroying objects. Calls pcbnew.Refresh() to update the display.
Runs at 10-25 FPS depending on hardware. The bottleneck is KiCad's refresh, not DOOM or the data transfer.
Also renders to an SDL window (for actual gameplay) and a Python wireframe window (for debugging), so you get three views running simultaneously.
Follow-up: ScopeDoom
After getting the wireframe renderer working, I wanted to push it somewhere more physical. Oscilloscopes in X-Y mode are vector displays - feed X coordinates to one channel, Y to the other. I didn't have a function generator, so I used my MacBook's headphone jack instead.
The sound card is just a dual-channel DAC at 44.1kHz. Wired 3.5mm jack → 1kΩ resistors → scope CH1 (X) and CH2 (Y). Reused the same vector extraction from KiDoom, but the Python script converts coordinates to ±1V range and streams them as audio samples.
Each wall becomes a wireframe box, the scope traces along each line. With ~7,000 points per frame at 44.1kHz, refresh rate is about 6 Hz - slow enough to be a slideshow, but level geometry is clearly recognizable. A 96kHz audio interface or analog scope would improve it significantly (digital scopes do sample-and-hold instead of continuous beam tracing).
Links:
KiDoom GitHub: https://github.com/MichaelAyles/KiDoom, writeup: https://www.mikeayles.com/#kidoom
ScopeDoom GitHub: https://github.com/MichaelAyles/ScopeDoom, writeup: https://www.mikeayles.com/#scopedoom
Crypto hoarders dump tokens as shares tumble
The article discusses the recent decline in cryptocurrency prices, with investors known as 'crypto hoarders' selling off their holdings as share values plummet. It examines the factors contributing to this market downturn and the potential implications for the cryptocurrency industry.
JOPA: Java compiler in C++, Jikes modernized to Java 6 with Claude
Jopa is a Scala library that simplifies the development of modern, type-safe web applications by providing a reactive, functional, and modular approach to building server-side components and integrating with front-end frameworks.
Babushka Lady
The Babushka Lady is an unidentified woman who was present during the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and captured on film, but her identity and role remain a mystery. The Babushka Lady is believed to have filmed the assassination, but the footage has never been released or definitively identified.
Surprisingly, Emacs on Android is pretty good
The article discusses the importance of building a personal brand and shares strategies for effectively managing one's online presence, including maintaining a consistent brand identity, creating valuable content, and leveraging social media platforms to engage with an audience.
The Weird and Wonderful Chemistry of Audioactive Decay (1986) [pdf]
The article explores the life and career of mathematician John Conway, known for his groundbreaking work in fields like game theory and cellular automata. It delves into his unconventional teaching methods, his impact on the mathematics community, and his unique personality that combined brilliance and eccentricity.
Cloudflare outage should not have happened
The article discusses the Cloudflare outage in 2025, arguing that it should not have happened and that Cloudflare seems to be missing the point on how to avoid such incidents in the future. It highlights the importance of redundancy, disaster recovery, and comprehensive testing to ensure the resilience of critical infrastructure.
Jakarta is now the biggest city in the world
The article discusses how Jakarta, Indonesia and Tokyo, Japan are expected to become the world's largest cities by population by 2025, surpassing current megacities like Shanghai and Delhi. It highlights the rapid urbanization and population growth occurring in these regions, and the challenges they will face in terms of infrastructure, housing, and public services.
From blood sugar to brain relief: GLP-1 therapy slashes migraine frequency
The article discusses a study that found GLP-1 therapy, a type of diabetes medication, can significantly reduce the frequency of migraines in patients. The study suggests this treatment approach may offer a new option for managing migraine, a common and disabling neurological condition.