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The article provides a demonstration of the KIM-1 computer, a popular early personal computer from the 1970s. It covers the hardware components, software, and use cases of the KIM-1, offering insights into the evolution of personal computing technology.

The article discusses the use of food-themed JPEG images in the video games Super Smash Bros. and Kirby Air Ride. It explores the technical details and potential reasons behind this unusual implementation, providing insights into the creative and practical considerations of game developers.

An Instagram data breach reportedly exposed the personal information of 175 million users, including email addresses and phone numbers. The breach was discovered by a security researcher and highlights the importance of robust cybersecurity measures to protect user privacy on social media platforms.

This article provides a deep dive into the C++ std::move function, examining its purpose, mechanics, and use cases. It explores the role of std::move in enabling efficient resource management and enabling move semantics, which improve performance by reducing unnecessary copying of objects.

The article discusses the author's experience of switching from Windows 11 to Linux, highlighting the perceived benefits of the Linux operating system, such as better performance, security, and customization options, and encourages readers to consider making the same transition.

The article discusses the M5Tab Macintosh, a custom-built computer designed to look like a classic Apple Macintosh. It highlights the technical details and the design process behind this unique retro-inspired project.

The article explores the concept of 'Pavlovian thinking' in modern society, where people respond instinctively to external stimuli without much conscious thought. It discusses how this type of thinking can lead to automatic, often unproductive reactions, and encourages readers to be more mindful and intentional in their decision-making.

The article provides a comprehensive guide to TypeScript, covering its key features, benefits, and practical examples. It serves as a valuable resource for both beginners and experienced developers looking to enhance their understanding and usage of the TypeScript programming language.

Hi HN,

I ported the teaching OS xv6-riscv to HiFive Unmatched and got it running on real hardware, including passing usertests.

I've been self-studying OS internals using the MIT 6.1810 materials. After finishing most of the labs, I was eager to see what it's like to run the OS on bare metal, rather than QEMU.

The Unmatched may not have the latest RISC-V features, but it's well-documented, and the Rev B release has made it more affordable, which makes it a good learning platform.

The porting process involved several interesting challenges:

- Hardware Quirks: Handling things like enabling A/D bits in PTEs (the hardware doesn't set them automatically, causing page faults), proper handling of interrupts, and instruction cache synchronization.

- Boot Flow: xv6 expects M-mode on startup, but standard RISC-V boot flows (typically via OpenSBI) jump to S-mode. To bridge this gap, I created a minimal U-Boot FIT image that contains only the xv6 kernel. This way, U-Boot SPL handles the complex CPU/DDR initialization, then hands control to xv6 in M-mode (skipping OpenSBI).

- Drivers: Ported an SPI SD card driver, replacing the virtio disk driver.

I wrote up implementation notes here: https://github.com/eyengin/xv6-riscv-unmatched/blob/unmatche...

Hopefully, this is useful for others who are learning OS internals and want to try running their code on real RISC-V hardware.

The article discusses the phenomenon of fiber disintegration, which can occur during the processing of plant-based materials. It explores the factors that contribute to this issue and highlights potential solutions to mitigate the problem.

This article introduces Vojtux, an open-source software development platform that aims to simplify and streamline the development process. It provides a comprehensive suite of tools and features to help developers build, test, and deploy applications more efficiently.

The article discusses the optional use of end tags in HTML, explaining how browsers handle elements with missing end tags and the advantages and disadvantages of using this practice. It provides guidance on when to consider using optional end tags and the potential implications for web development.

The article discusses how to implement conditional lazy loading of HTML elements, which can improve website performance by only loading content that is visible to the user. It provides a detailed technical explanation of the approach, including the use of IntersectionObserver and vanilla JavaScript.

The article discusses the relationship between film size and image quality, explaining how larger film formats like 35mm and medium format produce higher-quality images compared to smaller formats like 16mm and APS-C. It provides technical details on the advantages of larger film sizes in terms of resolution, dynamic range, and lens performance.

The article discusses a memory leak issue in the Ghostty terminal emulator and provides a solution to fix it. It explains the root cause of the problem and the steps to resolve the memory leak, allowing users to maintain a stable Ghostty application.

I think LLMs are overused to summarise and underused to help us read deeper.

I built a system for Claude Code to browse 100 non-fiction books and find interesting connections between them.

I started out with a pipeline in stages, chaining together LLM calls to build up a context of the library. I was mainly getting back the insight that I was baking into the prompts, and the results weren't particularly surprising.

On a whim, I gave CC access to my debug CLI tools and found that it wiped the floor with that approach. It gave actually interesting results and required very little orchestration in comparison.

One of my favourite trail of excerpts goes from Jobs’ reality distortion field to Theranos’ fake demos, to Thiel on startup cults, to Hoffer on mass movement charlatans (https://trails.pieterma.es/trail/useful-lies/). A fun tendency is that Claude kept getting distracted by topics of secrecy, conspiracy, and hidden systems - as if the task itself summoned a Foucault’s Pendulum mindset.

Details:

* The books are picked from HN’s favourites (which I collected before: https://hnbooks.pieterma.es/).

* Chunks are indexed by topic using Gemini Flash Lite. The whole library cost about £10.

* Topics are organised into a tree structure using recursive Leiden partitioning and LLM labels. This gives a high-level sense of the themes.

* There are several ways to browse. The most useful are embedding similarity, topic tree siblings, and topics cooccurring within a chunk window.

* Everything is stored in SQLite and manipulated using a set of CLI tools.

I wrote more about the process here: https://pieterma.es/syntopic-reading-claude/

I’m curious if this way of reading resonates for anyone else - LLM-mediated or not.

Ferrite: Fast Markdown/Text/Code editor in Rust with native Mermaid diagrams

Built a Markdown editor using Rust + egui. v0.2.1 just dropped with major Mermaid improvements:

→ Native Mermaid diagrams - Flowcharts, sequence, state, ER, git graphs - pure Rust, no JS

→ Split view - Raw + rendered side-by-side with sync scrolling

→ Syntax highlighting - 40+ languages with large file optimization

→ JSON/YAML/TOML tree viewer - Structured editing with expand/collapse

→ Git integration - File tree shows modified/staged/untracked status

Also: minimap, zen mode, auto-save, session restore, code folding indicators.

~15MB binary, instant startup. Windows/Linux/macOS.

GitHub: https://github.com/OlaProeis/Ferrite

v0.2.2 coming soon with performance improvements for large files. Looking for feedback!

The article discusses the challenges of managing large feeds, such as RSS feeds, and the importance of understanding the trade-offs between different approaches to handling large amounts of data. It provides insights into techniques for optimizing feed processing and managing resources effectively.

https://sprites.dev/

The article discusses the insights gained from studying Sudoku solvers, highlighting the importance of understanding problem-solving strategies and the role of human intelligence in developing efficient algorithms for complex tasks.

This article provides an in-depth analysis of Apple's Precompiled Modules (PMU) technology, exploring its benefits, implementation, and performance impact on software development and compilation processes for Apple's platforms.

The article explores the history and significance of relics, discussing how they have been revered and used for spiritual and political purposes throughout history, and how their meaning and significance have evolved over time.

The article explores the real-life influences and works that inspired the interactive Black Mirror episode 'Bandersnatch,' which allows viewers to make choices that affect the storyline. It provides insight into the interactive storytelling technology and creative process behind the episode.

OpenChaos is a new open-source project that aims to provide a decentralized, community-driven platform for building and managing complex systems. The project focuses on enabling collaboration, transparency, and self-governance through the use of blockchain technology.

This article reflects on the impact of Max Payne, a landmark action game from 2001, and how its unique aesthetic and cinematic design elements have stood the test of time, even as video game graphics have continued to evolve over the past two decades.

The article discusses how AI can act as a stress test for business models, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges that AI presents for companies. It emphasizes the need for businesses to carefully evaluate the impact of AI on their operations, customer experience, and overall strategy.

Google warns against creating bite-sized content specifically for large language models (LLMs), as this could negatively impact search rankings. The article emphasizes the importance of focusing on creating high-quality, informative content that provides value to users, rather than producing content solely optimized for LLMs.

The article discusses the challenges and lessons Salvatore Sanfilippo, the creator of the open-source database Redis, has faced in managing and growing a successful open-source project. It highlights the importance of maintaining a healthy community, balancing commercial and open-source interests, and the personal toll of running a popular project.

After years of steady increases, overdose deaths in the United States have started to decline, driven by a drop in opioid-related fatalities. This trend is attributed to improved access to addiction treatment, harm reduction measures, and shifts in the illicit drug supply.