News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

memorydial

Re:I replaced my brown-noise browser tab with a menu bar app on Wednesday September 16, 2026 @07:52PM (#49734655)
I really like this. I had a look through the source code as well and it's cool you shared it.

I generally listen to white noise when I am trying to concentrate, but its Dave Clarke's techno/electo podcast, "White Noise"! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36FkrrpzFOA

Re:Ask HN: What are your best purchases under $100? on Thursday January 15, 2026 @03:27PM (#46638766)
These really are amazing! I went full smartwool after getting a pair for hiking. I never looked back!
Re:Ask HN: What are your best purchases under $100? on Thursday January 15, 2026 @03:26PM (#46638748)
Stanley Classic Legendary Vacuum Bottle 1.0 qt Bialetti Moka Express 6-Cup Aluminum Stovetop Espresso Maker

It's not about the time and money I saved by not having to go to a cafe, its about having a great supply of coffee available for the day.

Re:I am stepping down as the CEO of Mastodon on Tuesday November 18, 2025 @04:41PM (#45972555)
Haha, you might have slexdyia.
Re:Is Google Down? - EU networking issue on Thursday September 04, 2025 @05:50AM (#45125439)
This quote gets thrown around a lot and I always think about what asdfman123 said here:: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41991291
Feels very much like the "Yes, and ..." improv rule.
Do you have a github repo, link, or a signup page so I can get a notification when its launched?
Ha I guess when I stay up very late -8 overlaps with +8!
no, just l–AI–zy copy-pasta. your book looks great! putting on your chat with lex now.
no, just lazily and stupidly used an AI writing assistant
Ha thanks for having my back! I genuinely love your project. I have been toying with get either a boox or a remarkable for ages.
never knew about the em dash thing, I was just using an AI writing assistant to help fix my shitty grammar and formatting. I think in future ill stick with bad formatting
Ah, the magic of old hardware pulling double duty! The Genesis’ Z80 running sound processing is why Streets of Rage 2 had such killer drum samples—Yuzo Koshiro absolutely maximized that setup. And on the PS2, the IOP made sure Metal Gear Solid’s iconic PS1 codec sounds played exactly as you remembered. It’s wild how these chips weren’t just relics for backwards compatibility, but actively shaped some of the most memorable game audio of their era.
Actually if you figure that out please post it here!! I'd love to see that!
That would be next-level immersion! You could probably achieve this by rendering the LLM’s response using a handwritten font—maybe even train a model on your own handwriting to make it feel truly personal.
Exactly! There’s something about handwriting that makes it feel more personal—like scribbling notes in the margins of a spellbook. The shift from typing to pen input definitely changes the vibe of interacting with AI.
That’s awesome! Love seeing the reMarkable get more functionality through creative hacks. Just checked out your app—what was the biggest challenge you faced while developing for the reMarkable?
This is a brilliant use case—handwriting input combined with LLMs makes for a much more natural workflow. I wonder how well it handles messy handwriting and if fine-tuning on personal notes would improve recognition over time.
Probably just knee-jerk downvotes from people who misread the title and assumed you were confused. Honestly, the PS/2 vs PlayStation naming overlap is fair—Sony could’ve picked a more distinct name!
Right? The golden age of game dev—low-level programming, custom hardware tricks, and figuring out how to squeeze every last drop of performance out of the PlayStation. I’d love to see those internal docs and training materials. Probably a treasure trove of lost optimization techniques!
Focus on building real projects, contributing to open source, and gaining practical experience. Strong problem-solving skills, knowing system design basics, and some cloud familiarity (AWS/Azure/GCP) help. Networking and referrals matter a lot—try to connect with industry folks on LinkedIn or attend meetups. Most importantly, don’t just grind LeetCode—show you can build and ship things.
If companies don’t invest in juniors because they 'might leave,' they’ll just end up with a team of burned-out seniors who eventually leave anyway.
The decline of entry-level roles is worrying. Companies are optimizing for immediate productivity but forgetting that juniors grow into seniors. No training, no pipeline, no future talent...
Re:Vi Hart Videos on the Internet Archive on Saturday February 08, 2025 @04:30AM (#42981732)
It's truly disheartening to see Vi Hart's videos being removed or made private. Her unique approach to mathematics has inspired countless students and enthusiasts. The remaining video, "On Gender," offers a glimpse into her perspectives beyond math. It's concerning to think that harassment or negative experiences might have led to this situation. I hope that, in the future, creators like Vi can share their work without fear, and that platforms can find ways to preserve and respect such valuable content.
Re:A case against syntax highlighting (2007) on Saturday February 08, 2025 @04:29AM (#42981722)
I get the argument that syntax highlighting can be distracting, but I think the real issue is bad highlighting. Overly bright themes, too many colors, or inconsistent styles can make code harder to read. But when done right—like with semantic highlighting that differentiates mutable vs immutable variables—it can actually enhance understanding rather than clutter the screen. Maybe the problem isn’t highlighting itself, but how it’s typically implemented?
If you're planning to do local GenAI, the biggest factor is VRAM, not just GPU power. Even smaller LLMs (e.g., 13B-30B) require a lot of VRAM to run efficiently, and 8GB is borderline for anything beyond toy use. If you’re serious about local GenAI, a second-hand RTX 3090 (24GB VRAM) or a 4070 Ti (16GB VRAM) would be a much better investment than an NPU, which currently isn't widely supported for local inference.
Re:Why gold loves arsenic (2021) on Saturday February 08, 2025 @03:14AM (#42981382)
Right? Turns out fool’s gold has a bit of wisdom after all. It won’t make you rich, but in the right conditions, it can help concentrate the real stuff!
Re:Why gold loves arsenic (2021) on Saturday February 08, 2025 @03:14AM (#42981378)
Nope, this doesn’t create gold, just helps existing gold accumulate in certain conditions. Actual gold creation requires nuclear reactions, which are technically possible but not practical.
Re:Why gold loves arsenic (2021) on Saturday February 08, 2025 @03:13AM (#42981374)
Fascinating read! So if arsenic helps gold concentrate in deposits, does this mean arsenic-rich environments are better places to prospect? Or is it more about how existing deposits form rather than finding new ones?
Re:Turner, Bird, Eratosthenes: An eternal burning thread on Saturday February 08, 2025 @03:12AM (#42981366)
Glad I wasn’t the only one who saw the reference! Now I just need a version that ties in M.C. Escher’s impossible staircases with infinite loops.

Older »