hackernews

1. Can you read this cursive handwriting? The National Archives wants your help Total comment counts : 38 Summary The National Archives is seeking volunteers through its Citizen Archivist program to help transcribe and tag its vast collection of historical documents, many of which are in cursive and date back over 200 years. This initiative aims to make these documents more accessible online, as traditional methods like optical character recognition are not always effective....

1. Canon wants us to pay for using our own camera as a webcam Total comment counts : 94 Summary The article discusses the author’s experience with Canon’s software intended to convert their Canon G5 X II camera into a webcam for use with a MacBook. Here are the key points: Camera Choice and Cost: The author bought a Canon G5 X II for concerts, costing around $900, not the $6300 mentioned in the article title....

1. No Calls Total comment counts : 87 Summary Zeke Gabrielse, the founder of Keygen, initially set up his company with a strict “no calls” policy due to his aversion to sales calls as an introvert. He found calls inefficient and awkward, particularly when trying to engage with larger, enterprise-level customers. Initially, he attempted to facilitate sales by adding a ‘book a call’ button on his pricing page, but this strategy was unsuccessful and frustrating....

1. Why the weak nuclear force is short range Total comment counts : 20 Summary The article discusses the concept of “range” in physics, specifically how different forces vary in their effective distance: Long-Range Forces: Forces like gravity, electric, and magnetic forces have a vast range, impacting objects across significant distances like rooms, planets, or even galaxies. Short-Range Forces: In contrast, forces like the weak nuclear force have a very limited range, effective only at distances far smaller than an atom, making their effects rare and slow....

1. Snyk security researcher deploys malicious NPM packages targeting cursor.com Total comment counts : 36 Summary The article discusses a cybersecurity incident involving malicious NPM packages targeting Cursor, a company specializing in AI coding solutions. Here are the key points: Detection: The author routinely checks for malicious packages and discovered several suspicious packages deployed by an NPM user named “sn4k-s3c”. These packages had names suggesting they were aimed at Cursor....

1. Why I Chose Common Lisp Total comment counts : 30 Summary The article details the author’s journey from Clojure to Common Lisp. Here are the key points: Discontent with Clojure: The author was frustrated with Clojure’s slow startup times for CLI applications, and despite attempts to use native-image for faster execution, he was unsuccessful. Search for a New Lisp: After deciding Clojure was no longer suitable for his needs, the author explored other Lisp dialects:...

1. Luigi Mangione’s account has been renamed on Stack Overflow Total comment counts : 62 Summary Summary: Stack Exchange, a network of Q&A websites including the prominent Stack Overflow for programmers, was sold to Prosus for $1.8 billion in 2021. The content on Stack Exchange is under a Creative Commons license, which requires attribution for all contributions. However, there’s been controversy over the removal of attribution for a contributor named Luigi Magione, whose account was renamed to “user4616250” without explanation....

1. Operating System in 1,000 Lines – Intro Total comment counts : 25 Summary The article outlines a book project aimed at guiding readers through the process of building a small operating system (OS) from scratch. It emphasizes that despite the complexity often associated with OS development, the core functions of an OS are fundamentally simple. Here are the key points: Simplicity and Growth: The initial version of Linux was very small (8,413 lines), illustrating that OS development can start from a modest codebase....

1. A minimax chess engine in regular expressions Total comment counts : 35 Summary Summary: Nicholas Carlini, in a playful departure from his usual serious content, introduces “Regex Chess,” a chess program that uses a sequence of 84,688 regular expressions to make moves on a chessboard. The program takes input in the form of source and destination square coordinates (e.g., e2e4). Here’s how it works: Execution: The program uses a single string to represent both the program’s stack and all variables....

1. Doom, the Gallery Experience Total comment counts : 32 Summary DOOM: The Gallery Experience is an interactive art piece that parodies the pretentious atmosphere of art gallery openings. Set within the first level (E1M1) of the classic 1993 game DOOM, this experience allows players to explore an art gallery while enjoying typical gallery amenities like wine and hors d’oeuvres. Here are the key points: Gameplay: Players can move around using WASD or arrow keys, interact with objects, drink beverages, and navigate menus....