Why xor eax, eax?

A Linux desktop executes many xor instructions due to compilers emitting this sequence to set a register to zero, saving three bytes compared to mov instruction. The CPU optimizes this "zeroing idiom" by removing the operation from the execution queue, taking zero execution cycles.

Ask HN: Who is hiring? (December 2025)

Unto Labs: Developing Thru Layer-1 blockchain, seeking engineers for scalability, performance, and usability challenges. REMOTE (US) or ONSITE (Hybrid OK) in San Francisco, CA.

Cartographers Have Been Hiding Covert Illustrations Inside of Switzerland's Maps

https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Map-Marmot-final.jpg
Swiss cartographers secretly insert illustrations into official maps, defying their mandate for accuracy. These drawings, often humorous or whimsical, have been hidden in maps for decades, with some lasting up to 60 years.

ImAnim: Modern animation capabilities to ImGui applications

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/soufianekhiat/ImAnim/main/imgs/ImAnim_List.gif
ImAnim adds animation capabilities to ImGui with minimal code. It allows smooth UI animations with one-line code and includes features like hover animations.

Search tool that only returns content created before ChatGPT's public release

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A browser extension filters search results to exclude AI-generated content. It uses the Google search API to return results from before November 30, 2022, ensuring human-created content.

Self-hosting a Matrix server for 5 years

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The user has been hosting a Matrix server for five years using Synapse and has experienced issues with data replication, message retention, and user account management, which they believe should be handled by the server rather than scripts. They are considering switching to Snikket due to the complexity and limitations of the Matrix-Element ecosystem, particularly the new Element Server ...

The Penicillin Myth

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Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin by chance in 1928, but the story may be exaggerated or inaccurate due to inconsistencies in his account. Scientists have attempted to replicate his discovery but failed, leading to speculation about the true events surrounding the discovery of penicillin.

Google *Unkills* JPEG XL?

The Chromium team has reversed its decision to kill JPEG XL, a promising image format, and will now support it in Blink, the engine behind Chrome/Chromium/Edge. This move is expected to give JPEG XL a significant boost in adoption, thanks to its superior features and support in the most popular browser engine.

A vector graphics workstation from the 70s

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The user acquired a 1975 Tektronix 4051 graphics workstation, repaired it, and got it working. The machine has 32KB RAM, a Motorola 6800 computer, and can display vector graphics.

Historic Engineering Wonders: Photos That Reveal How They Pulled It Off

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Ancient civilizations developed innovative engineering solutions to shape cities, move water, and secure structures. Their achievements, such as hypocaust heating and seismic-resistant foundations, remain impressive today.

Show HN: I built a 1.8MB native app with self-built UI, vision and AI libraries

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Okery/Aivition/main/assets/viewer.jpg
Aivition is a lightweight image processing tool with an infinite canvas and AI-powered editing features. To uninstall, clear registry and delete the application folder, then manually remove edited image records.

Games using anti-cheats and their compatibility with GNU/Linux or Wine/Proton

Make sure to check recent updates, the game is known to break often (And the status may not update to reflect that)

WordPress plugin quirk resulted in UK Gov OBR Budget leak [pdf]

The Office for Budget Responsibility's (OBR) Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO) was accessed prematurely by external users before the Chancellor's speech on Budget day. The OBR's leadership is responsible for the vulnerability that occurred and was then exposed.

Google, Nvidia, and OpenAI – Stratechery by Ben Thompson

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Google's dominance in AI is threatened by OpenAI's ChatGPT, which has a strong moat due to its large user base and potential for advertising revenue. However, Google's structural advantages and resources make it a formidable opponent, and OpenAI's refusal to adopt an advertising model may ultimately lead to its downfall.

It’s been a very hard year

Andy, founder of Set Studio and Piccalilli, is struggling due to a tough year with economic and political instability, affecting their business. He's asking for support to help them continue producing high-quality content and web projects that benefit people.

A Love Letter to FreeBSD

The writer appreciates FreeBSD's coherence, stability, and quiet strength, comparing it to a mainframe humming in the background. They hope it stays different, earning trust with its reliability and long-term focus.

Writing a good Claude.md

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To onboard Claude into your codebase, use CLAUDE.md to define your project's WHY, WHAT, and HOW, keeping instructions to a minimum and using Progressive Disclosure to avoid bloating the context window. Avoid auto-generating CLAUDE.md and use linters, code formatters, and other features to handle implementation and formatting separately for better results.

Detection of triboelectric discharges during dust events on Mars

https://gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2025/11/dust-devil-marsr.jpg
Scientists detected lightning on Mars using sounds and electrical signals captured by the Perseverance rover, suggesting the Red Planet's dusty surface causes electrification. The discovery may have implications for future human-led missions to Mars and could pose a threat to rovers and astronauts.

Trifold is a tool to quickly and cheaply host static websites using a CDN

trifold is a paid service for hosting static websites with reasonable pricing and stability. It offers a cheaper alternative to services like Cloudflare Pages and Netlify with negligible storage costs.

Netflix Kills Casting from Its Mobile App to Most Modern TVs

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Netflix removed mobile casting to most TVs and devices, directing users to use TV remotes instead. The change affects most users, except those on older devices or costlier ad-free plans.

Advent of Sysadmin 2025

Here's a step-by-step solution to fix the problem:

SmartTube Compromised

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SmartTube's digital signature was exposed and a new one has been released after a developer's computer was compromised by malware. Users should factory reset devices with the app installed and audit their Google account permissions due to potential malware exposure.

Victorian-style lines for the web: Elements of identical width

https://jacobfilipp.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/image-3.png
We used Inkscape to turn a 1800s border image into a repeating CSS border by separating and resizing the wreaths to create an "organic" look. The final CSS code sets the width of the element to a multiple of 22px to prevent cutoffs and allows for scaling up the repeating elements.

X210Ai is a new motherboard to upgrade ThinkPad X201/200

2, Storage support: Two of M.2 SSD PCIE 4.0 (one 2280, one 2242), the original 2.5inch SATA; 6, Display: support screens same as X2100, such as the original X201/200’s display, 13inch 3000×2000, 13.3inch 1920×1200 and 13.3 inch 2560×1600; 10, The X210Ai project currently cannot guarantee coreboot support, but we remain committed to exploring possible solutions.

How to Run Profitable Pricing Experiments?

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To run successful pricing experiments, you need to shift your mindset from Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) to Revenue Optimization and consider the microeconomics at play, including Willingness to Pay (WTP) and Price Elasticity. You should approach pricing experiments with a bias based on your product niche, using frameworks like Elasticity, Anchoring, and Volume to make decisions based on ...

DeepSeekMath-V2: Towards Self-Verifiable Mathematical Reasoning

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-Math-V2/refs/heads/main/figures/Competitions.png
Large language models have improved in mathematical reasoning through reinforcement learning, but face limitations in verifying correct reasoning. A new model, DeepSeekMath-V2, demonstrates strong theorem-proving capabilities with self-verifiable reasoning.

Boring Laser Eyes Simulator: Add laser beams to your eyes with your webcam

https://winterx.github.io/laser-eyes-simulator/ Needed a break from my main project, so I threw together this Laser Eyes Simulator. It's a silly little thing that adds laser beams to your eyes using your webcam. Downloadable images. Hope you enjoy! Gemini 3 Prompt: - Use the computer's front-facing camera - Use `mediapipe` lib to capture facial landmarks - Use `threejs` to apply a ...

Algorithms for Optimization [pdf]

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to optimization with a focus on practical algorithms for engineering design, covering various optimization topics and techniques. The book aims to equip readers with the knowledge and skills to apply optimization algorithms to real-world problems, with a focus on engineering design and applications in fields such as mathematics, statistics, and ...

Advent of Code 2025

Eric Wastl created Advent of Code, an annual programming puzzle event with varying difficulty levels. It's free to use, but not to copy, and users can participate with any programming language and skill level.

N-Body Simulator – Interactive 3 Body Problem and Gravitational Physics

https://trisolarchaos.com/n-body-presets-showcase.png
The three-body problem has no general closed-form solution and is typically studied using numerical simulation. A new simulator discovered 10,059 new 3D periodic orbits, including 21 choreographic orbits and 273 piano-trio orbits.