Fedware: Government apps that spy harder than the apps they ban

183 speckx 2026-03-30 18:52:18 UTC sambent.com Llama Share 53

The US government's mobile apps, including the White House app, request excessive permissions and embed trackers, violating users' privacy. These apps, part of a surveillance apparatus, collect sensitive data that feeds into ICE raids and warrantless location tracking.

We Hid a Free Trip to Switzerland in Our Privacy Policy. Someone Found It

46 bwoah 2026-03-30 20:06:18 UTC cape.co Llama Share 7

Cape hid an Easter egg in their privacy policy offering a free trip to Switzerland, and someone found it after reading the fine print. This highlights the importance of transparency in privacy policies, as most people don't read them and companies often hide data-sharing practices.

Do your own writing

166 karimf 2026-03-30 17:52:18 UTC alexhwoods.com Llama Share 52

LLMs can undermine authenticity and credibility by generating writing that lacks thought and understanding. Effective writing requires human thoughtfulness and effort to establish credibility and increase understanding.

How to turn anything into a router

483 yabones 2026-03-30 13:52:18 UTC nbailey.ca Llama Share 184

User wants to create a homebrew router using a Linux-powered device, such as a mini-PC, to bypass a US policy banning new consumer router imports.

Turning a MacBook into a touchscreen with $1 of hardware (2018)

49 HughParry 2026-03-30 19:52:18 UTC anishathalye.com Llama Share 17

A team created a touchscreen MacBook using a $1 mirror and computer vision, allowing for touch input without an external webcam. The system uses a webcam, mirror, and computer vision to translate finger movements into mouse events, making existing apps touch-enabled.

Bird brains (2023)

266 DiffTheEnder 2026-03-30 13:52:18 UTC dhanishsemar.com Llama Share 170

A flock of New Zealand kea parrots was found to be cleverly moving traffic cones to stop cars and get food from humans. Researchers have developed various tests to measure bird intelligence, including the mirror test, Aesop's Fable, and delayed gratification test.

Cherri – programming language that compiles to an Apple Shortuct

165 mihau 2026-03-30 15:52:18 UTC github.com/electrikmilk Llama Share 30

Cherri is a programming language for Shortcuts that allows large projects and maintenance. It has a package manager, type checking, and a GUI IDE for macOS.

A sea of sparks: Seeing radioactivity

33 maurycyz 2026-03-30 18:52:18 UTC maurycyz.com Llama Share 13

Seeing individual atoms is impossible with light, but nuclear reactions like alpha particle emission from heavy elements like uranium can produce a visible flash. A scintillation screen coated with zinc sulfide can convert alpha particles' energy into light, allowing us to see thousands of momentary points of light around the source.

William Blake, Remote by the Sea

23 occurrence 2026-03-30 19:52:18 UTC laphamsquarterly.org Llama Share 0

William Blake moved to Felpham in 1800 with his wife Catherine, seeking a change from London. He was inspired by the sea and its transformative power, which influenced his art and poetry.

Vulnerability research is cooked

44 pedro84 2026-03-30 18:52:18 UTC sockpuppet.org Llama Share 21

AI coding agents will drastically alter exploit development, making it easier to find vulnerabilities in software. This shift will profoundly impact information security and the Internet, potentially rendering traditional countermeasures ineffective.

CodingFont: A game to help you pick a coding font

233 nvahalik 2026-03-30 15:52:18 UTC codingfont.com Full Share 136

Browse Studio

OCR for construction documents does not work, we fixed it

84 wcisco17 2026-03-30 16:52:18 UTC getanchorgrid.com Llama Share 49

Anchorgrid.ai's door detection service processes PDFs in 2-4 minutes per job, scaling with page count and complexity. Upgrading to Pro or Enterprise plans uses dedicated GPU infrastructure for faster detection.

Seeing Like a Spreadsheet

29 paulpauper 2026-03-30 18:52:18 UTC davidoks.blog Llama Share 5

The electronic spreadsheet, pioneered by Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston, revolutionized business by making calculation and analysis faster and more accessible. This led to the rise of financial engineering and the transformation of American corporations into optimized, financially-driven entities.

Build123d: A Python CAD programming library

94 Ivoah 2026-03-30 14:52:18 UTC github.com/gumyr Llama Share 38

build123d is a Python-based CAD framework for 2D and 3D modeling, built on Open Cascade. It offers algebraic modeling and a clean, Pythonic interface for precise models.

Roulette Computers: Hidden Devices That Predict Spins

14 o4c 2026-03-30 19:52:18 UTC roulette-computers.com Llama Share 0

Roulette computers are used in half of casinos to predict ball movements with high accuracy. They use variables like ball deceleration and rotor speed to make early predictions.

In math, rigor is vital, but are digitized proofs taking it too far?

77 isaacfrond 2026-03-30 13:52:18 UTC quantamagazine.org Llama Share 61

Mathematicians have long sought to formalize their proofs to ensure rigor and accuracy. They've developed systems like Lean, a computer language that can automatically verify proofs, but its adoption comes with risks of homogenizing math and shifting focus away from the problem domain.

Take better notes, by hand

138 sonicrocketman 2026-03-30 16:52:18 UTC brianschrader.com Llama Share 63

The author uses a four-part note-taking system, with the most useful method being writing by hand in paper notebooks. They date every page and use an index to organize their notes, allowing them to easily find information later.

Show HN: Coasts – Containerized Hosts for Agents

35 jsunderland323 2026-03-30 15:52:18 UTC github.com/coast-guard Llama Share 11

Coasts is a CLI tool for running isolated dev environments on a single machine with a local UI. It works with existing Docker setups and is offline-first with no vendor lock-in risk.

Mathematical methods and human thought in the age of AI

177 zaikunzhang 2026-03-30 11:52:18 UTC arxiv.org Llama Share 70

AI is a natural evolution of human tools, facilitating idea creation and dissemination. Its development should remain human-centered to enhance quality of life and expand human thought.

What Construction at a Train Station Taught Me About Software Engineering

8 vinhnx 2026-03-30 18:52:18 UTC engineering.leanix.net Prefix Share 2

Today I found myself observing the construction site at Ljubljana's central train station. I've always taken their work for granted, but today I looked deeper. The station can't close, since it would severely affect tourism, transportation of people and goods, and much more. The work is carefully broken down, workarounds are implemented, and trains are logistically shuffled to ...

Recover Apple Keychain

21 speckx 2026-03-30 17:52:18 UTC arkoinad.com Llama Share 6

User relied on Touch ID and muscle memory, leading to password reset issues. Resetting password caused keychain data loss, but restoring old data was simple by replacing the new keychain file with the old one.

FTC action against Match and OkCupid for deceiving users, sharing personal data

194 gnabgib 2026-03-30 15:52:18 UTC ftc.gov Llama Share 99

The FTC took action against OkCupid and Match Group for sharing users' personal info with an unrelated third party despite promises to protect it. OkCupid and Match are now prohibited from misrepresenting their privacy policies.

I am definitely missing the pre-AI writing era

198 joozio 2026-03-30 07:52:18 UTC lesswrong.com Llama Share 169

The user's writing skills have deteriorated due to over-reliance on AI tools for grammar and vocabulary checks, causing them to lose their unique voice and creative expression. They are seeking advice on how to regain their writing skills and focus on their own voice, rather than relying on AI assistance.

The curious case of retro demo scene graphics

330 zdw 2026-03-30 05:52:18 UTC datagubbe.se Llama Share 83

The demo scene initially tolerated copying due to technical limitations, but as it evolved, artists began to value originality and craft over plagiarism. Today, many sceners reject AI-generated art and plagiarism, valuing the creative process and technical limitations that define the scene.

An NSFW filter for Marginalia search

60 speckx 2026-03-30 16:52:18 UTC marginalia.nu Llama Share 13

The author built an NSFW filter for a search engine using a single hidden layer neural network, trained on a dataset of labeled search results. The filter was implemented from scratch and performed well, with a 20-30% agreement with a classifier using open-source models.

I use Excalidraw to manage my diagrams for my blog

246 mlysk 2026-03-30 07:52:18 UTC blog.lysk.tech Llama Share 99

User created an Excalidraw extension to generate SVGs for light and dark mode, but it caused frustration due to dependency on text changes. They then created a new extension that automatically exports frames as SVGs in both modes, allowing for local review and reference.

Proactively Parasocial

24 jxmorris12 2026-03-30 16:52:18 UTC nicklandolfi.com Llama Share 3

Posting on a blog can build parasocial relationships by giving readers an illusion of face-to-face connection with the writer. This can be a positive way to form connections with others, such as authors or inspiring heroes, but can also be negative if it replaces real social relationships.

New Washington state law bans noncompete agreements

256 toomuchtodo 2026-03-30 17:52:18 UTC seattletimes.com Llama Share 100

Washington state law signed by Rep Liz Berry outlaws noncompete agreements, effective June 30, 2027. Employers must notify workers about voided agreements by October 1, 2027.

Fibonacci's Composed Fractions

10 aebtebeten 2026-03-30 17:52:18 UTC ztoz.blog Llama Share 2

Fibonacci's Liber Abaci introduced Hindu-Arabic numerals to Italy, explaining arithmetic and business problems using a positional number system. The book's composed fractions notation, used for mixed radix quantities, was influential but eventually replaced by decimal fractions.

The ladder is missing rungs – Engineering Progression When AI Ate the Middle

46 sorenvrist 2026-03-30 13:52:18 UTC negroniventurestudios.com Llama Share 7

AI tools are changing the landscape of software engineering, but the conversation is focused on code generation rather than the skills and judgment required to supervise AI. The structural problem is that AI handles tasks that used to train engineers, leaving a gap in the career ladder and raising questions about where the next generation of engineers will come from.