AlphaEvolve: A Gemini-powered coding agent for designing advanced algorithms

1008 Fysi 2025-05-14 15:10:15 UTC deepmind.google Llama Share 263

AlphaEvolve is an AI agent that combines large language models with automated evaluators to discover and optimize algorithms for math and computing. It has improved efficiency in Google's data centers, chip design, and AI training processes, and has also helped design faster matrix multiplication algorithms and solve open mathematical problems.

What is HDR, anyway?

784 _kush 2025-05-14 12:46:39 UTC lux.camera Llama Share 332

The article discusses the concept of HDR (High Dynamic Range) in photography, explaining its meaning and the problems it presents. The author proposes a new tone-mapping approach in the Halide app that allows users to adjust dynamic range without sacrificing quality.

Bus stops here: Shanghai lets riders design their own routes

490 anigbrowl 2025-05-14 04:33:21 UTC sixthtone.com Llama Share 353

Shanghai launched a customized public bus system called DZ, allowing residents to propose routes and vote on demand. Over 220 DZ routes have been launched across 16 city districts, improving convenience and resource use during peak travel.

Writing that changed how I think about programming languages

443 r4um 2025-05-14 04:19:00 UTC bernsteinbear.com Llama Share 60

The user has read various impactful blog posts and papers that changed their perspective on programming languages and compilers. These posts introduced concepts such as garbage collectors, optimizers, and abstract domains that significantly impacted their understanding of these topics.

The recently lost file upload feature in the Nextcloud app for Android

408 morsch 2025-05-14 05:38:00 UTC nextcloud.com Llama Share 165

Google revoked a critical permission to sync all files for Nextcloud's Android app, citing security concerns, but Nextcloud believes this is preferential treatment. Nextcloud has limited file uploads to photos and videos due to Google's refusal to reinstate the permission.

SMS 2FA is not just insecure, it's also hostile to mountain people

404 todsacerdoti 2025-05-14 13:28:24 UTC blog.stillgreenmoss.net Llama Share 313

A 70-year-old woman in western North Carolina struggles with SMS 2FA due to poor cell service at her home, despite having a landline and Spectrum internet. She needs to convert accounts to TOTP 2FA, port her number to a VOIP provider, and contact companies to turn off SMS 2FA.

A server that wasn't meant to exist

396 jaypatelani 2025-05-14 15:50:30 UTC it-notes.dragas.net Llama Share 144

A friend's company was struggling with a lack of information flow and transparency after the owner's death. I set up a proper IT system to manage data, but a key employee opposed it and tried to have the server wiped, revealing a larger issue of embezzlement.

Databricks acquires Neon

383 davidgomes 2025-05-14 10:10:00 UTC databricks.com Llama Share 223

Databricks acquires Neon, a serverless Postgres company, to deliver AI-native database platform. Neon's team will join Databricks to provide serverless Postgres at production scale to developers.

Coding without a laptop: Two weeks with AR glasses and Linux on Android

318 mikenew 2025-05-14 15:11:57 UTC holdtherobot.com Llama Share 139

User ran a full desktop Linux environment on their phone using Termux and a chroot container, achieving a snappy and functional setup. This allowed them to work comfortably outdoors and in tight spaces, giving them a sense of freedom and potentially opening up a future for ultra-mobile software development.

How to Build a Smartwatch: Picking a Chip

306 rcarmo 2025-05-14 07:02:54 UTC ericmigi.com Llama Share 120

The author selected a SiFli SF32LB52J chip for their smartwatch, Core Time 2, due to its open source SDK and suitable features. This chip meets the author's needs for a smartwatch with a low power consumption profile and a dedicated MIP peripheral.

I failed a take-home assignment from Kagi Search

283 josecodea 2025-05-14 02:17:33 UTC bloggeroo.dev Llama Share 358

The user completed a take-home assignment for a reputable company, Kagi Search, but was rejected after investing a week of full-time effort without receiving any meaningful feedback. The user criticizes the take-home assignment practice, suggesting it wastes candidates' time and is not a fair evaluation method, and proposes alternative assessment methods like live code reviews.

The cryptography behind passkeys

273 tatersolid 2025-05-14 11:22:39 UTC blog.trailofbits.com Llama Share 261

Passkeys use cryptography to provide secure authentication, eliminating phishing and password reuse risks through origin binding and unique key pairs. While not perfect, passkeys offer strong security guarantees and are the clear default choice for modern authentication systems when properly implemented with WebAuthn.

Migrating to Postgres

240 shenli3514 2025-05-14 21:39:45 UTC engineering.usemotion.com Llama Share 270

Motion moved from CockroachDB to Postgres due to high costs and performance issues. The switch resulted in a 33% drop in request latencies and saved the business over $110,000 a year.

Show HN: Muscle-Mem, a behavior cache for AI agents

222 edunteman 2025-05-14 19:38:26 UTC github.com/pig-dot-dev Llama Share 51

muscle-mem is a Python SDK that records and replays agent tool-calling patterns for repetitive tasks. It uses cache validation with Checks to determine safe tool reuse and invoke the agent.

Perverse incentives of vibe coding

203 laurex 2025-05-14 19:29:38 UTC fredbenenson.medium.com Llama Share 227

The author is addicted to AI coding assistants like Claude Code due to their variable-ratio reinforcement, which triggers stronger dopamine responses. This leads to a compelling psychological loop that keeps users prompting, resulting in significant expenses.

How the economics of multitenancy work

185 tsaifu 2025-05-14 13:08:26 UTC blacksmith.sh Llama Share 44

Blacksmith's serverless CI cloud uses multitenancy to optimize costs by utilizing a fixed fleet of machines, where more customers lead to higher utilization and lower costs. The company's margins scale directly with average fleet utilization, making it beneficial to have a diverse and growing customer base.

Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News

182 pavel_lishin 2025-05-14 23:39:09 UTC teenvogue.com Llama Share 63

The author of Copaganda argues that the news media manipulates public opinion by selectively choosing stories to create moral panics that lead to increased government repression. This manipulation is used to justify more funding for police and punishment bureaucracies, despite evidence showing it does not reduce violence.

Wise refuses to let us access our $60k AUD

182 parisidau 2025-05-14 06:46:08 UTC hey.paris Llama Share 141

Wise blocked our account without notice, declining transactions and refusing ACH/wire transfers. They claim it's a "bug" and ask for documents already uploaded.

Our narrative prison

181 anarbadalov 2025-05-14 16:27:48 UTC aeon.co Llama Share 143

Traditional story structure, rooted in Aristotle's Poetics, is a repetitive formula used in many films and stories, but its dominance can be conservative and limiting. Critics argue that this structure can infantilize audiences and reinforce conformity, while alternative forms of storytelling can offer more nuanced and realistic representations of the world.

Uber to introduce fixed-route shuttles in major US cities

179 rpgbr 2025-05-14 15:40:17 UTC techcrunch.com Llama Share 422

Uber introduced Route Share, a feature allowing riders to save 50% on UberX trips by sharing routes with up to two others. The feature will be available in seven US cities starting Wednesday.

Show HN: Semantic Calculator (king-man+woman=?)

176 nxa 2025-05-14 19:54:31 UTC calc.datova.ai Full Share 172

Semantic calculator for words. Compute and explore values of expressions like king - man + woman = queen.

Show HN: Lumier – Run macOS VMs in a Docker

156 GreenGames 2025-05-14 15:19:41 UTC github.com/trycua Full Share 52

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U.S. nuclear base hidden under Greenland's ice for decades

149 fortran77 2025-05-14 13:27:04 UTC wsj.com Full Share 80

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Coding agent in 94 lines of Ruby

138 radanskoric 2025-05-14 14:17:57 UTC radanskoric.com Llama Share 75

The author built a coding agent in 400 lines of Go, but found it easier to do in 75 lines of Ruby using the RubyLLM gem. The agent can edit files, read files, and run commands with user confirmation.

Replicube: A puzzle game about writing code to create shapes

138 poetril 2025-05-14 01:55:59 UTC store.steampowered.com Llama Share 30

Replicube is a puzzle game where players write code to replicate 3D voxel objects with no right answer, just matching the reference object. It features leaderboards, a 2D image editor, and online sharing with export options.

New high-quality hash measures 71GB/s on M4

135 nicoshev11 2025-05-14 07:45:00 UTC github.com/nicoshev Llama Share 49

RapidHash is a fast hash function that surpasses 70GB/s on Apple's M4 CPUs and passes all tests in SMHasher and SMHasher3. It has a low collision probability and is compatible with various systems and compilers.

E-COM: The $40M USPS project to send email on paper

119 rfarley04 2025-05-14 11:59:41 UTC buttondown.com Llama Share 123

The US Postal Service created E-COM in 1982 to deliver email in print, but it failed due to high costs and limited adoption. The service was shut down in 1985 with a cumulative loss of over $40 million.

The A.I. Radiologist Will Not Be with You Soon

117 voxadam 2025-05-14 12:52:13 UTC nytimes.com Llama Share 204

Geoffrey Hinton predicted AI would outperform humans in radiology within 5 years, but it's being used to aid radiologists instead of replace them. AI is used at the Mayo Clinic to sharpen images, automate tasks, and identify abnormalities.

$20K Bounty Offered for Optimizing Rust Code in Rav1d AV1 Decoder

117 todsacerdoti 2025-05-14 08:32:05 UTC memorysafety.org Llama Share 102

We need help optimizing our Rust-based rav1d AV1 decoder to match the performance of the C-based dav1d decoder. A $20,000 bounty is offered to individuals or teams who can improve rav1d's performance to parity with dav1d.

Smalltalk-78 Xerox NoteTaker in-browser emulator

92 todsacerdoti 2025-05-14 17:05:30 UTC smalltalkzoo.thechm.org Llama Share 50

The user discusses their work on Smalltalk-76, Squeak, and other Smalltalk systems, including simulations and artifacts from various generations of the language. They also mention their HOPL-2020 paper and the creation of a site with Smalltalk simulations, including Alto Smalltalk-72, Smalltalk-78, and Smalltalk-80.

Show HN: Easel – Code multiplayer games like singleplayer

91 BSTRhino 2025-05-14 10:31:18 UTC easel.games Llama Share 43

Easel is a 2D game programming language that makes multiplayer easy with automatic networking and synchronization. It allows for simple and fast game logic with its hierarchical programming language and reactive style.

UK's Ancient Tree Inventory

89 thinkingemote 2025-05-14 10:11:56 UTC ati.woodlandtrust.org.uk Llama Share 67

Ancient trees can live for hundreds of years and are more common in the UK than many European countries. The Ancient Tree Inventory needs help adding thousands of trees to its map, with over 190,000 already listed.

DeepSeek’s founder is threatening US dominance in AI race

89 blumpy22 2025-05-14 01:07:23 UTC bloomberg.com Llama Share 73

Liang Wenfeng, founder of DeepSeek, appears shy but is a skilled AI expert who empowers young researchers to take on big projects. He's known for his technical expertise and hands-on approach, often stopping by desks for updates and pushing for innovation.

How can traditional British TV survive the US streaming giants

81 asplake 2025-05-14 05:44:32 UTC bbc.co.uk Llama Share 256

UK broadcasters face an existential battle against global streamers like Netflix and Amazon due to financial disparities. Merging or sharing tech could be a solution, but regulators and politicians must create a strategy to ensure British TV's survival.

The Future Is Too Expensive – A New Theory on Collapsing Birth Rates

72 hectorchu 2025-05-14 11:25:17 UTC medium.com/@hectorchu1 Llama Share 220

People are having fewer children due to a lack of faith in the future, not just financial reasons. This is a civilizational signal that people no longer trust the systems around them.

LLMs are making me dumber

69 vincentcheng 2025-05-14 22:52:34 UTC vvvincent.me Llama Share 80

The user is using AI models to maximize output speed, but is unsure if they're sacrificing too much depth in their learning. They're concerned that relying too heavily on AI will lead to stagnation and a loss of foundational skills.

You can no longer browse open source code on GitHub without logging in first

57 confusing3478 2025-05-14 06:07:47 UTC github.com/orgs Full Share 10

Select Topic Area Question Body "I'm experiencing an issue when trying to access files from a GitHub repository without logging in. After 3 attempts, I receive an Error 429 (Too Many Reque...

Show HN: CSV GB+ by Data.olllo – Open and Process CSVs Locally

51 olllo 2025-05-14 15:12:53 UTC apps.microsoft.com Llama Share 22

CSV GB+ is a no-code tool for handling large CSV files, offering dual core engines and ultra-fast performance. It's ideal for professionals, students, and privacy-focused users who want to work with data offline and securely.

DeepMind unveils general-purpose science AI

48 kens 2025-05-14 15:47:11 UTC nature.com Llama Share 3

DeepMind's AlphaEvolve combines a large language model with algorithms to filter and improve solutions to complex problems. It has successfully applied AI to various challenges, including improving tensor processing units and finding more efficient ways to use computing resources.

Developers, don't despair, big tech and AI hype is off the rails again

48 matt-cicero 2025-05-14 09:07:02 UTC cicero.sh Llama Share 30

Software engineers are worried about AI agents replacing them, but the current hype is unfounded due to AI's fundamental flaws and limitations. AI systems lack common sense, intuition, and novel thought generation, making them impractical for complex tasks and requiring human supervision.

Launch HN: Jazzberry (YC X25) – AI agent for finding bugs

46 MarcoDewey 2025-05-14 15:52:21 UTC news.ycombinator.com Llama Share 33

Jazzberry is an AI bug finder that automatically tests code in a sandbox when a pull request occurs to find and flag real bugs. It uses AI to dynamically test code and provide concrete evidence of what's broken and how.

The Scalar Select Anti-Pattern

44 goranmoomin 2025-05-14 20:19:23 UTC matklad.github.io Llama Share 7

Refactoring an event loop involves prioritizing and batching events to reduce overhead and increase efficiency. This can be achieved by implementing a batched event stream that pulls all available events at once, rather than processing them singularly.

VPN firm says it didn't know customers had lifetime subscriptions, cancels them

44 maxloh 2025-05-14 06:48:57 UTC arstechnica.com Llama Share 30

VPNSecure canceled lifetime subscriptions after acquiring the company, claiming they didn't know about the deals. Affected users are offered discounted new subscriptions, but many are unhappy with the sudden change.

Various Things in MetaPost (2019)

41 Tomte 2025-05-14 18:37:32 UTC habr.com Llama Share 5

The user is discussing the use of MetaPost for creating vector pictures, particularly for a physics textbook. They found it to be a more automated solution than traditional tools like Illustrator or Inkscape.

Beyond the Wrist: Debugging RSI

40 luu 2025-05-14 18:09:52 UTC debugyourpain.org Llama Share 24

The author suffered from chronic wrist pain due to repetitive strain injury, but found that their pain was not caused by physical damage, but rather a misfiring pain prediction system. By changing their beliefs and using pain reprocessing therapy, the author was able to overcome their pain and regain functionality.

Espanso – Cross-Platform Text Expander Written in Rust

40 kartikarti 2025-05-14 14:11:46 UTC github.com/espanso Llama Share 12

espanso is a free, open source text expander program. It can be supported by making a small donation to its developer.

Mazda DMCA Takedown of Open Source Home Assistant App

40 bestouff 2025-05-14 12:43:10 UTC consumerrights.wiki Llama Share 1

Mazda issued a DMCA takedown notice against an open source project integrating Mazda vehicles with Home Assistant. The notice was deemed malicious as the project did not infringe on Mazda's intellectual property rights.

David Hilbert's radio address (2014)

36 anigbrowl 2025-05-14 19:04:41 UTC old.maa.org Llama Share 6

David Hilbert, a renowned mathematician, addressed the Society of German Natural Scientists and Physicians in Königsberg on September 8, 1930. He emphasized that every mathematical problem is solvable and inspired many mathematicians with his speech.

Ask HN: How are you cleaning and transforming data before imports/uploads?

36 dataflowmapper 2025-05-14 16:27:15 UTC news.ycombinator.com Llama Share 33

Users manage conversions/transformations with tools like Excel, Google Sheets, or specialized software like Talend, Informatica, or Jitterbit. The most tedious parts include date formatting, code mapping, and template alignment, often requiring manual checks and iterative testing.

Robot chefs take over at South Korea's highway restaurants, to mixed reviews

35 NDAjam 2025-05-14 13:48:08 UTC restofworld.org Llama Share 15

Chef Park Jeong-eun's restaurant, Munmak, replaced human chefs with robot chefs in February 2024. The robots can produce 150 meals per hour, but customers miss the human touch in the food and some workers were laid off.

Abundance Starts with Mobility

32 linearithmic 2025-05-14 11:41:45 UTC abstraction.substack.com Llama Share 18

Implementing mobility solutions like improved transportation, bike lanes, and parking reforms can improve quality of life in New York City. These interventions can be deployed within months to years, providing immediate benefits while longer-term housing reforms take shape.

"Google wanted that": Nextcloud decries Android permissions as "gatekeeping"

31 github3012 2025-05-14 12:53:31 UTC arstechnica.com Llama Share 6

Nextcloud's Android app can no longer upload non-media files due to Google's refusal to reinstate access since mid-2024. Nextcloud claims this is an example of Big Tech gatekeeping, making it harder for smaller vendors to compete.

Laser-Induced Graphene from Commercial Inks and Dyes

28 PaulHoule 2025-05-14 19:00:50 UTC advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com Full Share 4

advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com needs to review the security of your connection before proceeding.

NASA Observes First Visible-Light Auroras at Mars

25 pseudolus 2025-05-14 18:40:50 UTC jpl.nasa.gov Llama Share 3

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover detected auroras on Mars for the first time from the surface of another planet. The detection was confirmed by MAVEN and opens up new possibilities for auroral research and future Martian astronaut observations.

AI Hallucination in Filings, 14th-Largest US Law Firm: $31K in Sanctions

25 mdp2021 2025-05-14 06:32:46 UTC reason.com Llama Share 1

A large law firm and a smaller one used AI to generate false research in a court filing, which was later admitted to be a mistake. The court has ordered the firms to pay $31,100 in sanctions.

The pigeon whistle: A defining sound of old Beijing (2019)

23 NaOH 2025-05-14 18:32:15 UTC chinatoday.com.cn Llama Share 12

Beijing's unique sound is the "pigeon whistle," a harmonious buzzing made by whistles tied to pigeons' tails. The craft of making these whistles is dying out, but a 70-year-old craftsman, Zhang Baotong, is preserving the tradition.

Map of Palaeohispanic Coins and Inscriptions

23 brendanashworth 2025-05-14 00:10:51 UTC hesperia.ucm.es Full Share 1

Onomástica Mapas

Expressive Design: Google's UX Research

22 gyomu 2025-05-14 07:30:37 UTC design.google Llama Share 3

Material 3 Expressive is a new design system born from research, combining emotion-driven UX with usability. It uses color, shape, size, motion, and containment to draw attention and improve user experience.

FlowG – Distributed Systems without raft (part 2)

20 linkdd 2025-05-14 11:52:37 UTC david-delassus.medium.com Llama Share 4

FlowG v0.37.0 introduces replication, allowing it to run on multiple servers as a single instance. It uses the SWIM protocol and BadgerDB's incremental backup feature for replication.

Show HN: acmsg (automated commit message generator)

15 qeden 2025-05-14 10:44:33 UTC github.com/quinneden Llama Share 19

A Python CLI tool generates git commit messages using AI models through the OpenRouter API. It can be installed and used with Nix package manager.

Databricks to Buy Startup Neon for $1B

15 mj4e 2025-05-14 10:17:29 UTC wsj.com Full Share 3

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Show HN: Sam TTS – Recreates the classic Microsoft SAM voice in the browser

15 chrisweiindie 2025-05-14 06:51:37 UTC samtts.com Llama Share 8

Microsoft SAM TTS brings the iconic Windows XP voice to browsers with a modern JavaScript implementation, offering nostalgic features and adjustable settings. It provides a simple API for developers to integrate the classic Windows voice into applications and games.

Updated rate limits for unauthenticated requests

13 nolist_policy 2025-05-14 13:00:13 UTC github.blog Llama Share 1

GitHub is updating rate limits for unauthenticated requests to prevent scraping and ensure platform security. Authenticated users will continue to have higher rate limits for uninterrupted access.

Bike-mounted sensor could boost the mapping of safe cycling routes

13 yunusabd 2025-05-14 11:27:52 UTC newatlas.com Llama Share 3

A new bike-mounted proximity sensor called ProxiCycle helps cyclists identify safe routes by detecting close passes from cars. It uses infrared sensors and an app to record and analyze close passes, providing a more accurate safety assessment than current methods.

CFPB Kills Rule to Shield Americans from Data Brokers

12 spenvo 2025-05-14 17:33:43 UTC wired.com Llama Share 0

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) canceled plans to limit US data brokers selling sensitive information about Americans. The agency quietly withdrew the proposal after receiving over 600 comments, citing updates to Bureau policies.

Netflix will show generative AI ads midway through streams in 2026

11 add-sub-mul-div 2025-05-14 22:34:55 UTC arstechnica.com Llama Share 4

Netflix is testing new interactive ads with generative AI for lower prices, set to debut in 2026. The ad subscription tier has 94 million subscribers, a 34% increase from November, with half of new subscribers opting for the $8 per month option.

ESP WebRTC Solution Release v1.0

11 fidotron 2025-05-14 13:57:07 UTC github.com/espressif Llama Share 1

Espressif released ESP WebRTC Solution v1.0 for embedded devices, supporting audio/video streaming and customizable signaling. It simplifies WebRTC application development with esp_webrtc API and esp_peer abstraction.

MinorMiner: We turn your kid's maths homework into Bitcoin

11 interloxia 2025-05-14 10:36:36 UTC robertheaton.com Llama Share 2

MinorMiner is a platform that allows school-age children to monetize their math homework by using it to mine Bitcoin through a centralised system that decomposes complex calculations into simple arithmetic questions. The company plans to scale up its operations through parallelisation, curriculum optimisation, and teacher incentive alignment, and eventually pivot to AI and cloud computing ...