Sick of smart TVs? Here are your best options

538 fleahunter 2025-12-12 12:51:40 UTC arstechnica.com Llama Share 433

To avoid smart TV tracking and ads, consider using a non-smart TV, such as an Apple TV box, a laptop, or a projector, or opt for a digital signage display, but be aware of potential image and sound quality tradeoffs. Alternatively, you can use a TV antenna to watch free, untracked TV channels, but be aware of limitations such as limited channel selection and potential performance issues.

OpenAI are quietly adopting skills, now available in ChatGPT and Codex CLI

512 simonw 2025-12-12 23:30:19 UTC simonwillison.net Llama Share 294

OpenAI has implemented Anthropic's Skills mechanism in their Codex CLI tool and ChatGPT, allowing users to access and use skills. Skills are folders with Markdown files and optional resources, enabling LLM tools to use them.

macOS 26.2 enables fast AI clusters with RDMA over Thunderbolt

502 guiand 2025-12-12 20:41:38 UTC developer.apple.com Llama Share 256

The macOS 26.2 SDK supports developing apps for Mac computers running Tahoe 26.2 and comes bundled with Xcode 26.2. It fixes several issues including device discoverability and Allocations instrument failures.

Nokia N900 Necromancy

470 yaky 2025-12-12 00:04:29 UTC yaky.dev Llama Share 185

The user attempted to revive an old Nokia N900 smartphone by replacing its battery with a capacitor and USB-C port, but the process caused damage to the phone's internal components and USB port. The user eventually managed to revive the phone using a new USB-C port and a custom-built battery compartment with a large capacitor, allowing it to function as an online radio device.

Google de-indexed Bear Blog and I don't know why

418 nafnlj 2025-12-12 01:20:05 UTC journal.james-zhan.com Llama Share 179

I accidentally triggered a Google glitch with Bear Blog by validating a non-indexable feed URL, de-indexing other articles. I've created a new blog with URL forwarding and hope Google will naturally index it after my previous troubleshooting.

Epic celebrates "the end of the Apple Tax" after court win in iOS payments case

411 nobody9999 2025-12-12 16:04:16 UTC arstechnica.com Llama Share 308

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a ruling that Apple's 27% fee for iOS developers using outside payment options was in violation of a 2021 injunction. Apple may still charge a "reasonable fee" for outside payments, but the exact amount is to be determined.

Rats Play DOOM

363 ano-ther 2025-12-12 20:15:58 UTC ratsplaydoom.com Llama Share 130

We built an open-sourced, modular VR setup for rats to play DOOM, featuring motion tracking, a panoramic headset, and rewards. The system, designed for rodents, enables research but needs behavioral validation.

SQLite JSON at full index speed using generated columns

354 upmostly 2025-12-12 13:25:19 UTC dbpro.app Llama Share 106

SQLite has JSON functions and operators, allowing flexible schemaless data with relational database performance. Virtual generated columns compute values on demand, enabling instant indexing and blazing fast queries.

The Tor Project is switching to Rust

340 giuliomagnifico 2025-12-12 12:35:57 UTC itsfoss.com Llama Share 252

The Tor Project's Arti 1.8.0 release addresses security flaws in the C codebase by introducing usage-based circuit timeouts and a new command for migrating onion service keys. It also improves routing architecture, protocol implementation, and directory cache support.

Id Software devs form "wall-to-wall" union

311 simjue 2025-12-12 18:11:23 UTC rockpapershotgun.com Llama Share 339

Id Software studio workers unionize with 165 employees voting to join the CWA. They will now negotiate with Microsoft to address concerns over work rules, pay and representation.

Koralm Railway

310 fzeindl 2025-12-12 10:50:22 UTC infrastruktur.oebb.at Llama Share 190

The Koralm Railway is part of Austria's new Southern Line and shortens travel time between Graz and Klagenfurt from 3 hours to 45 minutes. It enhances rail transport, reduces CO2 emissions, and boosts Austria's economy through increased competitiveness.

CRISPR fungus: Protein-packed, sustainable, and tastes like meat

305 rguiscard 2025-12-12 00:59:46 UTC isaaa.org Llama Share 230

Researchers used CRISPR to create a more efficient, nutritious, and sustainable fungi strain called FCPD. FCPD reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 60% and requires 70% less land than traditional chicken production in China.

GNU Unifont

297 remywang 2025-12-12 20:57:34 UTC unifoundry.com GoogleT5 Share 70

Gnu unifont contains glyphs for every printable code point in the unicode basic multilingual plane (bmp) a user has asked if unifont can be used with commercial (non-free) software. the licenses also provide acknowledgement of previous unify font contributors. gnuunont is based on the open source project openunicode.org, which has contributed to the project since 2004. for more

The tiniest yet real telescope I've built

259 chantepierre 2025-12-12 07:35:49 UTC lucassifoni.info Llama Share 68

A 3D-printed dobsonian telescope was created with specific constraints, using a 76mm/300mm mirror kit and featuring a unique focuser design. It achieved good performance with refiguration, but overcorrected initially and needs recoating.

Home Depot GitHub token exposed for a year, granted access to internal systems

254 kernelrocks 2025-12-12 18:23:21 UTC techcrunch.com Llama Share 147

Home Depot employee's exposed GitHub token granted access to private source code and cloud infrastructure. Home Depot did not respond to security researcher's emails, but the token's access was revoked after TechCrunch outreach.

Framework Raises DDR5 Memory Prices by 50% for DIY Laptops

229 mikece 2025-12-12 15:58:10 UTC phoronix.com Llama Share 207

Framework Computer increased DDR5 memory prices by 50% for DIY Edition laptops due to industry-wide shortages. Existing pre-orders and pre-built laptops remain unchanged, with new return policy requiring DDR5 module return with laptop returns.

Google releases its new Google Sans Flex font as open source

224 CharlesW 2025-12-12 18:07:57 UTC omgubuntu.co.uk Llama Share 106

Google has released Google Sans Flex an open source variable font under the SIL Open Font License. It provides more expressive design options but has a drawback on Linux where it can't support fancy features like Dark Mode.

CM0 – A new Raspberry Pi you can't buy

198 speckx 2025-12-12 15:19:19 UTC jeffgeerling.com Llama Share 53

The Raspberry Pi CM0 is a small Linux computer with WiFi, eMMC storage, and castellated edges for easy integration. It's only available in China, possibly due to supply chain issues with the LPDDR2 RAM chip used in the RP3A0 SoC.

Show HN: Tiny VM sandbox in C with apps in Rust, C and Zig

175 trj 2025-12-12 22:02:14 UTC github.com/ringtailsoftware Llama Share 12

uvm32 is a minimalist C99-based virtual machine for microcontrollers offering a RISC-V emulator with a management interface. It aims for safety over speed and is designed for executing custom scripts, not hardware simulation.

String theory inspires a brilliant, baffling new math proof

171 ArmageddonIt 2025-12-12 16:23:10 UTC quantamagazine.org Llama Share 158

Mathematicians have made a major breakthrough in classifying polynomial equations, using techniques from string theory to prove that four-folds are not parameterizable. The proof, posted in August, has sparked excitement and skepticism among the mathematical community, with many experts struggling to understand the new techniques.

Benn Jordan’s flock camera jammer will send you to jail in Florida now [video]

168 givemeethekeys 2025-12-12 18:58:43 UTC youtube.com Embed Share 162

Guarding My Git Forge Against AI Scrapers

164 todsacerdoti 2025-12-12 07:51:04 UTC vulpinecitrus.info Llama Share 116

The user's git forge was hit by hundreds of thousands of queries a day from thousands of IPs, causing significant power consumption, CPU usage, and network traffic, and the user implemented various measures to limit the damage, including caching, rate limiting, and a garbage generator. The user eventually settled on a solution using Iocaine, a middleware that traps scrapers in a maze of ...

Japan law opening phone app stores to go into effect

163 shlip 2025-12-12 16:59:04 UTC www3.nhk.or.jp Llama Share 31

Japan will introduce new law on Dec 18 to loosen tech giants' grip, allowing users to choose between app stores and default services. Changes aim to improve convenience but raise security concerns.

Berlin Approves New Expansion of Police Surveillance Powers

154 robtherobber 2025-12-12 15:29:46 UTC reclaimthenet.org Llama Share 111

Berlin's parliament passed a law expanding police surveillance powers, allowing digital and physical monitoring, and potentially compromising citizens' civil liberties. The law grants police new authority to hack into devices, install spyware, and use AI to identify individuals, raising concerns about privacy and cyber security.

Young journalists expose Russian-linked vessels off the Dutch and German coast

146 harshreality 2025-12-12 08:24:22 UTC digitaldigging.org Llama Share 125

Seven German journalism students tracked Russian-crewed freighters connected to drone swarms over military bases. Their investigation revealed a pattern of suspicious behavior by three ships, leading European intelligence to assess them as working for Russia with high confidence.

The true story of the Windows 3.1 'Hot Dog Stand' color scheme

138 naves 2025-12-12 19:13:35 UTC pcgamer.com Llama Share 55

Virginia Howlett, Microsoft's first interface designer, confirmed that the Hot Dog Stand color scheme in Windows 3.1 was not intended as a joke. It was a garish choice included to appeal to people who liked bright colors.

Oracle made a $300B bet on OpenAI. It's paying the price

133 pera 2025-12-12 17:01:07 UTC finance.yahoo.com Llama Share 123

Oracle's stock has plunged 40% from its September peak after investors' concerns over the company's reliance on OpenAI and mounting costs for AI infrastructure remained unfounded following its Q2 earnings. Investors remain wary of Oracle's future returns and debt load amid OpenAI's financial struggles.

Freeing a Xiaomi humidifier from the cloud

133 stv0g 2025-12-12 06:17:28 UTC 0l.de Llama Share 62

The user built a smart home platform with Home Assistant but struggled to find a compatible humidifier, so they decided to modify a Xiaomi Mi Smart Antibacterial Humidifier with ESPHome firmware. They disassembled the humidifier, removed the WiFi module, and prepared it for flashing with a new firmware using ESPHome's build-in web flasher or esptool.py.

Nuclear energy key to decarbonising Europe, says EESC

123 mpweiher 2025-12-12 17:32:48 UTC eesc.europa.eu Llama Share 177

The EESC supports nuclear energy as a key component in the EU's clean energy mix, calling for regulatory and financial enablers to make investment possible. The Committee urges the European Commission to include measures to support the nuclear industry and promote dialogue with civil society.

Using secondary school maths to demystify AI

121 zdw 2025-12-12 16:32:43 UTC raspberrypi.org Llama Share 237

Researchers are developing ways to teach about AI using school math. A team, CAMMP, has created materials using data-driven technologies to demystify AI and show students how to build AI systems using existing math concepts.

Async DNS

120 todsacerdoti 2025-12-12 16:52:41 UTC flak.tedunangst.com Llama Share 39

The user is trying to handle async DNS requests using various methods in C. They need a method without background threads, signals, or secret mechanisms.

50 years of proof assistants

115 baruchel 2025-12-12 23:26:26 UTC lawrencecpaulson.github.io Llama Share 19

Formal verification has made significant progress over the past 50 years, from initial proof assistants like LCF and HOL to modern systems like Isabelle and Coq. Today, proof assistants are used in various applications, including hardware verification, cryptographic protocols, and even operating system kernels, with AWS and Apple using them in their products.

Fedora: Open-source repository for long-term digital preservation

115 cernocky 2025-12-12 13:23:31 UTC fedorarepository.org Llama Share 53

Fedora is a sustainable open-source repository system for digital libraries and archives, designed for institutions to preserve and provide access to digital content. It's a community-driven project with a 20+ year history, offering a transparent persistence layer and various community resources.

Stoolap: High-performance embedded SQL database in pure Rust

107 murat3ok 2025-12-12 00:28:24 UTC github.com/stoolap Llama Share 39

Stoolap is an embedded SQL database written in Rust with MVCC transactions. It supports in-memory and persistent storage modes with full ACID compliance.

Security issues with electronic invoices

89 todsacerdoti 2025-12-12 20:28:41 UTC invoice.secvuln.info Llama Share 58

The EU's electronic invoicing system has security flaws due to its design and use of vulnerable technologies like XML and Saxon. Implementing software for electronic invoices may be affected by security flaws if no countermeasures are implemented.

Smartphone without a battery (2022)

89 MYEUHD 2025-12-12 07:36:17 UTC yaky.dev Llama Share 33

The user modified an old Samsung Galaxy S5 to run OctoPrint for a 3D printer by creating a "fake battery" circuit that emulates the battery but is powered by 5V via USB. The circuit includes a silicon diode to drop the voltage and a capacitor to stabilize power, allowing the smartphone to boot and run OctoPrint with a 2A power supply.

Senator endorses discredited book that claims chemical treats autism, cancer

84 duxup 2025-12-12 16:37:04 UTC propublica.org Llama Share 61

Sen Ron Johnson endorsed a book promoting chlorine dioxide as a treatment for autism and various ailments despite warnings of its toxicity. The book's author Dr Pierre Kory has a history of spreading misinformation about COVID-19 treatments.

Why isn't online age verification just like showing your ID in person?

83 hn_acker 2025-12-12 13:17:51 UTC eff.org Llama Share 116

Online age verification is more invasive and poses serious risks to privacy, security, and free speech compared to in-person ID checks. It creates barriers to access and anonymity, disproportionately affects marginalized communities, and threatens First Amendment-protected speech.

New Kindle feature uses AI to answer questions about books

80 mindracer 2025-12-12 20:24:04 UTC reactormag.com Llama Share 125

Amazon added Ask this Book to its Kindle iOS app, an AI feature that answers questions about books without disrupting reading flow. Authors and publishers cannot opt out of this feature, raising concerns about copyright and AI-generated content.

Capsudo: Rethinking sudo with object capabilities

79 fanf2 2025-12-12 21:42:04 UTC ariadne.space Llama Share 48

capsudo is a project that reframes privilege escalation as a mediated interaction with a service called capsudod, providing narrowly scoped capabilities. This object-capability model makes privilege boundaries visible, composable, and easier to reason about, shifting from identity to possession.

America's betting craze has spread to its news networks

68 FinnLobsien 2025-12-12 16:43:04 UTC newyorker.com Llama Share 88

News organizations like CNN and CNBC are partnering with prediction markets, allowing users to bet on current events, which could lead to a deluge of similar deals. Critics argue that this integration of gambling into news coverage could be problematic, particularly for compulsive gamblers and those who may be misled by the allure of betting odds.

Cadmium Zinc Telluride: The wonder material powering a medical 'revolution'

66 1659447091 2025-12-12 01:41:15 UTC bbc.com Llama Share 24

A new device at Royal Brompton Hospital in London reduced lung scan time to 15 minutes thanks to a highly detailed, 3D scanner with cadmium zinc telluride technology. The technology can detect tiny blood clots and gamma rays, enabling a "revolution" in medical imaging, with many other uses in X-ray telescopes and airport security.

Training LLMs for Honesty via Confessions

65 arabello 2025-12-12 10:37:51 UTC arxiv.org Llama Share 57

Researchers propose a method to elicit honesty from large language models by having them provide a self-reported confession of their shortcomings. This approach incentivizes models to be honest in their confessions by rewarding them based on honesty, not the main answer's reward.

Building small Docker images faster

64 steinuil 2025-12-12 10:23:23 UTC sgt.hootr.club Llama Share 18

The author is building a Go service at a Python shop and chose Go due to its ease of use and speed. They're using Docker and Docker Compose for the project.

Wine 11.0 RC2 – Run Windows Applications on Linux, BSD, Solaris and macOS

57 neustradamus 2025-12-12 22:05:04 UTC gitlab.winehq.org Llama Share 0

Wine 11.0 release candidate is available for testing, with issues including NET Framework installers and Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun.

BpfJailer: eBPF Mandatory Access Control [pdf]

57 voxadam 2025-12-12 14:20:20 UTC lpc.events Full Share 4

- TCP bind() - TCP connect() - UDP sendmsg() - UDP recvmsg() - Unix domain bind() - Unix domain connect() - Unix domain sendmsg() - Vsock bind() - Vsock connect() - accept() - DNS - DBus - TCP and UDP Proxy - CA injection and local TLS

The Average Founder Ages 6 Months Each Year

37 2bluesc 2025-12-12 19:41:46 UTC tomtunguz.com Llama Share 20

Founder age is increasing due to AI investment, B2B focus, and media bias. The typical founder may be a decade older in 20 years if this trend continues.

The Boot Order of the Raspberry Pi Is Unusual

36 0o_MrPatrick_o0 2025-12-12 01:28:43 UTC patrickmccanna.net Llama Share 18

Raspberry Pi boots using firmware in its GPU, not a traditional BIOS, to power up the CPU via its VideoCore VI GPU. This GPU first boot order is derived from the device's Broadcom BCM2xxx chip design, typically suited for video streaming.

Show HN: tomcp.org – Turn any URL into an MCP server

34 ami3466 2025-12-12 17:10:16 UTC github.com/ami3466 Llama Share 15

The AI tool connects to a chat server at https://tomcp.org/chat using a POST request with JSON data containing the website URL and message to be asked. It displays free models as enabled, but premium models are disabled until an API key is added for access.

How does a "you interview for US company, we do the work" scam work?

31 marttilaine 2025-12-12 10:55:08 UTC news.ycombinator.com Llama Share 36

The scammer is offering a fake partnership for employment fraud, where you'd receive a share of the salary without doing any work. They're trying to lure you in with a 50/50 split of the monthly salary after tax.

Native ads coming soon to Stack Overflow and Stack Exchange

27 exploraz 2025-12-12 11:02:41 UTC meta.stackexchange.com Llama Share 51

Stack Exchange users are strongly opposed to the introduction of native ads that blend in with the site's content, citing concerns about deception, accessibility, and the potential for misleading users. Users are calling for changes to the ad system, including clearer labeling, respect for ignored tags, and community moderation tools to review ads.

You are dating an ecosystem

26 razor_blog 2025-12-12 09:48:52 UTC razor.blog Llama Share 24

The digital world influences relationships, changing the person you wake up next to. Your own feed shapes you in ways you don't notice, creating opinions and emotions you never thought through.

Show HN: Jottings; Anti-social microblog for your thoughts

25 vishalvshekkar 2025-12-12 08:32:13 UTC jottings.me Llama Share 15

A content platform offers chronological posts, semantic HTML, and full analytics without tracking. It features AI-assisted writing, tag-based feeds, and a clean interface for writers to share content with control.

Notes on Gamma

24 todsacerdoti 2025-12-12 01:05:30 UTC poniesandlight.co.uk Llama Share 6

The author discusses how gamma correction affects digital color and how it's necessary to use sRGB image formats for Vulkan swapchains to display linear gradients correctly. To achieve a perceptually linear gradient, the sRGB gamma transform must be undone using the inverse_srgb_oetf function.

Why more American seniors are getting high

21 bookofjoe 2025-12-12 16:56:31 UTC economist.com Llama Share 35

Marijuana use among seniors has increased significantly, with one in ten now using it, compared to one in 300 in 2007. This age group has seen the fastest rise in cannabis use.

Can I use HTTPS RRs?

18 zdw 2025-12-12 22:34:13 UTC netmeister.org Llama Share 7

RFC9460 defines SVCB and HTTPS Resource Records but support is still limited in popular browsers. Tests show that Chrome, Firefox, and Edge support SVCB records but with varying degrees of support for SvcParamKeys.

Censorship in Western Academia and the War in Ukraine

17 hackandthink 2025-12-12 12:42:54 UTC newglobalpolitics.org Llama Share 2

Academic freedom and open debate are eroding in Western institutions, as seen in the suspension of a panel on forced mobilization in Ukraine. The decision was made without consulting the panelists, questioning their academic integrity and expertise.

I couldn't find a logging library that worked for my library, so I made one

13 todsacerdoti 2025-12-12 15:46:44 UTC hackers.pub Llama Share 13

The author of Fedify, an ActivityPub server framework, created LogTape to address logging issues in libraries. LogTape provides hierarchical categories and implicit contexts for fine-grained control over logging, making it suitable for libraries that want to stay unobtrusive.