Writing by hand is good for your brain

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Writing by hand with a fountain pen on paper can be beneficial for the brain and reduce fatigue, but it requires finding the right balance of friction and using the right type of paper. To get started, consider using a fountain pen with a fine nib on inexpensive paper and gradually move to more expensive pens and paper as you develop your writing style.

Show HN: Echo – Fable-level results at 1/3 the cost using open-weight models

The user built Echo, an AI system that combines multiple open-weight models for better performance, allocating computation and combining outputs based on each request. Echo outperformed individual models and reached similar results to Fable at lower inference cost, but still has limitations and failure cases to be addressed.

What happened to TheNumbers.com

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The Numbers, a film industry data website, was severely impacted by AI traffic and a potential cyberattack, leading to a week-long outage and significant changes to its infrastructure. The site's founder, Bruce Nash, attributes the issues to the increasing strain of AI bots and automated traffic, which now make up 90% of the site's traffic.

Big Tech Isn't Hiding $1.65T of Debt

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A Nikkei article reported $1.65 trillion in "hidden debt" at 5 US tech companies, but this figure is actually disclosed future payments under leases and contracts, not hidden loans. The article's comparison to total liabilities is misleading, as it treats both as debt and ignores differences in recognition and measurement.

Building on ATProto

The user wants to build a suite of applications for recording reviews that allow users to choose how public or private they want their reviews to be, but is disappointed with the current design of ATProto, which assumes everything will be published online and doesn't support access control or private data. The user believes ATProto has the potential to be a new protocol empowering users, but ...

Startup founders urge U.S. government not to shut off Chinese open weight AI

Silicon Valley startup founders are urging the Trump administration not to block access to Chinese open-weight AI models, warning that a ban would cripple US startups. They propose targeted safeguards instead of broad prohibitions to address security concerns.

A solid-state “atomic channel” for separating rare earth elements

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Researchers at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University discovered a cleaner method to separate rare earth elements using a layered form of manganese oxide. The new approach relies on electrochemical intercalation and can differentiate rare earth elements in water without organic solvents.

Software rendering in 500 lines of bare C++

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The goal is to create a simplified 3D graphics API clone from scratch using OpenGL, Vulkan, Metal, and DirectX, focusing on understanding the underlying concepts rather than writing GPU applications. The initial task involves creating a software renderer that can load a 3D model and render it to an image file, starting with basic functionality to set pixel colors.

Learn OpenGL, extensive tutorial resource for learning Modern OpenGL

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This online book teaches modern OpenGL basics, intermediate, and advanced knowledge in an easy-to-understand format with clear examples. It's free and available online, with a physical copy also available for purchase.

Astronomers may have found the first exomoon

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Astronomers have discovered a moon-like object in the CD-35 2722 system, which orbits a brown dwarf, not a planet. This object is at least as massive as Jupiter and is difficult to label due to the system's unique characteristics.

Show HN: Palmier Pro – Open-source macOS video editor built for AI

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Palmier Pro is an open source Mac video editor that integrates AI into the workflow. It allows users to generate and edit videos with SOTA models and connect with agents like Claude/Codex/Cursor via MCP.

DARPA, U.S. Air Force fly AI-controlled F-16

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A US Air Force F-16 fighter jet has undergone in-air testing using an AI agent to autonomously control flight, advancing combat AI development. The VENOM program, a joint effort between the US Air Force and DARPA, aims to develop trusted, autonomous air combat capabilities.

Launch HN: Screenpipe (YC S26) – Record how you work and turn that into agents

Louis built Screenpipe, an app that records screen and audio locally to give AI agents a searchable memory of user activity, making it easier to automate tasks and create SOPs. Screenpipe's AI-friendly API allows users to interact with their recorded data through various agents, with a free tier and commercial plans available, including an enterprise plan for discovering automation opportunities.

Converting Files into Minecraft Worlds

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The user created a program to convert any file into a Minecraft world by mapping each byte to a block and placing them in a 16x16x16 cube. The program can now read and write .mca region files, allowing for large multi-region worlds to be encoded.

The arguments against open source AI are bad

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The debate over open-source AI models is misguided, as history shows that suppressing open-source software is difficult and only weakens companies against international competitors. Open-source AI models can benefit the US economy, as they can be developed by various commercial actors, including American startups and chip makers, and can lead to innovation and growth.

Geekbench 7

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Geekbench 7 is a new version of the cross-platform benchmark that measures CPU and GPU performance with improved workloads. It includes new media workloads, a Game Physics workload, and updated data sets to better reflect real-world tasks and applications.

Escape Analysis in Go: Stack vs. Heap Allocations Explained

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One of the design choices Google made when developing Go was to abstract memory management away from developers so they could focus on what really matters – writing code. Things like escape analysis and garbage collection are thus automatic, and the Go compiler works in almost mystical ways. That’s one of the best features of Go, so long as your program works. But when memory issues arise, ...

Show HN: Trifle – Open-source analytics that stores answers, not events

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Trifle provides visibility into pricing pipelines and catches anomalies before customers notice. It offers a combination of big-picture data and individual job execution details through Stats and Traces.

Learn WebGPU for C++

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This guide explains how to create native 3D applications in C++ using WebGPU graphics API for Windows, Linux, and macOS. It's still under construction and uses outdated code in some sections.

Show HN: OneCLI – OSS credential gateway that keeps secrets out of AI agents

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OneCLI is an open-source gateway that securely stores API credentials and injects them into AI agent requests. It provides a single point for managing access, rotating keys, and monitoring agent activity.

JEP 540: Simple JSON API (Now in Incubator)

The Java Platform is introducing a new standard API for parsing and generating JSON documents, aiming to provide a simple and easy-to-use interface for common tasks, without requiring an external library. The API is designed to be strict and conform to RFC 8259, with a focus on machine-to-machine communication, and will be incubated in the JDK with the goal of eventually becoming a standard ...

Show HN: Claude-thermos – keeps your Claude session warm for you

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Claude Code's prompt cache expires after 5 minutes, causing expensive re-encoding. claude-thermos keeps the cache warm, preventing this tax.

Hybrid-Electric Aicraft Engine Targeting 30% Fuel Efficiency

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Pratt & Whitney Canada is testing a flight-standard engine and propeller for the RTX Hybrid-Electric Flight Demonstrator in Quebec. The hybrid-electric propulsion system aims to demonstrate up to 30% improved fuel efficiency for regional turboprop missions.

AI Companies Are Trying to Hide a Staggering Amount of Debt

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Tech giants like Alphabet, Microsoft, and Meta are hiding $1.65 trillion in debt off their balance sheets, using special purpose vehicles to make their financial reporting appear healthier. This has experts warning of an AI bubble and increased vulnerability if the industry fails to generate demand to justify massive data center investments.

Fields Medals 2026

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The Fields Medal is awarded for outstanding mathematical achievement and future promise, funded by a trust established by J.C.Fields. The 2026 prize winners were recognized for their work in partial differential equations, symplectic geometry, arithmetic and complex algebraic geometry, and harmonic analysis.

Why Software Factories Fail (or: harness engineering is not enough)

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Dex from HumanLayer discusses the limitations of using AI coding agents in software development, citing issues with maintainability and code quality over time. He proposes a 4-phase approach to using AI in coding, including product review, system architecture, program design, and implementation, to help teams produce high-quality code.

Show HN: Remux – an open-source tmux workspace designed for iPhone

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Remux is a native iOS client for remote tmux workspaces, offering a mobile-first interface with features like file preview and direct SSH connections. It provides shortcuts, attachments, and cursor control for efficient remote work.

From Evaluation to Guardrails: What We Brought to ACM FAccT 2026

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In June, we traveled to Montreal for the ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (ACM FAccT), the premier venue for safe and responsible AI development; a conference where computer scientists, social scientists, policymakers, and lawyers share a room to ask not just how to build AI systems, but whether, when, and for whom. It was the right audience for our tutorial, ...

OpenStreetMap: Admin_level for All Countries

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Administrative boundaries range from large groups of nation-states down to small administrative districts. sometimes borders and rivers/roads (or other linear objects) are tagged together on one object or their nodes are glue together - this is undesirable if a user modifying... also modifies the border. the admin_level tag is used on relations that define an administrative area territories ...

Free way to get your data out of ChatGPT Business accounts

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The scrapemychats tool exports ChatGPT conversation history to a user's computer, creating a searchable offline archive. It works by driving a Chrome window on the user's computer, using their logged-in ChatGPT session, and captures conversation text, files, and images.