Size of Life

https://neal.fun/size-of-life/animals/stickers/corpse-flower.webp
Explore the scale of living things, from an amoeba to a blue whale.

Australia begins enforcing world-first teen social media ban

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Getting a Gemini API key is an exercise in frustration

https://ankursethi.com/blog/gemini-api-key-frustration/og.png
The author tried to use Google's Gemini 3 Pro coding assistant but faced a convoluted process to get an API key and pay for it. They eventually managed to get it working after multiple attempts and a mysterious email from Google.

Super Mario 64 for the PS1

https://opengraph.githubassets.com/203fd0d8338156629a235847b91b7e46a297df66da1d649877fef8353784dbcd/malucard/sm64-psx
The Super Mario 64 PSX port is a heavily modified version that only supports PSX and PC for debugging. It requires an original game copy for asset extraction and has various optimizations for PSX performance.

Auto-grading decade-old Hacker News discussions with hindsight

https://bear-images.sfo2.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/karpathy/hnhero.webp
User created a project to analyze Hacker News front pages from 10 years ago using LLM ChatGPT 5.1 Thinking, grading comments for prescience and accuracy. The project aims to train forward future predictors and raise awareness about the potential for future LLMs to scrutinize current actions.

How Google Maps allocates survival across London's restaurants

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The user built a machine-learning model to analyze London's restaurant scene and found that Google Maps' algorithmic ranking system disproportionately rewards chains and already-central venues. The model reveals that platform visibility compounds economic survival, and the user is working on making platform transparency and auditability tools for local economic policy.

Rubio stages font coup: Times New Roman ousts Calibri

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When would you ever want bubblesort? (2023)

https://buttondown.com/static/images/icons/icon-square@400.png
Bubblesort is often considered a universal rule to avoid, but it has niche uses like optimizing sorting for small arrays and in real-time applications where each step is fast and easily suspendable. It's also useful for animations where each frame is one pass of bubblesort, creating a smooth sorting effect.

Terrain Diffusion: A Diffusion-Based Successor to Perlin Noise

https://arxiv.org/static/browse/0.3.4/images/arxiv-logo-fb.png
Researchers introduced Terrain Diffusion, an AI-era successor to Perlin noise, for procedural world generation. It uses InfiniteDiffusion and diffusion models for seamless, real-time synthesis of boundless landscapes.

Scientists create ultra fast memory using light

https://viterbischool.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Untitled-design-2025-12-04T011055.831.png
Scientists at USC ISI and UW-Madison developed the world's first regenerative photonic memory on a commercial foundry platform, a major step toward practical light-based computing. This breakthrough addresses interconnect delay and enables faster, more energy-efficient systems by transmitting data with minimal electrical resistance or heat.

Qwen3-Omni-Flash-2025-12-01:a next-generation native multimodal large model

https://qianwen-res.oss-accelerate-overseas.aliyuncs.com/Qwen3-Omni-Flash-2025-12-01/q3o251201.png#center
Qwen3-Omni is a next-generation AI model that processes multiple inputs and generates text and speech outputs. It has been enhanced for improved performance, efficiency, and natural interactions in 119 languages.

Common Lisp, ASDF, and Quicklisp: packaging explained

Common Lisp has a complex system of loading files, packages, and systems, with built-in functionality and add-ons like ASDF and Quicklisp that provide additional features for managing dependencies and loading code. To use ASDF and Quicklisp effectively, it's recommended to use package-inferred-system, symlink project directories to ~/.local/share/common-lisp/source, and use Quicklisp's ...

Gundam is just the same as Jane Austen but happens to include giant mech suits

You like Gundam and Jane Austen because they both explore tensions between personal desires and institutional logic. Both often feature characters with privilege but limited power, navigating rigid social structures and making choices between duty and personal feelings.

The future of Terraform CDK

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hashicorp/terraform-cdk/main/docs/terraform-platform.png
Terraform CDK will be archived on December 10, 2025, and no longer maintained. Users can continue to use it at their own risk.

Apple Services Experiencing Outage

Apple Footer  Apple System Status More ways to shop: Find an Apple Store or other retailer near you. Or call 1-800-MY-APPLE.

Valve: HDMI Forum Continues to Block HDMI 2.1 for Linux

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Valve's Steam Machine supports HDMI 2.0 due to software limitations, not hardware. HDMI 2.1 support is still a work-in-progress due to the HDMI Forum's unwillingness to disclose the 2.1 specification.

Launch HN: InspectMind (YC W24) – AI agent for reviewing construction drawings

InspectMind is an AI plan checker that finds errors in construction drawings, details, and specs to prevent delays and rework. It reviews full drawing sets in minutes, catching issues that cause rework before construction begins.

9 Mothers (YC X26) Is Hiring

Is it a bubble?

https://www.oaktreecapital.com/images/oaktreecaplibraries/insights/memos/commentary/is-it-a-bubble-exhibit7.jpg?sfvrsn=d6aa2866_2
The author discusses the possibility of a bubble in the artificial intelligence industry, citing parallels with past technological revolutions and market manias. He argues that while AI has the potential to bring about significant change, its impact on investors and the market is uncertain and may lead to losses for some.

Show HN: VoxCSS – A DOM based voxel engine

https://private-user-images.githubusercontent.com/174887634/521329895-e3707a01-f257-4f62-9577-a9e08b3652e3.png?jwt=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpc3MiOiJnaXRodWIuY29tIiwiYXVkIjoicmF3LmdpdGh1YnVzZXJjb250ZW50LmNvbSIsImtleSI6ImtleTUiLCJleHAiOjE3NjU0MDU1NTIsIm5iZiI6MTc2NTQwNTI1MiwicGF0aCI6Ii8xNzQ4ODc2MzQvNTIxMzI5ODk1LWUzNzA3YTAxLWYyNTctNGY2Mi05NTc3LWE5ZTA4YjM2NTJlMy5wbmc_WC1BbXotQWxnb3JpdGhtPUFXUzQtSE1BQy1TSEEyNTYmWC1BbXotQ3JlZGVudGlhbD1BS0lBVkNPRFlMU0E1M1BRSzRaQSUyRjIwMjUxMjEwJTJGdXMtZWFzdC0xJTJGczMlMkZhd3M0X3JlcXVlc3QmWC1BbXotRGF0ZT0yMDI1MTIxMFQyMjIwNTJaJlgtQW16LUV4cGlyZXM9MzAwJlgtQW16LVNpZ25hdHVyZT0zZjJkNjI5Yjc0OWUyZTA0NjViMmI5ZDVjZDQyZmJkYTc1OTg5ZTU5MTE4YjIyMmIyMmY1N2RiOGZkNWViYjE5JlgtQW16LVNpZ25lZEhlYWRlcnM9aG9zdCJ9.VEnzONG5hF1RaOOLASyiPKW5Dm-msBgfd8aWiT6Oo0g
VoxCSS is a CSS voxel engine rendering HTML cuboids in a 3D grid with colors, textures, and interactions. It supports Vue, React, Svelte, and JavaScript, and reduces DOM size through culling and voxel merging.

DeepSeek uses banned Nvidia chips for AI model, report says

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DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup, used smuggled Nvidia chips to develop an AI model. Nvidia denies any involvement in the smuggling operation, but is investigating the claims.

Largest EV manufacturer is coming to the Western market

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Yadea is the world's largest EV manufacturer by volume, selling over 6 million electric two-wheelers annually. They are launching four electric motorcycles in the UK, including the GFX, Owin, Velax, and Keeness, with prices ranging from £2,200 to £5,900.

Show HN: Automated license plate reader coverage in the USA

This data shows how many homes cross ALPR cameras on their way to nearest amenities like hospitals and supermarkets. It uses OpenStreetMap data and shortest-path algorithms to calculate this.

Show HN: A 2-row, 16-key keyboard designed for smartphones

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/16fYBMZ7fcok8idXqOPVYxfmHCf4OnxiE5hImXZjoewyXvZC2FNwbVFAdCtfA2kCt7zjOee3MY9QwJYmYsSYBZll9AiKZxswmzli3Ym8q6gT5uU3Jy_lxA=s0
Keys become up to 66% larger and vowels remain standalone in QWERTY positions. Consonants are integrated based on frequency, using simultaneous taps with four triggers to increase speed.

Should CSS be constraints?

https://pavpanchekha.com/im/me-square.jpg
The user discusses the complexity of CSS layout rules and proposes a constraint system as a replacement, but concludes that it's not a better solution due to potential under- or over-determined layouts. Instead, the user suggests improving CSS by providing more intuitive rule systems with predictable rules, such as newer layout modes like Flex-box and Grid.

Typewriter Plotters (2022)

https://biosrhythm.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/1482114631913115650-FJGHZcTXsAIsyUQ-600x800.jpg
Typewriter plotters used ballpoint pens to draw text and graphics, with some models connecting to computers for custom printing. Panasonic, Brother, and other brands produced these pen typewriters in the 1980s, with prices ranging up to $350 for the Panasonic RK-P400C.

Factor 0.101 now available

Developers made UI changes and fixed scaling issues on Linux and Windows. They also updated Factor, a stack-based programming language, with new features and tools.

Golang's big miss on memory arenas

https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1024/1*F7TIAVfIUn5BKSQV2tFh7Q.png
Go's middle ground between performance and ease of use is being squeezed by faster interpreted languages and simpler systems languages. If Go refuses to add complexity to gain performance, it risks becoming outdated and losing its position as a popular choice for cloud native infrastructure.

RoboCrop: Teaching robots how to pick tomatoes

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EFF Launches Age Verification Hub as Resource Against Misguided Laws

https://www.eff.org/files/banner_library/ageverificationbanner-3.png
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has launched a resource hub to fight against age verification laws that create surveillance and censorship. These laws harm youth and adults by restricting access to information and undermining online privacy.