The JavaScript Oxidation Compiler
The article discusses the development of OXC, an open-source platform that aims to provide a comprehensive security solution for organizations by integrating various security tools and services into a single centralized platform.
Elsevier shuts down its finance journal citation cartel
Elsevier, a major academic publisher, has decided to shut down its finance journal, Review of Financial Studies, after 35 years of operation. This decision reflects the changing landscape of academic publishing and the ongoing challenges facing specialized academic journals in the digital age.
The power of daily rituals (2021)
The article explores how rituals can help people cope with uncertainty and stress. It discusses the psychological benefits of engaging in rituals, such as providing a sense of control, reducing anxiety, and facilitating emotional processing.
How close are we to a vision for 2010?
The article discusses the author's perspective on the vision for 2010, evaluating how close we came to realizing the predictions and expectations set out in 2006. It examines the accuracy of those forecasts and the actual technological and societal developments that occurred over the past decade.
Show HN: Lyra Kids – I built an AI bedtime storyteller for my daughters
Show HN: Lyra Kids – A personalized AI picture book generator for parents
Hi HN,
I’m a developer and a father of two daughters (ages 4 and 6). Like many parents, I found that standard bedtime stories didn't always capture their unique imagination. So, I built Lyra Kids (https://lyra.kids) to turn our nightly ritual into something more magical.
What it does: It allows parents to input a simple hero name and a plot idea. The system then generates a structured story blueprint and brings it to life with high-quality, whimsical illustrations.
Why I built it: I wanted a safe, ad-free environment where my kids could see themselves as the heroes of their own adventures. I've focused on creating a "Draft the Plan" feature that helps when you're feeling stuck but still want to be part of the creative process.
The Tech:
Frontend: Responsive web design for both mobile (vertical) and PC (side-by-side reading mode).
AI: Powered by Google Gemini's image and language models for story and illustration generation.
I'm currently optimizing the layout for PC users to provide a more immersive, "book-like" experience.
I’d love to get your feedback on the UX and the storytelling logic. I'm also happy to answer any questions about the technical challenges of maintaining character consistency across generated illustrations.
Thanks for checking it out!
Pinterest is drowning in a sea of AI slop and auto-moderation
The article discusses how Pinterest's reliance on AI-powered content moderation has led to an overwhelming amount of false positives, resulting in legitimate user-generated content being wrongfully removed from the platform. This has created a frustrating experience for many creators and users on the platform.
Compulsively violent people might have lower IQs
The article reports that people who engage in impulsive violence tend to have lower IQ scores compared to those who do not. The findings suggest a potential connection between cognitive abilities and impulsive aggressive behavior.
The U.S. spent $30B to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets
The article discusses how the increased use of laptops and tablets in schools may be negatively impacting the cognitive abilities of Generation Z students, with their standardized test scores declining compared to previous generations. It also explores the potential benefits of banning cellphones in schools to improve focus and academic performance.
QRTape – Audio Playback from Paper Tape with Computer Vision (2021)
The article describes the QRtape, a novel audio playback system that uses paper tape to store and play back audio recordings. It explores the technical details of how the QRtape system works, including the use of QR codes and a custom-built playback device.
The Billionaires' Eugenics Project
The article explores the alleged ties between convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, billionaires, eugenics, and their influence in academia, particularly at Harvard. It delves into the claims of Epstein's involvement in funding and promoting controversial scientific research and ideas related to selective human breeding.
What was Phil Spencer's plan to save Xbox?
The article discusses Phil Spencer's farewell message to the Xbox community, where he reflects on his tenure as the head of Xbox and the significant achievements of the Xbox brand under his leadership, including the success of the Xbox Series X/S consoles and the growth of Xbox Game Pass.
LGP to take Mister Car Wash private in $3.1B deal
Private equity firm Mister Car Wash has agreed to be taken private in a $3.1 billion deal by LGP, one of the largest car wash operators in the United States. The acquisition will allow Mister Car Wash to expand its nationwide network of car wash locations and further invest in technology and services to enhance the customer experience.
What Are Free Speech Warriors Doing About Trump's Censorship-Industrial Complex?
The article discusses the rise of 'heterodox free speech warriors' - individuals who claim to champion free speech but often promote controversial or extremist views. It examines the motivations, tactics, and influence of this group within the broader free speech debate.
Show HN: Sprime – weather, crypto, news, forex all normalized to one JSON schema
I kept rewriting the same JSON normalization glue for every side project. Weather APIs return different field names, crypto APIs have inconsistent structures, news APIs format dates differently — and you end up writing adapters for all of it before you can even start building.
Sprime is a unified API gateway that sits in front of 15+ data providers and returns everything in the same JSON shape, every time.
One API key, consistent responses, automatic provider failover if something goes down.
Endpoints live now: weather, crypto, news, forex, air quality, geocode, IP lookup, timezone, holidays, webhooks.
Free tier is 500 req/day. Would love feedback from the HN crowd on pricing, missing endpoints, or anything that seems off.
Sam Altman would like to remind you that humans use a lot of energy too
The article discusses Sam Altman's comments on the energy consumption of humans, highlighting the need to consider the environmental impact of human activities in addition to that of technology and AI systems.
Daron Acemoglu warns U.S. democracy won't survive unless these two things change
The article profiles Daron Acemoglu, a renowned MIT economist and Nobel laureate, who is warning about the potential negative impacts of artificial intelligence on jobs and economic inequality, especially in the context of political populism and the Trump presidency.
Fast starting Clojure runtime built with GraalVM native-image and Crema
Cream is a minimalist Clojure web framework that emphasizes simplicity and developer productivity. It provides a lightweight and flexible way to build web applications, focusing on core functionality rather than complex features.
Show HN: Spacemoji – 3D emoji-filled space warp simulation in a single HTML file
I built this as a weekend project thinking about what I could do with emojis. The whole thing is nothing more than a single HTML file with some JavaScript.
Check it out, and maybe tweak the configs to make the engine more fun (you can change the speed, particle count, and colors pretty easily).
Live demo: https://j-ncel.github.io/Spacemoji/
Interact with this by tapping or holding.
Keeping the Pirates at Bay
The article discusses strategies game developers can use to combat software piracy, including implementing robust digital rights management (DRM) systems, offering players legitimate benefits, and focusing on providing a high-quality gaming experience that encourages legitimate purchases.
What a viral monkey, his plushie, and a 70-year-old experiment tell us
This article explores the viral video of a monkey forming an attachment to a plush toy, drawing parallels to a 70-year-old experiment on attachment theory. It examines how the monkey's behavior highlights the importance of early emotional bonds and the lasting impact of attachment on human and animal development.