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Hey HN! I wanted to share something I built over the last few weeks: isometric.nyc is a massive isometric pixel art map of NYC, built with nano banana and coding agents.

I didn't write a single line of code.

Of course no-code doesn't mean no-engineering. This project took a lot more manual labor than I'd hoped!

I wrote a deep dive on the workflow and some thoughts about the future of AI coding and creativity:

http://cannoneyed.com/projects/isometric-nyc

Microsoft provided the FBI with BitLocker encryption keys to unlock suspects' laptops as part of law enforcement investigations, according to reports. This raises concerns about the privacy and security implications of technology companies sharing user data with government agencies.

European Alternatives is a transnational civil society organization that promotes democratic participation, social justice, and cultural change in Europe. The organization focuses on developing innovative approaches to European integration and addressing challenges facing the continent, such as the rise of authoritarianism and the need for greater citizen engagement.

This article discusses the author's experience with being banned from using the Claude AI assistant due to violations of Anthropic's content policy. It explores the implications of such bans and the challenges faced by AI users in navigating platform guidelines.

This article examines the high network traffic generated by SSH connections, with each keystroke triggering up to 100 packets being sent. It discusses the implications of this bandwidth consumption and suggests ways to optimize SSH usage for more efficient network performance.

The article discusses the increasing problem of spam emails being sent from Proton Mail accounts, highlighting how the service's privacy features can be exploited by spammers. It suggests ways Proton Mail could address this issue, such as enhancing its security measures and collaborating with other email providers.

The article outlines the AI Policy of the Ghostty organization, which covers their approach to developing and deploying AI systems with a focus on safety, ethics, and transparency.

https://rootkid.me/works/spectrum-slit

Proof of Corn is a decentralized network that aims to revolutionize the agricultural sector through blockchain technology, empowering farmers and ensuring the traceability of food supply chains.

The article discusses the 'Codex Agent Loop', a process where an AI system iteratively refines its understanding and responses based on interactions with humans. It explores how this loop can lead to improved performance and capabilities over time, and the implications for the development of advanced AI agents.

Archive link: https://archive.md/vk8ov

Capitol One statement: https://investor.capitalone.com/news-releases/news-release-d...

Brex statement: https://www.brex.com/journal/brex-and-capital-one-join-force...

The article explores the history and evolution of Gastown, a historic neighborhood in Vancouver, Canada. It highlights the area's transformation from a logging settlement to a thriving modern hub, and discusses the challenges and opportunities faced in preserving its unique character while adapting to change.

The article discusses Vinyl, a JavaScript library that simplifies the development of single-page applications (SPAs) by providing a lightweight and efficient virtual DOM implementation. It highlights Vinyl's features, including its small footprint, fast updates, and ease of use, making it a suitable choice for building modern web applications.

Comma.ai is a technology company developing advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicle technology. The company was founded by George Hotz, known for hacking the first iPhone, and is working to make self-driving cars accessible and affordable.

Tesla is discontinuing its Autopilot feature in favor of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) subscription service, which will provide recurring revenue for the company. The move is aimed at driving more users towards Tesla's advanced driver assistance system as the company shifts its focus to generating consistent income from its software offerings.

The article discusses strategies for scaling PostgreSQL databases, including sharding, replication, and partitioning, to handle increasing data volumes and user loads. It explores the trade-offs between different scaling approaches and provides guidance on choosing the right solution for specific use cases.

The article discusses the author's experience with using their British phone wires to achieve gigabit Ethernet speeds, exploring the technical challenges and solutions involved in this unconventional approach to high-speed internet connectivity.

Y Combinator is a startup accelerator that provides seed funding, mentorship, and resources to help entrepreneurs build successful companies. It has launched over 3,000 startups since its inception in 2005, including well-known companies like Airbnb, Dropbox, and Reddit.

Radicle is a decentralized code collaboration network that allows developers to work on projects without relying on centralized platforms. It uses cryptographic identities and a peer-to-peer protocol to enable secure and transparent collaboration across the internet.

The article describes 'WhoseThere', an open-source project that allows users to view a list of people who have been in their vicinity based on Bluetooth signals from their devices. The project aims to provide a privacy-focused alternative to location-tracking apps, giving users control over their personal data.

The article discusses how Docker, a container technology initially designed for simplifying application deployment, has evolved into a complex ecosystem with diverse use cases beyond its original purpose. It highlights Docker's transition from a developer-focused tool to a platform that now encompasses cloud, security, and DevOps considerations.

The Korg PHASE-8 is a professional DJ controller that integrates with popular DJ software, providing hands-on control over various mixing and playback functions to enhance the live performance experience for DJs.

This article examines the historical inaccuracies found in medieval city-building video games, highlighting how they often fail to capture the complexities of urban life and development in the Middle Ages, such as the role of religion, feudal power structures, and technological limitations.

The article discusses how Microsoft's decision to use the example.com domain for internal testing purposes has created issues for website owners who use that domain for their own legitimate purposes. It highlights the need for tech companies to be more considerate of potential conflicts when using common domains for testing or other internal purposes.

Zotero 8 introduces significant improvements to the reference management software, including a revamped interface, enhanced search capabilities, and new collaboration features that make it easier to organize and share research materials.

The article discusses the resurgence of excitement and innovation in the tech industry, with new advancements in fields like virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and sustainable energy technologies making technology fun and engaging for both industry professionals and the general public.

I’m trying to do the “voice assistant” thing fully locally: mic → model → speaker, low latency, ideally streaming + interruptible (barge-in).

Qwen3 Omni looks perfect on paper (“real-time”, speech-to-speech, etc). But I’ve been poking around and I can’t find a single reproducible “here’s how I got the open weights doing real speech-to-speech locally” writeup. Lots of “speech in → text out” or “audio out after the model finishes”, but not a usable realtime voice loop. Feels like either (a) the tooling isn’t there yet, or (b) I’m missing the secret sauce.

What are people actually using in 2026 if they want open + local voice?

Is anyone doing true end-to-end speech models locally (streaming audio out), or is the SOTA still “streaming ASR + LLM + streaming TTS” glued together?

If you did get Qwen3 Omni speech-to-speech working: what stack (transformers / vLLM-omni / something else), what hardware, and is it actually realtime?

What’s the most “works today” combo on a single GPU?

Bonus: rough numbers people see for mic → first audio back

Would love pointers to repos, configs, or “this is the one that finally worked for me” war stories.