Best stories

Related: Rob Pike got spammed with an AI slop "act of kindness" - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46394867

The article explores the rapid advancements in ultraviolet (UV) technology, including the development of high-power and energy-efficient UV LED systems. It discusses the key innovations and technological breakthroughs that have enabled these improvements in UV performance and availability.

The article explores the idea that many of the default settings in life, such as work hours, material possessions, and social obligations, may be set too high, leading to unnecessary stress and dissatisfaction. It suggests that individuals should re-examine these default settings and make adjustments to better align with their personal values and wellbeing.

The article discusses the use of Git as a database by package managers, highlighting the challenges and limitations of this approach, as well as exploring alternative solutions that could better address the needs of modern software development.

This article discusses the use of the Linux operating system in an insulin pump, highlighting the benefits of open-source software in medical devices and the potential security implications of using widely-adopted technology in sensitive applications.

Hi HN,

I built a small Linux CLI tool called witr (Why Is This Running?).

The idea came from a situation most of us have hit: you log into a machine, see a process or port running, and immediately wonder why it exists, who started it, and what is keeping it alive right now.

witr traces a process, service, or port back to its origin and responsibility chain and explains it in a way that’s quick to read, especially when you’re debugging under pressure.

This is v0.1.0. It’s intentionally small and focused. Feedback, criticism, and edge cases are very welcome.

Repo: https://github.com/pranshuparmar/witr

https://archive.is/CwDtf

This article explores the toys that children play with the most, highlighting the factors that contribute to their high play time, such as open-ended design, versatility, and ability to spark imagination.

The article reports that seven patients using the Abbott Freestyle Libre continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system have died, according to the Software Freedom Conservancy. It calls for further investigation into the potential risks and safety concerns associated with the device.

https://blog.exe.dev/meet-exe.dev

https://exe.dev/docs/how-exedev-works

https://exe.dev/docs/pricing

The article discusses the rise of floor796, a company that specializes in producing high-quality, sustainable flooring solutions. It highlights the company's commitment to environmental responsibility and innovative design in their range of hardwood, laminate, and luxury vinyl tile products.

ML.NET is an open-source and cross-platform machine learning framework developed by Microsoft. It allows developers to build, train, and deploy custom machine learning models within .NET applications.

The article discusses the challenges of building large-scale software systems and the importance of balancing technical debt, complexity, and pragmatism. It emphasizes the need for a systematic approach to software development that prioritizes maintainability, resilience, and long-term sustainability.

I built a CLI tool that lets you do common video/audio operations without remembering ffmpeg syntax.

Instead of: ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -vf "fps=15,scale=480:-1:flags=lanczos" -loop 0 output.gif

You write: ff convert video.mp4 to gif

More examples: ff compress video.mp4 to 10mb ff trim video.mp4 from 0:30 to 1:00 ff extract audio from video.mp4 ff resize video.mp4 to 720p ff speed up video.mp4 by 2x ff reverse video.mp4

There are similar tools that use LLMs (wtffmpeg, llmpeg, ai-ffmpeg-cli), but they require API keys, cost money, and have latency.

Ez FFmpeg is different: - No AI – just regex pattern matching - Instant – no API calls - Free – no tokens - Offline – works without internet

It handles ~20 common operations that cover 90% of what developers actually do with ffmpeg. For edge cases, you still need ffmpeg directly.

Interactive mode (just type ff) shows media files in your current folder with typeahead search.

npm install -g ezff

Related: Rob Pike goes nuclear over GenAI - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46392115 - Dec 2025 (1237 comments)

The article discusses the author's experience with the Framework 13 laptop, highlighting its unique design and features that cater to their preferences as a 'laptop weirdo'. It explores the author's perspective on why the Framework 13 is a good fit for their needs and preferences.

I mostly read newspapers and technical journals, but two books that I read that made an impression: "The Changing World Order" and "The Gulag Archipelago".

This guide provides practical advice for publishing your work on GitHub, covering topics such as creating a README file, licensing your project, and promoting your work to the open-source community.

The article announces the initial release of the QNX Self-Hosted Developer Desktop, a development environment for building and testing QNX-based systems on a Linux host computer. The release provides a container-based solution for developers to access the QNX development tools and runtime environments more easily.

Google is planning to change Gmail addresses to a new format that will include users' names, making them more personalized and easier to remember. The change aims to provide users with a more recognizable and customized email experience.

TurboDiffusion is a powerful open-source text-to-image diffusion model that can generate high-quality, diverse images from text prompts. It is built on top of the popular Stable Diffusion model and introduces several key innovations to improve performance and generate more detailed and coherent images.

The article discusses the addition of timestamps to chat logs in ChatGPT, a feature users have been requesting. It provides details on how to access the timestamps and the benefits they offer for tracking conversations.

The article discusses GROQ, a powerful query language used in the Sanity content platform. It explains how GROQ allows for efficient and flexible data retrieval, enabling developers to build complex queries that fetch exactly the information they need.

The article discusses the launch of the Minimax M21, a new ultra-compact, lightweight and energy-efficient electric scooter designed for urban commuters. It highlights the scooter's key features, including its powerful motor, long-range battery, and user-friendly design.

This article explores the mathematical work of Lewis Carroll, focusing on his contributions to the study of determinants. It discusses how Carroll's interest in logic and puzzles led him to develop innovative approaches to understanding determinants, which are important concepts in linear algebra.

The article discusses the importance of understanding how computer systems work, particularly the interaction between hardware and software. It emphasizes the value of acquiring low-level knowledge to become a more effective and well-rounded software developer.

The article discusses the security flaws in the GnuPG cryptographic software, highlighting vulnerabilities that could allow attackers to compromise the confidentiality and integrity of encrypted communications.