MurphyA/hacker-news huggingface dataset:
by ajam1507 | 2026-02-14 19:42:17+00:00
You're right that modern video games and Netflix are a good examples of things that are non-ad-based, but are insidiously addictive. I used "insidiously addictive" to mean something which is engineered specifically to maximize addictive potential, and is not addictive purely on its own merits.

An example of a game development pattern that I would consider "merely addictive" would be a game developer trying to make their game as fun as possible. Does maximizing fun inherently make a game more likely to be addictive? Of course, but addiction was not the criteria being optimized for.

An example of an insidiously addictive video game would be one where the developers specifically created features in the hopes that they would create a dependency with the product to drive subscriptions or sales. It's at least partially about the level of cynicism with which the product is being developed.

A more stark example would be a fast food restaurant refining their recipe to make it more delicious versus one adding drugs to the food to make people addicted.

Newspapers and Youtube are both examples of services that are engineered to be ad-based but have a subscription option, so they're most likely still driven by the same attention-seeking incentives.
by lich_king | 2026-02-14 19:42:38+00:00
Based on experience, including a good number of experiments I've done with known-LLM output and contemporary, known-human text. Try them for real and be surprised. Some of the good, state-of-the-art tools include originality.ai and Pangram.

A lot of people on HN have preconceived notions here based on stories they read about someone being unfairly accused of plagiarism or people deliberately triggering failure modes in these programs, and that's basically like dismissing the potential of LLMs because you read they suggested putting glue on a pizza once.
by Youden | 2026-02-14 19:43:27+00:00
The thing I've learned is that headphones and IEMs can sound completely different to different people, just because of differences in the shape of your ears and ear canal.

I bought some custom IEMs and had the opportunity to test ~10 of the super high-end options from several different brands. I found that there was no correlation whatsoever between price or even brand and how good they sounded to me. The technician I was working with said he observed the same thing all the time in the professionals he worked with. He'd have musicians on the same instruments in the same roles in the same group come in and all walk put with completely different products.

IEMs are the most personal but even headphones have the problem.

Because of this, my recommendation is that you make purchasing decisions in one of two ways:

- Learn how to EQ to get a sound you like. Purchase based on objective measurements like frequency response curves to find products that require minimal EQ to match your preference.

- Only buy after listening, or buy, listen and return if that's an option for you.

I recommend avoiding purchases based on reviews that make subjective judgements about the sound.

If you want to learn more, I like the videos/articles/forums of Headphones.com and Crinacle.
by crazygringo | 2026-02-14 19:44:09+00:00
It's not true. OkC gave the appearance of being really good at finding compatible people, because people would fill out lengthy text profiles, and answer hundreds of survey questions, and you'd get a match score like 85% or 97%.

But if you actually used it, the reality was that a match on paper says next to nothing about chemistry. And overlapping interests or survey questions don't say anything about personality. Except for a few dealbreakers like gender, age range, religion, etc., they didn't actually tell you much.

So OkC switched to prioritizing swiping on photos shortly after Tinder exploded, simply because they're the most effective thing there is for gauging chemistry. At the end of the day, it's way better than the supposed "match score" based on survey questions, or reading lengthy profiles. Not because they were bought by Match, but because it worked better at finding matches.
by ninjagoo | 2026-02-14 19:45:44+00:00
I think maybe because the contents of the URL archived locally aren't legally certifiable as genuine - the URL is the canonical source.

That's actually a potentially good business idea - a legally certifiable archiving software that captures the content at a URL and signs it digitally at the moment of capture. Such a service may become a business requirement as Internet archivability continues to decline.
by vindarel | 2026-02-14 19:46:15+00:00
ACK, allright. I just want to point people to stuff. Create emulation. Show that the ecosystem is evolving -in the right direction even, maybe. That we are not doomed to stay with Emacs&SLIME. A few years ago, we didn't have SLIMA, the VSCode plugin, Jupyter and JupyterLite kernels, the very useful ICL, nor CLOG, nor these incomplete IDE attempts (Intellij, Sublime…). How good is the new Zed plugin BTW? https://github.com/etyurkin/zed-cl

(I'm not even evangelizing in these comments so thanks for the feedback I guess!)
by irishcoffee | 2026-02-14 19:47:06+00:00
I was at a ROS conference a few years ago. A presenter went up and gave a talk about lidar and point clouds, speaking about how obsolete optical cameras were now that lidar was readily available.

The next person gets up and gives a talk about all the advancements in generating point clouds from optical cameras.

By far the best part is how tied to specific versions of Ubuntu each ROS release is, just getting all the packages installed and running requires sacrificing a cat while chanting Hail Mary backwards in Latin.
Show HN: Tori Terminal-native Docker monitoring with alerting in a single binary
by thobiasn | 2026-02-14 19:47:25+00:00
After setting up a grafana stack yet again, being frustrated that I need all of this just to have peace of mind that everything is running, I started building my own thing. An agent sits on your server collecting metrics, tailing logs, and evaluating alert rules. You connect from your machine over SSH via a TUI. Single Go binary, ~20-30 MB RAM, read-only Docker socket, no exposed ports.
by ranger_danger | 2026-02-14 19:47:33+00:00
eBPF can work with multiple different database servers, and you don't have to flood your logs with every possible query if you don't want to, you could filter it however you want and it doesn't save to disk unless you tell it to. Plus you don't have to change your database configuration settings (like query logging) off and on... it's just easier to use IMO once you have a working script.
by EnPissant | 2026-02-14 19:47:42+00:00
You can use xrandr to scale the desktop, but it's not the same thing.

You can render at 2x in Mate, and then scale it down slightly (ie 1.25x1.25) with xrandr, but taking a large image and scaling it down using a cubic filter won't look as sharp as real fractional scaling.

The command you gave is upscaling, which will be worse than 2x + downscaling.

Real fractional scaling scales the sizes of elements before rendering. This results in the sharpest image and there is no resizing/filtering in the loop.
by onli | 2026-02-14 19:47:52+00:00
Porta pros specifically seem to be a subjective thing, many describe them as a bit muddy, while some like that as an easy listing mode. The KSC 75 though really impressed me, for me they replaced the ath-m50x. Less base (partly because of no clamping pressure, I read, so changeable with a headband). I do have a cheap chinese hifi IEM I do like and would understand if someone preferred that one to the kSC 75, to further complicate things, but I stuck to them.

Also read positive things about the moondrop old fashioned, to mention an alternative to the porta pro in a very close form factor, not the strange ear clips that are the KSC 75
by skibz | 2026-02-14 19:48:03+00:00
It's disappointing to see. It doesn't take much work to configure a MQTT server to require client certificates for all connections. It does require an extra step in provisioning to give each device a client certificate. But for a commercial product, it's inexcusably negligent.

Then there's hardening your peripheral and central device/app against the kinds of spoofing attacks that are described in this blog post.

If your peripheral and central device can securely [0] store key material, then (in addition to the standard security features that come with the Bluetooth protocol) one may implement mutual authentication between the central and peripheral devices and, optionally, encryption of the data that is transmitted across that connection.

Then, as long as your peripheral and central devices are programmed to only ever respond when presented with signatures that can be verified by a trusted public key, the spoofing and probing demonstrated here simply won't work (unless somebody reverse engineers the app running on the central device to change its behaviour after the signature verification has been performed).

To protect against that, you'd have to introduce server-mediated authorisation. On Android, that would require things like the Play Integrity API and app signatures. Then, if the server verifies that the instance of the app running on the central device is unmodified, it can issue a token that the central device can send to the peripheral for verification in addition to the signatures from the previous step.

Alternatively, you could also have the server generate the actual command frames that the central device sends to the peripheral. The server would provide the raw command frame and the command frame signed with its own key, which can be verified by the peripheral.

I guess I got a bit carried away here. Certainly, not every peripheral needs that level of security. But, into which category this device falls, I'm not sure. On the one hand, it's not a security device, like an electronic door lock. And on the other hand, it's a very personal peripheral with some unusual capabilities like the electrical muscle stimulation gizmo and the room occupancy sensor.

[0]: Like with the Android KeyStore and whichever HSMs are used in microcontrollers, so that keys can't be extracted by just dumping strings from a binary.
by crazygringo | 2026-02-14 19:48:13+00:00
No, it's precisely the opposite.

If they're optimizing for engagement (the same as Netflix and everyone else), that comes from the the number of active conversations you wind up having. If you're swiping a ton but matches never message you, you'll give up and try another app -- that's not engagement. The more engagement you have from real back-and-forth messages (not spam), the more real-life dates you go on (if you're doing it right). And the more people you meet, the more likely you are to leave.

It's not "enshittified", dating is just hard. People are picky and it's difficult to get a good read on people from just their online profiles. The dating apps just want to keep you engaged and spending money. They don't need to make finding matches harder because they're worried you'll leave -- finding matches is hard enough to begin with. Trying to make it harder is the least of their concerns. They're trying to give you as good of a service as possible, while getting you to pay. So they limit numbers of matches to get you to pay. They're not limiting quality of matches.
by whyenot | 2026-02-14 19:48:29+00:00
I think it's smart to be skeptical of any "review" site that depends on affiliate links for income. The incentive is no longer to provide advice, it's to sell you something. Anything. Click the link. Good. Now buy something. That's right. Add it to your basket. It doesn't matter what you buy. Checkout and we get our sweet kickback.

Unfortunately, every review site uses affiliate links. Even organizations with very high ethical standards like Consumer Reports use them now. At least CR still gets most of its income from subscriptions and memberships. I guess that's something.
by jmkd | 2026-02-14 19:48:45+00:00
Glad to see this here, Balearic slinging has a rich and impactful history. But sadly this is not much appreciated today on the islands.

The Federation hosts open days where only a handful of people show up. Top slingers from the islands are treated with great acclaim when they travel to international competitions but at home few know who they are. The Balearic Government and local councils show little interest in supporting or promoting this activity.

I can't help feel it could and should be much more popular, with an injection of support and enthusiasm, especially as the islands try to rediscover a post-tourism identity.

But I don't see any evidence of this yet. I continue to do my little part in telling everyone I know how fascinating this sport is.

And yes, how incredibly difficult! I had probably 50 attempts before I hit a large target just 7 or 8 metres away.
by bayindirh | 2026-02-14 19:49:07+00:00
Unfortunately, (1) is not always true. I have in ears surpass some speakers, over the ears which surpass some IEMs, etc.

For (2), again it depends. Some companies build amazing things for cheap, some companies build crapshoot for tons of money. The trick is to find the sound you like for the cheapest price.

For (3), the simplest chain is the best(est) chain. I used to have a high-end 2x10 band eq which sat between pre and power stages. I removed it, and I'm happier. Unless I'm listening vinyl, I bypass loudness and tone circuits even.

There's a funny thing in audio. When you increase the resolution too much, the problems in old/remastered sources become apparent, and you can't enjoy that material anymore. A good Hi-Fi system is meant to create enjoyment, not motivation to spend more money on more equipment or sources.

Lastly, for casual listening, even the basic airpods provide plenty of resolution and detail.
by thereisnospork | 2026-02-14 19:49:31+00:00
First: Get a 3d printer, if you don't have one. No quicker way to turn ideas into physical objects for prototyping and iteration.

Second: Pick a project with modest but not trivial goal. Something that exists within the state of the art on at least most axes. e.g. make a quadcopter, make a 3d printer, or make an automated cat food dispenser. The project can be special on an axis, e.g. I want the break the drone speed record, or make the best battle bot for a weight class - but stacking too many novelties into a project compounds the difficulty.

Three: Break down the project into manageable sub tasks, starting simple then working towards integration. E.g. step 1, make a drone motor spin. Step 2, make a drone motor spin at exactly 2503rpm. Step 3, design a housing to fit four drone motors/control board/battery, etc. It's perfectly natural/common/fun to play this by ear, many projects will go back and forth between biting off more than you can chew and isolating model systems for testing.

Four: Integrate the subsystems, test, debug and most importantly repeat.

[0] The Bambu a1 mini is a perfectly competent entry-level product. And Fusion360 is a solid CAD for design side.
by Teever | 2026-02-14 19:49:59+00:00
My personal favourite hntrope is how any conversation about a geological feature outside of the US will inevitable turn into one about American geological features and then shortly after it will just descend generic American discussion.

I conceptualize this as something like the Hamming Distance, where you can measure the number of replies the conversation will have before an inevitable pivot to generic American stuff.

So the conversation could start with "Why back in 2013 I had a lovely time fishing in Scotland. The lakes there are remarkable."

"Boy me too that fishing was just great caught such and such fish blah blah blah love those lakes"

"Why that reminds me of the time I went fishing in Kentucky, boy the lakes there let me tell you..."

"Kentucky you say? Why I was just in Kentucky the other day! Boy they sure have < difference in real estate prices | difference in crime rates | differnce in minimum wage... >

and now it's a conversation about Kentucky real estate instead of a conversation about fishing in Scotland.
by ahmed_sulajman | 2026-02-14 19:50:09+00:00
Thank you! I have similar issues with bookmark managers overall. When they are too far from where I use them, it turns into a list of links I never read

In Arc, I'd organize links in dedicated workspaces for each project (personal or work). So whenever I work on a specific project, I'd open that workspace and have all the necessary links right there. For example, I tend to check Product Hunt often, and I have a dedicated workspace where I'd store products organized by my personal use cases. So next time I'm looking for a tool for something, I'd just open that workspace and search
by Joel_Mckay | 2026-02-14 19:50:10+00:00
ROS is dozens of projects crammed into a single workspace. Avoiding this ecosystem will not work in your favor in the long term.

* robotic software projects are often abandoned, and only ROS keeps the driver packages working

* Yes it is terrible, but the alternatives are even worse

Almost all modern reasonably good platforms will already offer a tested ROS configuration. Even the UR5 had simulation and control options out of the box.

People can't avoid standards.. even the awful ones.. =3
by mathgladiator | 2026-02-14 19:50:14+00:00
I have rolled the dice with it, and it's been great. I use it to tune fitness and every mental dimension. Time will tell.

I will tell you this, using AI is better than using HN and random people who don't know me. I had the best technical conversation of my entire life with AI. I feel like I can handle it, and maybe I will dive into AI psychosis at some point. who knows!

I can say that it is better than the silence I've had for years from no community giving two shits about what I wanted to build. I can admit the number of mistakes I've made, but at a certain point - enough is enough.
by bombcar | 2026-02-14 19:50:41+00:00
Consumer reports is really good at following their methodology, but you really need to read and understand their methodology, because it's often completely worthless.

A perfect example is toilets - I don't care at all how well a toilet flushes golfballs, because I never flush golfballs.

https://www.terrylove.com/crtoilet.htm
by autoexec | 2026-02-14 19:50:48+00:00
I think it's safe to assume that there's a Room 641A (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_641A) at every major US company that deals in communications. That said, there's no reason to think that ICE or local law enforcement get access to the data being collected. iCloud may be completely backdoored either way, but there's a big difference between the NSA and ICE in terms of what they care about going after and what capabilities they want publicly confirmed.
by spwa4 | 2026-02-14 19:50:54+00:00
As the article points out, the state of healthcare in rural (and non-rural) communities is entirely a republican choice to make it what it is. This is an attempt to make a lot of money taking over medicine and that little detail that they don't actually deliver reasonable quality care will be "fixed" by sabotaging actual doctors (and everything from hospitals, to nurses, to cleaning staff)

But you're kidding yourself. The whole world, including India has a doctor shortage AND is choosing not to train new medical doctors (frankly: especially India, they're not good about this). If flying to India helps, it'll be temporary.

Oh and having AI do healthcare goes squarely into what AIs are really bad at: adversarial planning. Your doctor is more like a judge: depending on the situation, it's your doctor's job to push (and occasionally force) you to take certain decisions, AND to sometimes push and force the government to take decisions like the COVID lockdown.

Does anyone think for a second Trump will allow for these AIs to be programmed to order him to lock down the country if the situation requires it? Or does he demand they just lie about the situation. I feel like we've seen the answer to this one.
by ptx | 2026-02-14 19:50:56+00:00
Is this the same compiler that famously spurred Richard Stallman to create GCC [1] when its author "responded derisively, stating that the university was free but the compiler was not"?

It seems to be free now anyway, since 2005 according to the git history, under a 3-clause BSD license.

[1] https://www.gnu.org/gnu/thegnuproject.en.html
by hrimfaxi | 2026-02-14 19:51:16+00:00
It's unfortunate that there are not citations for some of the numbers. I found this piece compelling:

> Marcus. He is twenty-eight and did two tours in Iraq. He has nightmares four to five nights a week. He drinks to fall asleep. His girlfriend left because she couldn't live with someone who woke up swinging. He tried therapy three times. The first therapist was a civilian who asked how combat made him feel. The second used Cognitive Processing Therapy but sessions were every two weeks, and when she said “trauma narrative,” his chest closed. The third was private practice, $160 a session. Marcus started to describe what happened in the house in Mosul — the one with the family in the back room — and the therapist's face changed. A microexpression, less than a second. Marcus caught it. He stopped talking. He never went back. The 73% problem, made human. Marcus has things inside him that are killing him slowly, and he has never found a room safe enough to say them. Not because the therapists were bad. Because the therapists were human, and the things Marcus needs to say are the things that change how a human looks at you.
by mystifyingpoi | 2026-02-14 19:52:11+00:00
The canonical answer to this request is as follows: if you need multi-cursor (or, worse, multi-cursor with mouse support) then you are doing something non-Vim way (aka: wrong way) and there is a better way to do it.

If you need multi-cursor to do manual search and replace in text, then don't, just do automatic search and replace, maybe scoped to a block.
If you need multi-cursor for refactoring or renaming a variable across entire source file, then don't, use LSP plugin (or switch to Neovim) and do the proper refactoring action.

Sure, there are legit cases of using multi-cursor in Vim, but they are rare. So it's not worth to put it into Vim itself.
by MarkMarine | 2026-02-14 19:52:26+00:00
Yeah I do, first it’s a joke but second have you used Ironclaw? It’s buggy vibecoded software. Bring your Claude code with you to get it working if you try it.
So yeah, the Primegean joke about adding “but make it secure” to your prompts is true about this, even if Illia is a genius and I look up to his work.
by dahart | 2026-02-14 19:53:25+00:00
It is really true, but yes there are some specific exceptions. In general: “Copyright protection does not extend to names, titles, short phrases, ideas, methods, facts, or systems.” https://www.copyright.gov/engage/writers/

You’re right that in certain limited circumstances, copyright will protect fictional characters. To protect a character, the character must be “well delineated”, and this has proven to be a pretty high bar. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_protection_for_ficti...
Show HN: Logbooks, notebook computing for coding agents
by rwhaling | 2026-02-14 19:54:57+00:00
Logbooks adapts some ideas from structured notebook computing environments like nbdev and Papermill for Claude Code and other coding agents. This is a pattern I found myself repeating across a few recent projects, and thought I'd try to formalize it and reflect on it a bit.

Research and scientific computing rely on notebooks because they often consist of complex sequences of one-off variations, and demand both flexibility and reproducibility. But my experience using Cursor and Claude Code with Jupyter has been quite poor.

What I've found here is that creating a "notebook", naively, as a parameterized markdown file that is instantiated upon each execution, worked much better than I had expected it to, and I'm interested in figuring out what the limits of this approach are. I would welcome any ideas or feedback!