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The One Algorithm That Makes Distributed Systems Stop Falling Apart When the Leader Dies Published: 2025-11-22 | Origin: /r/programming Failed to fetch content - HTTP Status - 403 |
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Why Engineers Can't Be Rational About Programming Languages | spf13 Published: 2025-11-22 | Origin: /r/programming The series begins by addressing the significant yet often overlooked costs involved in choosing a programming language for a company. The author reflects on their experience at Takkle, where a leadership change led to a decision to switch from PHP to Perl, based on questionable analysis. This shift resulted in a dramatic decline in the team's productivity, a significant increase in monthly expenses, and ultimately, the failure to capitalize on a key market opportunity. The author emphasizes that decisions around programming languages are often driven more by personal identity and |
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On Thread Synchronization : Part 1 - A deep dive into mutexes Published: 2025-11-22 | Origin: /r/programming Multithreaded programming provides advantages such as increased speed and efficiency by utilizing all CPU cores. However, it introduces challenges related to shared memory, particularly race conditions, which occur when multiple threads access the same data simultaneously, leading to unpredictable outcomes. Mutexes are used to manage access to shared resources, ensuring that only one thread can access a resource at a time, thus preventing negative side effects. A race condition happens when the program's result relies on the timing of thread execution, resulting in non-d |
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Superman copy found in mum's attic is most valuable comic ever at $9.12M Published: 2025-11-22 | Origin: Hacker News Three brothers discovered a life-changing item while cleaning their late mother's attic in California: an original copy of Superman #1, one of the first Superman comics from June 1939, in remarkably pristine condition. This comic recently sold for a record-breaking $9.12 million at auction, making it the highest-priced comic book ever sold. The brothers found this and five other comic books tucked away under newspapers in a box. Their mother had kept these comics since acquiring them between the Great Depression and World War |
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Moss Survives 9 Months in Space Vacuum Published: 2025-11-22 | Origin: Hacker News Scientists have tested the resilience of mosses by exposing their spore capsules to open space on the International Space Station (ISS) for nine months. The spreading earthmoss (Physcomitrium patens), a small moss species used in research, was subjected to harsh conditions such as solar radiation, vacuum, and temperature fluctuations. Surprisingly, over 80% of the spores germinated after returning to Earth, demonstrating remarkable survival against expectations of nearly total failure. Although there was a slight decrease in chlor |
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Sharper MRI scans may be on horizon thanks to new physics-based model Published: 2025-11-22 | Origin: Hacker News Researchers from Rice University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a new physics-based model of magnetic resonance relaxation that connects molecular-scale dynamics with macroscopic MRI signals. This model, called the NMR eigenmodes framework, offers deeper insights into how contrast agents interact with water molecules, potentially leading to enhanced medical imaging and safer diagnostics. Unlike previous models that used approximations, this new approach accurately solves the underlying physical equations to explain how water molecules relax in the presence of metal-based imaging agents. This advancement could |
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How I learned Vulkan and wrote a small game engine with it (2024) Published: 2025-11-21 | Origin: Hacker News The author shares their experience of learning Vulkan and developing a game engine with two small game demos in three months. The source code can be found on GitHub. Prior to this, the author had experience with OpenGL and game engines but no knowledge of Vulkan. They emphasize that the engine was designed for smaller, level-based games and suggest a practical approach of first creating a game and then extracting reusable engine components to avoid getting bogged down in details. While acknowledging their professional programming background, the author is |
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Apple's Problem with Bodies Published: 2025-11-21 | Origin: Hacker News The article discusses the discrepancies and challenges faced when developing apps for iOS, particularly regarding how the App Store's content classification fails to align with the nature of certain applications. The author shares their experience with submitting a private intimacy tracker app called Silk, which focuses on personal well-being and data privacy, yet was assigned a 16+ rating similar to that given to gambling apps. This highlights a puzzling inconsistency in Apple's rating system, where serious personal tracking apps face stricter scrutiny than games with violent |
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Personal blogs are back, should niche blogs be next? Published: 2025-11-21 | Origin: Hacker News On November 20, 2025, the discussion centers around the evolution and significance of blogging. The author emphasizes that while there are few rules in blogging, creating meaningful content is paramount. The definition of "meaningful" and "successful" varies for each individual, with some bloggers aiming for monetary gain from their efforts. One notable figure in this space is Darren Rowse, who launched Problogger in 2004, a resource dedicated to helping others succeed in blogging. Problogger is |
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Arduino Terms of Service and Privacy Policy update: setting the record straight Published: 2025-11-21 | Origin: Hacker News The Arduino Starter Kit R4 marks the beginning of a new journey in tech, amid community questions regarding recent updates to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Arduino emphasizes its longstanding commitment to open-source principles and reassures users that the Qualcomm acquisition will not change how user data is managed. The updates aim to enhance clarity, compliance, and support for innovation. Arduino reaffirms its dedication to the community and invites users to read the full legal documents, check the FAQ section for more information, or reach |
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We Induced Smells With Ultrasound Published: 2025-11-21 | Origin: Hacker News Researchers have successfully stimulated the scent-processing regions of the brain using focused ultrasound, a method not previously attempted even in animal studies. By directing an ultrasound probe at the olfactory bulb, they induced distinct scent sensations, such as the smell of campfire smoke and fresh air, in two subjects, validated through blind tests. The typical location of the olfactory bulb behind the nose posed challenges, leading the team to position the transducer on the forehead to target the area. Initial attempts used a handheld probe, |
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Helping Valve to power up Steam devices Published: 2025-11-21 | Origin: Hacker News On November 21, 2025, Valve announced the launch of three new gaming devices: the Steam Frame (a wireless VR headset), the Steam Machine (a gaming console), and the Steam Controller (a handheld controller). These devices are successors to Valve's successful products, the Valve Index and Steam Deck, and are expected to be released in the coming year. Igalia, a partner of Valve, is excited to contribute to the development of these devices, particularly the Steam Frame, which utilizes |
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Show HN: OCR Arena – A playground for OCR models Published: 2025-11-21 | Origin: Hacker News The content describes a platform for initiating an anonymous OCR (Optical Character Recognition) battle by uploading an image. Users can upload documents in PDF, JPEG, or PNG formats to extract text. Additionally, there is an option to obtain a random document. The interface indicates two anonymous models waiting to begin the battle, and users can continuously drop files for text extraction. |
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Show HN: Wealthfolio 2.0- Open source investment tracker. Now Mobile and Docker Published: 2025-11-21 | Origin: Hacker News The content describes a privacy-focused portfolio tracker that is open-source, ensuring user data remains on their device. It features a user-friendly interface and offers powerful tools for managing investments and savings without subscriptions or recurring fees, with an optional one-time payment. Users can consolidate all their financial accounts in one platform, easily import CSV statements, and monitor diverse assets like stocks, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies, providing a clear picture of portfolio performance. The application allows users to compare accounts against benchmarks, track dividends and interest income |
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How did the Windows 95 user interface code get to the Windows NT code base? Published: 2025-11-21 | Origin: Hacker News The integration of the Windows 95 user interface into the Windows NT code base for Windows NT 4.0 involved collaboration between the Windows 95 and Windows NT user interface teams. Despite the distinct codebases, the Windows NT team actively engaged in implementing new features introduced by Windows 95, using its code as a reference for reimplementation rather than merging existing code. This collaboration ensured consistency in design, although significant deviations in code existed due to their separate developments. Additionally, components like Explorer were directly incorporated |
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CFP Now Open — RubyConf Africa 2026 Published: 2025-11-21 | Origin: /r/ruby The provided text appears to be a corrupted or encoded file rather than coherent content. It consists of extended ASCII characters, symbols, and numeric sequences without any clear message or meaningful structure. As such, it cannot be summarized meaningfully, as it does not convey any discernible information or narrative. If you have specific content or a topic you would like summarized, please provide a different text. |
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Why top firms fire good workers Published: 2025-11-21 | Origin: Hacker News Top firms like McKinsey, Goldman Sachs, and elite consulting and law practices often hire highly talented employees but later let many go, a phenomenon attributed to a concept called adverse selection. A study published in the American Economic Review by economists from the University of Rochester and the University of Wisconsin–Madison suggests this is actually an intended outcome of the system. They explain that these firms serve as intermediaries that assess employee talent more effectively than clients, who struggle to gauge an employee’s abilities early on. |
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Over-regulation is doubling the cost Published: 2025-11-20 | Origin: Hacker News After successfully selling a software company, the author transitioned into the hardware space, focusing on carbon removal and electric long-haul trucking. They enjoy building tangible products but are frustrated that over half of the costs associated with a hardware company stem from regulatory challenges. Despite a national push for climate solutions and a desire to revitalize U.S. industry, excessive bureaucracy is identified as the main obstacle. These regulatory delays force hardtech companies to exhaust capital as they await necessary approvals, leading to increased costs for consumers |
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Hotwire Native deep dive: Push Notifications Published: 2025-11-20 | Origin: /r/ruby The article emphasizes the importance of push notifications in mobile apps, often outweighing the benefits of a website. Push notifications enhance user engagement more effectively than email or SMS, and despite advancements in Progressive Web Apps (PWAs), native apps remain superior for reliable notifications. However, the implementation of push notifications can be complex due to various components that need to align correctly. The author has extensive experience adding push notifications to Hotwire Native apps and outlines a streamlined approach for doing so. The process involves different actors: |
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New Glenn Update Published: 2025-11-20 | Origin: Hacker News Failed to fetch content - HTTP Status - 429 |