A project named Pico-mac uses a Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller to emulate a Macintosh 128K, enabling it to run old Macintosh software.
The RP2040’s 264KB of RAM and 2MB of flash memory are sufficient to house the Mac’s 128KB memory, the emulator, and a disc image with the OS and software.
The project involved building a Mac 128K emulator, creating a circuit for VGA video output, and optimizing performance through overclocking and interpreter enhancements, achieving about 1.4 MIPS.
MicroMac, a Macintosh for under £5, has garnered significant attention, highlighting a low-cost, DIY approach to retro computing.
The project involves using the RP2040 microcontroller to emulate a 68k Macintosh, offering a more authentic experience than simply running an emulator on Linux.
The discussion also touches on the challenges and creative solutions in sourcing old tech components, emphasizing the community's resourcefulness and interest in retro computing projects.
The FTC has filed a lawsuit against Adobe for hiding fees and making cancellations difficult, addressing deceptive practices in their subscription model.
Adobe's shift from pay-once software to a subscription model has led to increased costs and driven users to seek alternatives like Procreate, DaVinci, and Affinity.
The lawsuit seeks to stop Adobe's aggressive tactics and provide refunds to affected consumers, highlighting broader issues with SaaS (Software as a Service) models.
The author faced a malfunction with their Electrolux oven and was charged $160 for a diagnosis, despite Australian Consumer Law providing an automatic warranty for a reasonable product lifespan.
After unsuccessful negotiations with both the manufacturer and retailer, the author filed a complaint with the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT), leading the retailer to cover the repair costs to avoid tribunal expenses.
The author encourages others to assert their consumer rights and not settle for minimal warranty periods, highlighting the importance of legal avenues like NCAT for resolving such disputes.
In Australia, the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) offers a low-cost and straightforward way to handle consumer claims, often without needing a lawyer.
Similar systems exist in other regions, such as the UK's small claims courts and the EU's two-year product warranty mandate.
In the US, small claims court or filing a complaint with the state's Attorney General's office can be effective for consumer disputes.
Peter Askew's journey into entrepreneurship began after multiple layoffs, pushing him to find alternative revenue streams.
Leveraging his background in web analytics and paid search, he initially succeeded by using ad networks on high-traffic websites, eventually learning coding and acquiring premium domains like DudeRanch.com.
Emphasizing independence, Peter funds his projects solo, avoiding external control, and finds contentment in his self-driven entrepreneurial path.
The author started a new business after a failed startup, focusing on prototyping independently, implementing lean principles, and generating revenue from the start.
Despite not being an engineer, the author successfully built and marketed the product, leading to a sustainable business that funds their children's education.
The author highlights the U.S. healthcare system as a significant barrier to entrepreneurship, suggesting that universal healthcare could promote small business growth.
NumPy 2.0.0 is the first major release since 2006, developed over 11 months by 212 contributors, featuring significant new features, performance improvements, and breaking changes to both Python and C APIs.
Key updates include a new variable-length string dtype, accelerated sorting functions, and a clear split between public and private APIs, along with new public C APIs for creating custom dtypes.
Users should be aware of breaking changes and backwards compatibility issues, with migration guides provided to assist in updating code.
NumPy 2.0 has been released, introducing significant changes, including deprecations of certain public APIs and new support for string routines.
The release aims to address historical weaknesses in string operations within NumPy, potentially benefiting NLP (Natural Language Processing) and LLM (Large Language Model) use cases.
Compatibility with NumPy 1.x is mostly maintained, except for the "byte_bounds" function, and users are advised to pin dependencies to avoid issues during the transition.
The Bouba/Kiki effect is a mental association where "bouba" is linked to rounded shapes and "kiki" to spiky shapes, observed globally.
This phenomenon, first noted in the 1920s, is evident in infants and young children, indicating its potential role in language learning.
fMRI studies show brain activation patterns related to this sound-shape matching, offering insights into language evolution and sound symbolism, though the effect can vary by culture and language.
The Reggio Emilia teaching methods, similar to Montessori, emphasize cross-modal forms of expression, such as translating auditory experiences into visual ones.
The Bouba-Kiki effect, where children naturally bridge sensory modalities, is highlighted, noting that this ability often diminishes in adults.
The discussion includes whether this diminishment is due to inhibition or brain development, and how language and cultural factors influence perception and naming conventions.
The post humorously discusses the long learning curve of Haskell, a functional programming language, while emphasizing the benefits of functional programming.
It highlights that functional programming, though challenging, offers valuable lessons in software design that can be applied to other programming paradigms.
The discussion suggests F# as a more approachable alternative for beginners, as it supports both functional and object-oriented programming, easing the learning curve.
Wyldcards are plastic E-Ink trading cards that feature changeable images and memory chips to store game stats, offering new game mechanics while maintaining a physical feel.
The project was inspired by fictional games like Yu-Gi-Oh and Card Captors, and the creator's background in software development and IoT 3D printing facilitated its development.
After a viral post on Hacker News, a crowdfunding campaign on CrowdSupply raised $7277, leading to the production of 25 DevKits and plans for future game development.
Trading cards with e-ink displays are being developed, offering a new twist on traditional card games by allowing dynamic content and data storage.
The creator, Jonahss, mentions that these cards can store game data, making each card unique based on its usage, akin to a legacy-style game rather than a traditional trading card game.
The project is still in its early stages, with the focus currently on delivering crowdfunded development kits and exploring potential game designs and applications.
The US House has passed a ban on DJI drones, now awaiting Senate approval, igniting debates on data privacy and the use of Chinese products in the US.
Critics argue that Congress should also scrutinize non-Chinese products, while some users distrust DJI over privacy and app issues, despite its superior technology.
The ban is viewed as protectionism, potentially benefiting US companies like Skydio, and has significant implications for sectors like law enforcement and public safety that rely on DJI drones.
Starlink has received FCC approval for the new Starlink Mini dish's Wifi router, indicating an imminent launch.
The Starlink Mini, designed for portability, is ideal for camping, RVs, and hiking, featuring a built-in Wifi router and mesh compatibility for extended coverage.
The updated Starlink app now includes details about the Mini, a new shop page, and developer mode pages, suggesting the launch is just weeks away.
The upcoming Starlink Mini is significantly smaller than the current Starlink Standard, with dimensions of 29cm x 25cm compared to 59.5cm x 38cm.
Discussions highlight the potential for the Starlink Mini to be more portable and viable for activities like backpacking, especially if features like the heating element can be disabled to save power.
The Starlink Mini could serve as a more practical backup internet solution in rural areas, with flexible subscription options allowing users to activate service only when needed.
The US government is suing Adobe for allegedly concealing fees and complicating the subscription cancellation process.
The Department of Justice claims Adobe enrolled consumers in high-cost plans without clear disclosure of terms, including early termination fees, and made the cancellation process cumbersome.
The lawsuit targets Adobe executives Maninder Sawhney and David Wadhwani, and follows Adobe's shift to a subscription model in 2012 and recent backlash over its AI training terms.
USB-C cables with displays are now available, allowing users to see power consumption directly on the cable.
Comparatively, the O.MG Cable, known for its advanced security testing capabilities, has been in the market for some time.
Discussions highlight concerns about potential malicious chips in such cables and experiences with issues like smoking and device damage, emphasizing the importance of reliable cables and trusted brands like Anker.
Marion Stokes, a former librarian and civil rights activist, recorded television broadcasts 24/7 from 1979 to 2012, amassing 71,000 tapes to preserve historical news details.
After her death, the Internet Archive began digitizing her extensive collection in 2013, ensuring the preservation of this unique media archive.
Stokes' efforts, highlighted in the 2019 documentary "Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project," underscore the importance of media preservation in the digital age.
Marion Stokes recorded over 30 years of US TV, creating a significant archive that includes ads and local news often lost to time.
The Internet Archive is currently processing her collection, highlighting the archival value of old VHS tapes.
Discussions on Hacker News touched on the practicality of using apartments for storage and compared Stokes' efforts to other archives like the Museum of Broadcast Communications and the Paley Center for Media.
SQLite Database Explorer, a CLI tool that starts a local web server, received significant attention and praise for its clean UI built with shadcn/ui.
Users suggested improvements such as adding screenshots to the README and making comparisons to other tools like DB Browser for SQLite.
There were concerns about potential trademark issues with the name "SQLite Studio," prompting the creator to plan a rename, and some users reported false positives from Windows Defender.
The Quake 1 font appears to be derived from an older font named "Visa," designed by Raphael Boguslav in 1966.
"Visa" was featured in Dan X. Solo's "The Solotype Catalog of 4,147 Display Typefaces" (1992) and "Stencil Alphabets: 100 Complete Fonts" (1988).
The discovery highlights the historical roots of the Quake font, linking it to a prize-winning design from the 1966 VGC National Type Face Design Competition.
The debate on cohost.org centers around whether Quake 1's font is hand-crafted or derived from existing fonts, with significant differences noted in specific letters.
Some users speculate the font might be inspired by stencil designs or new typefaces like Democratica, while others suggest consulting original designers for clarity.
The discussion also explores the evolution of fonts and the creative processes involved, with some skepticism about the font's usage permissions.