2026/02/01
Article: 17 min
The article discusses the process of defeating a 40-year-old copy protection dongle used for an older accounting software package. The author, involved in helping a friend's accounting firm transition from using legacy software, discovered that running this software requires a hardware dongle attached to the computer’s parallel port. After examining the disk image and disassembling the executables with Reko, the author found clues suggesting the copy-protection routine communicates over the parallel port. The routine was eventually patched by brute force, allowing the software to run without the physical dongle.
Discussion (258): 1 hr 12 min
The discussion revolves around the historical use of dongles for software protection, their limitations, and the shift towards more advanced digital rights management (DRM) systems. The community acknowledges the inconvenience and simplicity of early copy protection mechanisms while also discussing the moral and legal implications of bypassing such protections.
Article: 11 min
The article recounts a personal experience of the author teaching their neighbor to keep the TV volume down by exploiting interference between two remote controls with similar frequencies. The story highlights the use of an RF (radio frequency) remote control and its potential for causing unintended consequences in shared living spaces.
Discussion (348): 1 hr 20 min
The comment thread discusses various issues related to living in apartment complexes or shared spaces, including noise disturbance from neighbors, lack of consideration for others' privacy, and the impact of activities like smoking on non-smokers. It also touches on technological solutions such as TV-B-Gone devices to mitigate these issues.
Article:
The article discusses how to prevent malware infections and suggests running antivirus scans on personal devices or asking network administrators to check corporate networks for misconfigured or infected devices.
Discussion (274): 54 min
The comment thread discusses various alternatives to Tailscale for network connectivity, focusing on self-hosted solutions and zero trust networking. Users share opinions on the pros and cons of different services, with a general sentiment leaning towards neutral. Key themes include the importance of sovereignty considerations, the desire for open-source alternatives, and the need for efficient and secure network management.
Article: 12 min
NanoClaw is a lightweight personal assistant application that runs securely in Apple containers, offering core functionality with a codebase easy to understand. It provides AI-driven assistance for tasks like message management, scheduling, and web access.
Discussion (199): 47 min
The comment thread discusses a personal project utilizing the Claude Code SDK, focusing on its utility, security concerns, and the quality of AI-generated content. Users express mixed opinions about the value of artisanal code versus AI-driven development, with some appreciating simplicity and others emphasizing reliability and human oversight.
Article: 16 min
The author discusses their experience with a machine learning model (MLX LLM) on different Apple devices, encountering discrepancies in results between an iPhone 15 Pro and an iPhone 16 Pro Max, which led to the discovery of potential hardware issues.
Discussion (196): 27 min
The comment thread discusses the quality and capabilities of various mobile calculators, with a focus on comparing third-party apps to Apple's default Calculator app. Users express opinions about the features and performance of different calculators, while also discussing issues related to floating-point arithmetic in iOS devices.
Article: 1 hr 10 min
The article discusses the author's experience in building a custom opinionated and minimal coding agent, detailing its components, design philosophy, and features compared to existing tools like Claude Code, Codex, Amp, Droid, and opencode.
Discussion (168): 46 min
The comment thread discusses various opinions on minimalist design and security concerns in agent-based tooling, with a focus on context management and AI model integration. There is agreement on the benefits of minimalism but debate over its practicality, while security discussions highlight varying perspectives on sandboxing and credentials management.
Article: 7 min
Adventure Game Studio is an open-source software for creating graphical point-and-click adventure games, offering a platform to create and play games on multiple platforms. It features an active community for support and showcases user-created games.
Discussion (83): 14 min
The comment thread discusses the continued relevance of AGS, an adventure game development tool that has been around for over two decades. Users share personal experiences with creating games using AGS and reminisce about classic adventure games from their past. The conversation also touches on other game development tools, cross-platform compatibility, and nostalgia for older gaming platforms.
Article: 9 min
Ian's Shoelace Site is an extensive online resource dedicated to all aspects of shoelaces, including lacing techniques, knotting methods, and information about shoelace construction. The site offers a variety of content such as tutorials, photos, interviews, and articles, making it a valuable resource for anyone interested in shoe tying or shoelace customization.
Discussion (68): 11 min
The discussion revolves around the Ian knot, a fast and secure shoelace tying method that prevents accidental granny knots. Participants share personal experiences with various shoe lacing techniques, emphasizing efficiency and security. The conversation also touches on alternative methods like the Berluti knot and the use of elastic laces for convenience.
Article:
This is an interactive game that challenges players to list as many animals with Wikipedia articles as possible within a time limit, with the condition of not having overlapping terms. The game adjusts the time for each animal listed.
Discussion (185): 27 min
The comment thread discusses an interesting game that challenges players to list animals without repetition, using a dataset from Wikidata. Players share strategies and techniques to improve their scores, note inaccuracies in the game's responses, and suggest improvements such as adding features like a leaderboard or showing missed animals for improvement.
Article: 14 min
The article discusses the distinction between two types of AI users: power users who actively adopt new AI technologies like Claude Code and MCPs for various tasks, particularly in finance roles; and those primarily using ChatGPT or similar tools. It also critiques Microsoft's Copilot, highlighting its limitations compared to other AI tools, and argues that this could pose an existential risk to enterprises due to poor performance and restricted functionality.
Discussion (297): 1 hr 29 min
The discussion revolves around the impact and potential uses of AI tools, particularly in software development and productivity. There's a consensus on their ability to speed up processes for non-technical users but concerns about code quality, maintainability, security risks, and over-reliance without proper oversight. The debate highlights both the benefits and challenges associated with integrating AI into professional workflows.