1411
The 8-bit era: Eight processor designs
Why do the 8-bit designs of the 1970s still generate so much interest?
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1412
LogoFAIL: Secure Boot bypass with manipulated boot logos
LogoFAIL by BINARLY: Discover how vulnerable image parsing impacts device manufacturers in the UEFI firmware ecosystem. Learn about critical LogoFAIL…
1413
The analog computer for the Nike missile system (2001)
Nike computer - Installed in class room, not BC van. From Rolf Goerigk Left rack has the power supplies - outputs about 7 different voltages. Top panel is switches, meters, voltage warning lights. (Note: in the van installation, this rack is on the right side of the computer.) Middle two racks - operational amplifies…
1414
US Senator: What Do Our Cars Know? and Who Do They Share That Information With?
U.S. Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts has sent a much-needed letter to car manufacturers asking them to clarify a surprisingly hard question to answer: what data cars collect? Who has the ability to access that data? Private companies can often be a black box of secrecy that obscure basic facts...
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Review: A Dive into Mikrotik's Weird SmartNIC (2022)
an addendum has been posted, read it here 2023/12/02 - Hello, Hacker News! Check out these pictures of my cat: https://emma.pet Back in February, Mikrotik announced the CCR2004-1G-2XS-PCIe, a peculiar 25gbps NIC. They’ve thrown an entire router into a PCIe NIC. But why? Wait, why? Mikrotik’s product listing has…
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Anduril announces Roadrunner, jet-powered VTOL drone
Roadrunner is a reusable VTOL autonomous air vehicle with twin turbojet engines, high-subsonic speed, modular payloads, and AI-driven autonomy for versatile air defense missions.
1419
The Intel 386 processor die: the clock circuit
Processors are driven by a clock, which controls the timing of each step inside the chip. In this blog post, I'll examine the clock-generati...
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My toddler loves planes, so I built her a radar
An adorable side project featuring SwiftUI, MapKit, and open-source APIs
1422
FPGAs and the renaissance of retro hardware
Almost every few weeks, a new and exciting retro hardware project is announced. These are truly …
1423
Evaluating M3 Pro CPU Cores: General Performance
Using assembly language test loops to understand the differences between M1 Pro and M3 Pro CPU cores casts new light on their differences.
1424
How Apple's developers reflashed Mac ROMs in the '90s
After I wrote about the possibility of programmable Mac ROM SIMMs in Quadras a couple of months ago, I suspected that there had been a way for developers at Apple in the 68k Mac era to reflash the ROM in their Macs during development, just like BIOS updates on PCs. The reason I believed this is because the ROM SIMM…
1425
Analyzing the Monoprice Blackbird HDCP 2.2 to 1.4 Down Converter
I got my hands on a Monoprice Blackbird 4K Pro HDCP 2.2 to 1.4 Converter . According to the marketing copy it “is the definitive solution for playback of new 4K HDCP 2.2 encoded content on 4K displays with the old HDCP 1.4 standard.”
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Signal reflections in electronic circuits
What are "signal reflections", really? And do they matter in circuit design?
1427
A DX7 USB Dongle
The amazing Rene Stange added USB Gadget (i.e. device) support to the Circle bare metal Raspberry Pi environment a while ago so I’ve now incorporated that into MiniDexed. This allows MiniDexe…
1428
Apple's Pro Display XDR takes Thunderbolt 3 to its limit
I like Thunderbolt a lot. Mostly because USB's land of optional features is a mess which makes choosing a cable/peripheral difficult. With thunderbolt you have a single number to get right. And then you are supposed to be golden. However the idyll with Intel's interface took a hit when I tried to make sense of Apple's…
1429
Interesting features of John Harrison's sea clocks
I recently got to see John Harrison's sea clocks at the Royal Observatory at Greenwich. I recommend visiting if you get the chance. This post is about some of the interesting things I observed.
1430
Welding and the automation frontier
The big question about Artificial Intelligence, other than whether it will destroy human civilization, is the effect it will have on employment.
1431
What has changed in CPU cores in M3 chips?
Little seems to have changed in CPU cores in M3 chips, if you read reviews. Dig a bit deeper and there are major changes, as explained here.
1432
Northvolt develops state-of-the-art sodium-ion battery validated at 160 Wh/kg
Northvolt is proud to add sodium-ion to its cell chemistry portfolio, enabling safe, low-cost, sustainable power for energy storage systems.
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Why aren't motherboards mostly USB-C by now? (2021)
I’m beginning to think that the Windows PC that I built in 2015 is ready for retirement (though if Joe Biden can be president at 78, maybe this […]
1435
I Hacked the Magic Mouse
Magic Mouse hack with USB-C charger
1436
A PCIe Coral TPU Finally Works on Raspberry Pi 5
Coral.ai TPUs are AI accelerators used for tasks like machine vision and audio processing. Raspberry Pis are often integrated into small robotics and IoT products—or used to analyze live video feeds with Frigate. Until today, nobody I know of has been able to get a PCI Express Coral TPU working on the Raspberry Pi…
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Printed robots with bones, ligaments, and tendons
For the first time, researchers have succeeded in printing a robotic hand with bones, ligaments and tendons made of different polymers using a new laser scanning technique.
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ARRL hails FCC action to remove symbol rate restrictions
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the national association for amateur radio, connecting hams around the U.S. with news, information and resources.
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'Reptar', a new CPU vulnerability
A new CPU vulnerability, ‘Reptar,’ found by Google researchers, has been patched by Google and Intel. Here’s what you need to know.