We love and hate OpenSCAD. As programmers, we like describing objects we want to 3D print or otherwise model. As programmers, we hate all the strange things about OpenSCAD that make it not like a normal programming language. Maybe µCAD (or Microcad) is the answer. This new entry in the field lets you build things […]
Python has become one of the most popular programming languages out there, particularly for beginners and those new to the hacker/maker world. Unfortunately, while it’s easy to get something up and running in Python, it’s performance compared to other languages is generally lacking. Often, when starting out, we’re just happy to have our code run […]
Some people may remember the joys of trying to boot Linux on an 8-bit AVR microcontroller, which was an absolute exercise in patience. In comparison [He Chunhui]’s Tiny386 emulator running on an ESP32-S3 MCU is positively zippy when it boots and runs Windows 95. The provided video (also embedded below) makes clear that while you […]
Finding older versions of particular software can be a real chore, all too often only made possible by the sheer grace and benevolence of their creators. At the same time older versions of software can be the only way to dodge undesirable ‘upgrades’, track down regressions, do historical research, set up a retro computer system, […]
There are various CAD challenges out there that come with bragging rights. Some, like the Certified Solid Works Professional Exam (CWSP) might actually look good on a resume. [Deltahedra] is apparently not too interested in padding his resume, nor does he have much interest in SolidWorks, and so decided to conquer the CWSP with FreeCAD […]
Do you have a classic Amiga computer? Do you want to search the web with iBrowse, but keep running into all that pesky modern HTML5 and HTTPS? In that case, [Nihirash] created BoringSearch.com just for you! BoringSearch was explicitly inspired by [ActionRetro]’s FrogFind search portal, and works similarly in practice. From an end-user perspective, they’re […]
Has anyone noticed that news stories have gotten shorter and pithier over the past few decades, sometimes seeming like summaries of what you used to peruse? In spite of that, huge numbers of people are relying on large language model (LLM) “AI” tools to get their news in the form of summaries. According to a […]
If there’s one constant with software developers, it is that sometimes they get bored. At these times, they tend to think dangerous thoughts, usually starting with ‘What if…’. Next you know, they have gone down a dark and winding rabbit hole and found themselves staring at something so amazing that the only natural conclusion that […]
In a recent write-up, [David Delony] explains how he built a Wolfram Mathematica-like engine with Python. Core to the system is SymPy for symbolic math support. [David] said being able to work with symbolic math easily has helped his understanding of calculus and linear algebra. For statistics support he includes NumPy, pandas, and SciPy. NumPy […]