Will ChatGPT store records of all chats, including deleted ones?, how (and why) to stream JSON data and why AI sceptics are missing the point?Playing and programming on a printer, simple yet useful AI Assistant based on SQLite & cron jobs …
INFO: The author explains how they integrated lighting, a camera, and other devices with Apple Home using inexpensive NFC tags, the Shortcuts app, and Homebridge. With a simple tap of their phone, they can activate setups like a podcast recording mode. The article outlines the steps to configure shortcuts, link devices, and install Homebridge on macOS—a clever solution.
2. From Zero to Millions with Side Projects – A Case Study
INFO: An honest account of a creator’s multi-year journey, building online projects from scratch—often through trial and error—in search of a sustainable income. The story covers not only the wins but also the failures, self-doubt, the absurdities of the startup world, and the role of luck in business. A down-to-earth, inspiring look at what it takes to build something of your own, without sugar-coating or inflated advice.
3. When Is a Team Too Big? – Lessons from Experience
INFO: How do you determine the optimal team size, and what can you do when the team is too large to work efficiently? The author shares insights from working in a 14-person team, where daily stand-ups turned into pointless reporting sessions, and splitting the team into specialized task forces only made things worse. The article examines how the team ultimately resolved the issue.
4. What Does Real Feedback Sound Like? – A Collection of 7 Ready-to-Use Scenarios
INFO: Most of us hold back from saying what we think when giving feedback—sometimes out of fear, discomfort, or a desire to avoid confrontation. The author presents seven everyday situations where feedback tends to be too vague or omitted entirely, and demonstrates how to transform unclear comments into more specific yet kind and constructive messages.
5. Root Access on a Payment Terminal – Without Opening the Case
INFO: The author reverse-engineered a Swiss Yomani XR payment terminal and, despite advanced hardware protections, discovered that it runs on an outdated 2010 Linux system with an active root console accessible via an external debug port. Just 30 seconds of physical access is enough to gain admin rights. A must-read for fans of cybersecurity, pentesting, and Linux.
6. Opera Mini – How It Worked and How It Holds Up Today
INFO: This browser was popular around 2005 (I used it myself back then!). It was one of the few that let users browse full websites on basic phones—before the smartphone era—by sending requests to a server that compressed pages and returned a lightweight version to the user’s device. In this article, the author runs Opera Mini on an emulator and attempts to browse modern websites. A nostalgic read for fans of old tech.
7. Why AI Sceptics Are Missing the Point (At Least in Programming)
INFO: The author—a seasoned software developer—challenges common arguments made by AI sceptics, arguing that modern language models (LLMs) already provide real support in software development by automating many tedious tasks. He emphasizes that the true power of LLMs becomes clear when they're combined with agents that integrate with development tools and codebases, rather than just generating code snippets.
8. How to Run CRON Jobs in PostgreSQL Without Extra Infrastructure
INFO: This article explains how to use PgBoss—a PostgreSQL-based job queue—to run delayed and recurring tasks (like CRON jobs) without setting up additional services on your server. A clever and practical solution that can help reduce the complexity of your project setup.
9. What It’s Like to Live in UTC for 5 Years – and Why Do It at All?
INFO: A programmer decided five years ago to switch all his devices to UTC to avoid the mess of changing time zones. In this article, he shares the surprisingly positive effects of that choice: more consistent scheduling, better productivity, and fewer mistakes while traveling or working remotely. An interesting experiment with valuable takeaways.
10. Load Balancing Strategies and Algorithms in High-Availability Systems
INFO: This article explores load balancing techniques and algorithms employed in high-availability systems, ranging from basic methods like round-robin to more advanced approaches like consistent hashing and geographic routing. It also discusses specific hardware and software solutions (e.g., HAProxy, NGINX, AWS ELB) and ways to avoid a single point of failure (SPoF) within the load balancer itself.
INFO: The author explores whether the technique behind progressive JPEG image loading could be applied to JSON data serialization. The article explains the concept of Progressive JSON—a layered data transfer format that utilizes placeholders and Promises, allowing clients to begin working with partially loaded data earlier. This innovative approach lets clients start processing before the entire data set is downloaded.
12. Will ChatGPT Store Records of All Chats, Including Deleted Ones?
INFO: A court has ordered OpenAI to collect all logs from ChatGPT and its API. This could have a significant impact on privacy and the company’s assurances regarding the non-retention of data sent via the API. How OpenAI will respond to this order remains unclear. The case is complex and involves data from hundreds of millions of users worldwide.
13. Why Are ‘2025/05/28’ and ‘2025-05-28’ Different Days in JavaScript?
INFO: JavaScript has many quirks, and one puzzling issue is how it converts date strings. Understanding why these two formats produce different results in the Date() object reveals a subtle detail about how JS handles dates. The author admits this was surprising, initially thinking the difference was due to interpreting the hyphens as minus signs, but that’s not the case at all.
14. Web Bench – A New Benchmark for Browser-Based AI Agents
INFO: Previous tests of AI agents operating in browsers were limited to a small number of sites and tasks. Web Bench aims to address this by offering a more comprehensive evaluation. The new test suite comprises over 5,700 tasks across 452 different websites (some tasks are open-source), with a strong focus on challenging write operations, such as logging in, filling out forms, and downloading files. What did the tests reveal? How well do agent systems handle websites, and where do they struggle the most?
15. Kubernetes vs Docker Compose – Which System to Choose?
INFO: A comparison of the two most popular container orchestration tools: Docker Compose and Kubernetes. The article focuses on differences in architecture, scalability, network configuration, and container state management. It explains which tool is better suited for local and development projects, and which fits production environments with high availability and automation needs. It also compares the learning curve and complexity level of each solution using typical use cases.
16. CloudCompare – A Platform for Comparing Cloud Services
INFO: This service allows browsing and comparing over 400 cloud services from six providers across nine categories. It’s a valuable tool for anyone looking to compare costs and features of similar solutions offered by different vendors.
17. Cap – Open-Source CAPTCHA Based on Proof-of-Work
INFO: If you’re looking for a lightweight, fast CAPTCHA solution that respects user privacy, without sending data to external companies or using tasks like “select all store fronts”—this project might interest you. The system is user-transparent and relies on a Proof-of-Work mechanism using SHA256 hashes under the hood.
18. Perplexity Labs – A New, Comprehensive AI Solution
INFO: Perplexity announces the launch of Labs, a new tool alongside its regular search engine and Deep Research platform. Labs can generate ready-made reports, presentations, comparative charts, and even code snippets. You use it like any other Perplexity tool, but the results can be impressively good at times. I tested it briefly — pretty cool!
19. Quarkdown – Markdown with Functions, Variables, and Export to Slides, PDF, and Books
INFO: Many systems exist for creating PDFs and print-ready books, but this one stands out because it’s based on Markdown! Interestingly, it supports variables, functions, and even loops, which can significantly speed up document creation. It allows exporting to clean HTML, presentations (using reveal.js), and book-style publications (using paged.js/PDF).
20. How to Use Chromium Flags to Capture the User’s Screen
INFO: The article shows how to use the ‘--auto-select-desktop-capture-source’ flag to automatically capture the user’s screen view without their interaction, bypassing the standard security prompt. The author demonstrates a JavaScript script using the ‘getDisplayMedia’ method to capture single or periodic screenshots, which are then sent to a remote server. It also describes ways to hide the browser interface (e.g., headless mode and repositioning the window) to make the process more discreet. A must-read for cybersecurity enthusiasts.
21. Kan.bn – Open-Source Trello Alternative for Self-Hosting
INFO: If you work with Kanban boards and like Trello, but your workplace forbids cloud solutions, this project is for you. You can host this app on your server and invite your teammates to collaborate. It even supports importing data from Trello.
22. Current Trends in AI – Full Report (PDF, 340 pages)
INFO: A very detailed analysis of what’s happening worldwide in artificial intelligence today. The report is long, but much of it consists of images and charts, so you can quickly get up to speed on the trends—a must-read for fans of statistics and big numbers.
23. Absurd Trolley Dilemmas Solved by 5 AI Models (Video, 20 min)
INFO: Can artificial intelligence behave morally when faced with completely absurd questions? In this video, five popular AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek, Grok, and Gemini) vote on solutions to unusual versions of the classic trolley dilemma. See what decisions they make when the “victims” on the tracks include influencers or cats. The video reveals interesting differences in decision-making among the models and lightly touches on the sensitive topic of ethics in the AI world.
24. New AI-powered AR Glasses from Google (video, 6m)
INFO: Google’s new AR glasses, presented at TED 2025, represent a significant technological leap compared to the earlier Google Glass. Instead of awkward face-mounted devices, these are classic-style glasses that can translate conversations in real time, show notifications, and display helpful contextual information — all without taking your phone out of your pocket. The AI engine behind this is, of course, Gemini.
25. Builder AI — a high-valued startup just collapsed (video, 4m)
INFO: This startup, backed by Microsoft and Softbank, promoted itself as a platform creating software with AI assistance. However, the company has now failed. The video includes an analysis of the reasons behind the collapse and explores whether the AI boom in the programming world might be starting to resemble a bursting bubble.
26. Nepenthes – a trap designed to catch AI crawlers
INFO: This application generates endless streams of random but deterministic pages, aimed solely at trapping and wasting the resources of crawlers, especially those collecting data for training large language models (LLMs). Optionally, it can utilize a Markov engine to generate meaningless content intended to pollute training datasets. The tool supports integration with nginx, proxies, and includes a set of statistical endpoints. Using this tool carries some risks, such as the complete removal of a domain from search results. It’s an interesting solution for those concerned that some crawlers ignore indexing restrictions like Robots.txt files.
27. Super Productivity – open-source task management and time tracking app
INFO: This tool combines task lists, work time tracking, and integrations with popular platforms like Jira, GitHub, and GitLab in a straightforward, user-friendly interface. It offers features such as timeboxing, focus mode, Pomodoro timer, and timesheet generation. The app works entirely offline and does not require an account. It is free and open-source.
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