Hacker News
1OpenAI’s Windsurf deal is off, and Windsurf’s CEO is going to Google
- Google will hire Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan, cofounder Douglas Chen, and some R&D employees to join Google DeepMind, after OpenAI's deal to acquire Windsurf fell through. The team will focus on agentic coding efforts for Gemini, with Google obtaining a non-exclusive license to Windsurf's technology.
Claude Code's impact
Discussion of how Claude Code's emergence threatens Cursor/Windsurf's business model due to lower costs, better integration, and Anthropic's ability to undercut competitors while collecting valuable training dataAcquisition structure concerns
Debate about how Google's hiring of key employees instead of full acquisition affects company value, employee equity, and whether this approach circumvents antitrust scrutiny while leaving other stakeholders behindProduct value skepticism
Questions about whether AI code editor companies like Windsurf/Cursor deserve billion-dollar valuations given their reliance on reselling other companies' models and lack of proprietary technology
2MacPaint Art from the Mid-80s Still Looks Great Today
- A nostalgic exploration of early 1980s digital art created in MacPaint, discovered through BMUG's CD-ROM containing over 18,000 images. The collection showcases vintage logos, graphics, icons, and artistic works, highlighting the creative capabilities of early Macintosh computers despite their technical limitations.
Aesthetic completeness
Discussion of how artistic works can be "complete" within their technological constraints, with examples from gaming, music, and pixel art. Medium limitations often shape and enhance artistic expression.Traditional art skills
Debate about how the MacPaint artists' traditional drawing training (perspective, shading, hatching) enabled them to create compelling works despite technical limitations.Historical computing nostalgia
Reflections on early computing era's sense of possibility and enthusiasm, with discussion of various vintage art tools like MacPaint, Deluxe Paint and their unique aesthetic constraints.
3ETH Zurich and EPFL to release a LLM developed on public infrastructure
- Leading AI initiatives gathered in Geneva to preview a new open-source LLM developed by Swiss universities. The model, trained on 1000+ languages using carbon-neutral computing, will be publicly released in two versions under an open license, promoting transparency and global accessibility in AI development.
Model architecture and training
Discussion clarifies it's not a LLaMA variant but uses original architecture trained from scratch. Focus on infrastructure challenges, with team member confirming compliance with data opt-outs and clean training approach.Dataset transparency
Debate around how "reproducible" training data will be, whether full dataset access will be provided vs just URLs. Comparisons to other open efforts like The Pile and OLMo, with focus on transparency level.Swiss research capabilities
Discussion of ETH Zurich's research prominence, infrastructure readiness, and Switzerland's potential to compete in AI despite US chip restrictions. Notes importance of gaining large-scale training experience.
4Faking a JPEG
- The author created a web application called Spigot that generates fake web pages to handle aggressive web crawlers. Upon noticing a bot searching for images, they developed a method to create fake JPEG files by combining templates with random data, efficiently serving over 15,000 garbage images daily while minimizing server load.
Robots.txt and crawler behavior
Discussion about whether site owners should accommodate crawlers via robots.txt, with debate between those advocating for legitimate crawlers (like archive.org) and those feeling no obligation to help crawlersFake images to fool scrapers
Suggestions for generating deceptive image content and captions to confuse AI training, including discussion of whether scrapers could detect such attempts using CLIP or other validation methodsProxyware and botnets
Debate about whether traffic from residential IPs indicates traditional botnets or "legal botnets" where users knowingly participate in proxy networks in exchange for services like free VPNs
5Lead pigment in turmeric is the culprit in a global poisoning mystery (2024)
- The article investigates lead poisoning cases affecting children worldwide, focusing on how two women researchers - a NYC health detective and a California student - uncovered that contaminated turmeric in Bangladesh was a major source. Farmers had been adding lead-based dyes to make turmeric roots more visually appealing to buyers, leading to widespread health issues.
Article's portrayal of the issue
Discussion criticizes NPR's framing as oversimplified "detective story" with Americans as saviors, noting the lead contamination problem is well-known in South Asia and questioning if the solution will be sustainable.Testing for contamination
Various methods discussed for detecting lead in turmeric, from simple water tests to expensive XRF devices. Debate about effectiveness of home testing kits and need for proper lab analysis.Supply chain concerns
Users discuss safety of turmeric in US/UK stores vs imports, color differences between natural and adulterated products, and which brands test for contaminants. Focus on how contaminated product enters Western markets.
6Preliminary report into Air India crash released
- The provided URL appears to be a link to a preliminary report from AAIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau) of India regarding an aircraft with registration VT-ANB, but without access to the actual document contents, I cannot provide a meaningful summary.
Murder-suicide theory
Discussion centers on whether fuel cutoff was intentional murder-suicide, with debate between those seeing clear evidence in timing/mechanics vs others urging caution about jumping to conclusions without full investigationMental health policy impact
Debate about FAA policies that revoke pilots' licenses for seeking mental health treatment, potentially encouraging hiding of issues, and proposed legislation to change these rulesTechnical switch mechanics
Analysis of fuel cutoff switch design, safety features, and whether accidental activation was possible, including discussion of Boeing service bulletins about switch locking mechanisms
7Supreme Court's ruling practically wipes out free speech for sex writing online
- The Supreme Court's recent ruling has effectively weakened First Amendment protections for online content containing sexual themes by allowing states to require age verification and enabling lawsuits against creators across state lines. Writers and artists now face potential civil and criminal penalties if they don't implement ID checks on their websites, raising concerns about free speech and creative expression.
Privacy concerns with ID verification
Discussion of privacy implications of age verification laws, with concerns about sending IDs to third parties and calls for privacy-preserving solutions like zero-knowledge proofs or Apple/Google wallet integration.Religious/moral motivations
Debate about whether these laws are genuinely about protecting children or represent conservative Christian attempts to regulate content and target LGBTQ+ expression under the guise of obscenity laws.Parental vs government responsibility
Arguments about whether content restriction should be parents' responsibility vs government-mandated, with comparisons to offline age verification and discussion of technical feasibility.
8Bypassing Google's big anti-adblock update
- A developer discovered a bug in Chrome's MV3 implementation that allowed adblockers to continue working despite Google's efforts to phase them out. By exploiting JavaScript bindings and WebView permissions, the bug enabled extensions to bypass restrictions, though it was later patched without a bounty reward since it wasn't deemed a security issue.
Browser alternatives
Debate over switching from Chrome to Firefox, Safari, or Brave. Firefox users praise its features and ad-blocking, while Brave users defend it despite crypto criticism. Some note difficulty in switching due to site compatibility.Bug report criticism
Discussion of whether reporting the MV3 bypass was worthwhile, with some criticizing the author for helping Google restrict ad blockers. Others defend the report, noting Google would've found and patched it anyway.Manifest V3 impact
Debate over Google's true motives for MV3, questioning security claims and discussing its effect on ad blocking. Some argue it's primarily to protect ad revenue rather than improve security.
9I'm done with social media – Or: why I have a blog now
- The author shares their experience of attempting to use social media to promote their upcoming book in 2024. Despite investing significant time and effort into creating content for platforms like Instagram and TikTok, they found it ineffective, mentally draining, and ultimately decided to abandon social media, questioning its true value for non-celebrity authors.
Social media disengagement
Growing trend of people reassessing their relationship with social media and tech, driven by concerns over AI, geopolitics, work precarity and centralized tech industry. Many are choosing to disconnect or limit engagement.Content exposure trauma
Users being unexpectedly exposed to disturbing/violent content through algorithmic feeds, causing anxiety and mental health impacts. Discussion of how platforms fail to protect users despite content policies.Marketing vs authentic content
Debate over social media's effectiveness for marketing/promotion vs authentic connection. Authors and creators struggle with pressure to build social media presence while platform dynamics favor engagement over quality.
10Proposed NOAA Budget Kills Program Designed to Prevent Satellite Collisions
- The Trump administration's proposed 2026 NOAA budget aims to dismantle TraCSS, a space traffic management system established during Trump's first term. The program, which costs $55M annually and helps prevent satellite collisions, faces opposition from the space industry, with 450 companies advocating for its continuation.
UN vs national control
Discussion of whether space tracking should be managed by UN instead of individual nations, with critics citing UN's dysfunction and data infrastructure limitations while others argue for global coordinationGovernment spending value
Debate over the ROI and importance of government-funded programs like satellite tracking, with many arguing these are high-value investments being cut for ideological rather than practical reasonsPrivatization concerns
Arguments that privatizing space tracking would lead to deteriorating service, higher costs, and misaligned incentives as private companies might benefit from more satellites/debris rather than prevention