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Breaking Tech News (news)

When something big happens in technology, it lands here. This section collects significant headlines from across the industry, including product launches, corporate shakeups, AI breakthroughs, and market-moving announcements. It is built for readers who want the day's most notable tech developments at a glance.

The stories that qualify tend to be the ones people talk about: surprise acquisitions, flagship AI model releases, major outages and security incidents, sudden executive departures, and regulatory decisions with immediate consequences. Smaller items make the cut when they signal a larger shift underway.

In a fast industry, the gap between hearing news early and hearing it late can shape decisions about investments, products, and careers. Readers who need to react quickly, from traders to founders to reporters, treat a breaking-news feed as their first stop before digging deeper elsewhere.

ASML says it sold 'absolutely nothing' in Europe in 2026
2026-09-27

ASML reported that it sold absolutely nothing in Europe in 2026, signaling a major setback for the region's semiconductor manufacturing ambitions. This stark revelation indicates that substantial government subsidies aimed at building new fabrication plants have failed to stimulate local demand for chipmaking equipment.

Generate fonts where every LLM token is the same width
2026-09-27

A new technique enables the generation of custom fonts where every large language model token is rendered at the exact same visual width. This ensures uniform text alignment and spacing in AI outputs, offering improved visual consistency for user interfaces and data visualizations.

The Evolution of Vending Machines
2026-09-27

Modern vending machines have evolved significantly, transitioning from cash-based operations historically tied to organized crime to advanced, cashless dispensers offering diverse products like giant Lego sets. Despite these technological upgrades and the allure of passive income, operators note that the business still demands significant effort to secure prime locations, negotiate property leases, and manage inventory and repairs.

The Lost Atomic Update on Loongson CPU
2026-09-27

A new technical article details a developer's troubleshooting process for a missing atomic update bug on the Loongson CPU. The piece provides practical insights into low-level programming and board-level debugging required to resolve this critical hardware synchronization issue.

Real-time feedback: My closing move in every interview
2026-09-27

Drawing from personal experiences with a wide variety of interview questions, the author shares their go-to strategy for job interviews: asking for real-time feedback as a closing move. This technique allows candidates to immediately gauge their performance while leaving a memorable, proactive impression on hiring managers.

Dutch designer made DE9: Closer to the Edit into a playable web-based instrument
2026-09-27

A Dutch designer has transformed Richie Hawtin's landmark album DE9: Closer to the Edit into a playable web-based instrument to celebrate its 25th anniversary. The interactive tool allows users to deconstruct and remix the iconic tracks directly within their browser.

Show HN: Jev Plays Pokémon Red
2026-09-26

A new live stream features an AI decision model named Jev attempting to play the classic game Pokémon Red from start to finish. The artificial intelligence will navigate the retro game and make strategic decisions entirely on its own. Tech enthusiasts can tune in to watch the model's progress in real time.

Postgres SELECT DISTINCT Does Not Scale
2026-09-26

A recent technical analysis reveals that PostgreSQL's SELECT DISTINCT command suffers from severe performance degradation as datasets scale. The authors break down the underlying reasons for this unexpected bottleneck and outline the specific optimization strategies they implemented to resolve the issue.

Excel now supports multiple values in a single cell
2026-09-26

Microsoft Excel has introduced a feature allowing users to store multiple values within a single cell. While some community members hope this paves the way for advanced capabilities like probability distributions and complex data types, others highlight its immediate practical value. Specifically, users note the update makes it significantly easier to parse and filter complex data such as comma-separated lists.

I wrote a ray tracer in Brainfuck
2026-09-26

A developer has successfully built a ray tracer using the notoriously difficult esoteric programming language Brainfuck. To accomplish this, they designed a custom domain-specific language and utilized a Python-based code generator to compile the final output. The project highlights an impressive technical workaround for rendering complex graphics in an extremely constrained programming environment.

First Principles Thinking
2026-09-26

This piece explores the application of first principles thinking to the development and integration of AI agents. It emphasizes the importance of setting aside past experiences and preconceived notions to clearly understand complex problems. By breaking challenges down to their fundamental truths, tech professionals can more effectively collaborate with and build autonomous systems.

Fourier Analysis: Drawing Llamas with Circles
2026-09-26

This technical piece explores the mathematical principles of Fourier analysis through a creative visualization that draws a llama using rotating circles. By programming a series of connected epicycles, the project demonstrates how complex spatial curves can be accurately reconstructed from simpler frequency components. The demonstration highlights the fascinating intersection of advanced mathematics, computer programming, and digital art.

U.S. appeals court upholds designation of Anthropic as supply chain risk
2026-09-26

A federal appeals court has upheld the Department of Defense's decision to blacklist Anthropic as a supply chain risk in a 2-1 ruling. This affirmation of the Pentagon's designation could significantly impact the technology company's ability to secure future government contracts.

Lab on a Contact Lens Can Measure Stress Through Serotonin
2026-09-26

Researchers are developing a smart contact lens that functions as a microscopic lab to monitor stress by measuring serotonin concentrations in tears. This non-invasive wearable technology could provide continuous, real-time insights into a user's mental health and emotional well-being.

How we learned to stop worrying and love campus surveillance
2026-09-26

The article examines society's growing complacency toward the normalization of surveillance technologies on college campuses. In response, reader discussions quickly pivoted to broader concerns about government overreach and the suppression of intelligence leaks. Commenters reflected on the legacy of whistleblowers like Edward Snowden, expressing deep frustration over political corruption and a perceived lack of true patriotism among modern leaders.

What happens when you analyze your favorite college football team like the CIA?
2026-09-26

This article explores the application of CIA-style intelligence analysis and data modeling to evaluate a college football team. By treating the sports team like a foreign adversary, the project demonstrates how geopolitical analytical techniques can be repurposed to uncover hidden insights and predict on-field performance.

Why is the liver so weirdly regenerative?
2026-09-25

Scientists are intensifying their research into the unique cellular mechanisms that allow the human liver to regenerate itself after severe injury. Unlocking the biological secrets behind this remarkable process could drive major breakthroughs in regenerative medicine and biotechnology. These insights may eventually allow medical technologists to replicate these natural healing capabilities in the lab to treat chronic organ failure.

Using LLMs to trace alchemical knowledge and decode 17th century letters
2026-09-25

Researchers are leveraging next-generation large language models like GPT-6 and Opus 5.5 to decode complex 17th-century correspondence and trace the historical spread of alchemical knowledge. This application of advanced AI to archaic texts highlights the expanding role of cutting-edge technology in revolutionizing academic research and historical preservation.

Forging 1024-bit RSA signatures in nearly SNFS time [pdf]
2026-09-25

A new research paper demonstrates a situational method for forging 1024-bit RSA signatures in nearly Special Number Field Sieve (SNFS) time by exploiting temporary access to a raw, unpadded RSA signing oracle. Rather than breaking RSA-1024 universally, the technique allows attackers to extract enough information during a session to generate future forgeries even after the private key becomes inaccessible. The researchers outline practical real-world scenarios where this vulnerability could be exploited, highlighting the ongoing risks of legacy textbook RSA implementations.

A brief history of Windows scroll bar shortcuts
2026-09-24

This retrospective explores the historical evolution of Windows scroll bar shortcuts, highlighting forgotten navigation methods like right-clicking and shift-clicking. The article details how these early interaction techniques shaped the user experience in older versions of the operating system before modern scrolling gestures became the standard.