This week, Jonathan Bennett chats with Bashonly about yt-dlp, the audio/video downloader that carries the torch from youtube-dl! Why is this a hard problem, and what does the future hold …read more (https://hackaday.com/2025/04/02/floss-weekly-episode-827-yt-dlp-sometimes-you-cant-see-the-tail/)

Programmer’s Macro Pad Bangs Out Whole Functions
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/02/programmers-macro-pad-bangs-out-whole-functions/

Macro pads are handy for opening up your favorite programs or executing commonly used keyboard shortcuts. But why stop there? That’s what [Jeroen Brinkman] must have been thinking while creating …read more (https://hackaday.com/2025/04/02/programmers-macro-pad-bangs-out-whole-functions/)

Monitor Your Smart Plugs on the Command Line
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/02/monitor-your-smart-plugs-on-the-command-line/

The plethora of smart home devices available today deliver all manner of opportunities, but it’s fair to say that interfacing with them is more often done in the browser or …read more (https://hackaday.com/2025/04/02/monitor-your-smart-plugs-on-the-command-line/)

The Magic Touch: A 555 Touch Switch
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/02/the-magic-touch-a-555-touch-switch/

There seems to be nothing a 555 can’t do. We’ve seen it before, but [electronzapdotcom] reminds us you can use a 555 and a few parts to make a reasonable …read more (https://hackaday.com/2025/04/02/the-magic-touch-a-555-touch-switch/)

Handheld 18650 Analyzer Scopes Out Salvaged Cells
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/03/handheld-18650-analyzer-scopes-out-salvaged-cells/

You can salvage lithium 18650 cells from all sorts of modern gadgets, from disposable vapes to cordless power tools. The tricky part, other than physically liberating them from whatever they …read more (https://hackaday.com/2025/04/03/handheld-18650-analyzer-scopes-out-salvaged-cells/)

A Very Trippy Look at Microsoft’s Beginnings
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/03/a-very-trippy-look-at-microsofts-beginnings/

It’s not often you’ll see us singing the praises of Microsoft on these pages, but credit where credit is due, this first-person account of how the software giant got its …read more (https://hackaday.com/2025/04/03/a-very-trippy-look-at-microsofts-beginnings/)

Remembering Betty Webb: Bletchley Park & Pentagon Code Breaker
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/03/remembering-betty-webb-bletchley-park-pentagon-code-breaker/

On 31 March of this year we had to bid farewell to Charlotte Elizabeth “Betty” Webb (née Vine-Stevens) at the age of 101. She was one of the cryptanalysts who …read more (https://hackaday.com/2025/04/03/remembering-betty-webb-bletchley-park-pentagon-code-breaker/)

MIT Wants You to Secure Your Hardware Designs
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/03/mit-wants-you-to-secure-your-hardware-designs/

When you think of attacking or defending computer systems, you probably think of software viruses and the corresponding anti-virus software. But MIT’s 6.5950 class teaches secure hardware design — how …read more (https://hackaday.com/2025/04/03/mit-wants-you-to-secure-your-hardware-designs/)

Ditto That
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/03/ditto-that/

In the 1982 movie Fast Times At Ridgemont High, a classroom of students receives a set of paperwork to pass backward. Nearly every student in the room takes a big …read more (https://hackaday.com/2025/04/03/ditto-that/)