You might fondly remember the days of the Intel 486, but you probably don’t have one on your desk anymore. If you’d like to emulate that classic hardware, you can …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/10/28/emulate-the-486-in-your-browser/)

Battery Prototype Uses Superextensive Quantum Effects to Charge Faster
https://hackaday.com/2026/10/28/battery-prototype-uses-superextensive-quantum-effects-to-charge-faster/

Although the term ‘quantum battery’ is a bit of a vague term, the cell that [Kieran Hymas] et al. demonstrate in a recent paper does seem to suggest that it …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/10/28/battery-prototype-uses-superextensive-quantum-effects-to-charge-faster/)

2026 Retrocomputing Challenge: Custom RISC-V Processor For Retro System
https://hackaday.com/2026/10/28/2026-retrocomputing-challenge-custom-risc-v-processor-for-retro-system/

Although once little more than an academic endeavor, the RISC-V architecture is slowly supplanting applications that would have normally gone to ARM. Even a few microcontrollers have chips running this …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/10/28/2026-retrocomputing-challenge-custom-risc-v-processor-for-retro-system/)

Magnetic Lock Opens By Magic
https://hackaday.com/2026/10/29/magnetic-lock-opens-by-magic/

Over on IEEE Spectrum, [Stephen Cass] has a project that would probably have seemed like a magic a few centuries ago. Imagine a box that uses a magnetic device to …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/10/29/magnetic-lock-opens-by-magic/)

An AI Chatbot for the Apocalypse
https://hackaday.com/2026/10/29/an-ai-chatbot-for-the-apocalypse/

You don’t have to be a full-on “prepper” to at least occasionally wonder what would happen if civilization collapsed. One thing you probably couldn’t do is go on the Internet …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/10/29/an-ai-chatbot-for-the-apocalypse/)

Exploring What’s Left of Google’s VR Dreams
https://hackaday.com/2026/10/29/exploring-whats-left-of-googles-vr-dreams/

You’re likely familiar with Google’s Cardboard, and the legions of cheap virtual reality headsets it spawned. By sticking a smartphone to the wearer’s head, all these headsets needed were some …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/10/29/exploring-whats-left-of-googles-vr-dreams/)

Robot Picks up Othello
https://hackaday.com/2026/10/29/robot-picks-up-othello/

Experience is a great teacher. Ask [Jeneus], who, in high school, tried to make a program that played Othello. It didn’t go well. But years later, the idea produced an impressive …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/10/29/robot-picks-up-othello/)