Germanium. It might sound like just another periodic table entry (number 32, to be exact), but in the world of infrared light, it’s anything but ordinary. A recent video by …read more (https://hackaday.com/2025/01/05/shining-through-germanium-and-gold-leaf-transparency/)

Mechanical Calculator Finds Derivitives
https://hackaday.com/2025/01/06/mechanical-calculator-finds-derivitives/

We like mechanical calculators like slide rules, but we have to admit that we had not heard of the Ott Derivimeter that [Chris Staecker] shows us in a recent video. …read more (https://hackaday.com/2025/01/06/mechanical-calculator-finds-derivitives/)

Turns Out Humans Are Terrible At Intuiting Knot Strength
https://hackaday.com/2025/01/06/turns-out-humans-are-terrible-at-intuiting-knot-strength/

We are deeply intuitively familiar with our everyday physical world, so it was perhaps a bit of a surprise when researchers discovered a blind spot in our intuitive physical reasoning: …read more (https://hackaday.com/2025/01/06/turns-out-humans-are-terrible-at-intuiting-knot-strength/)

One Small Step: All About Stepper Motors
https://hackaday.com/2025/01/06/one-small-step-all-about-stepper-motors/

The primary feature of stepper motors is listed right within their name: their ability to ‘step’ forwards and backwards, something which they (ideally) can do perfectly in sync with the …read more (https://hackaday.com/2025/01/06/one-small-step-all-about-stepper-motors/)

Cassette Tape Plays MP3s
https://hackaday.com/2025/01/06/cassette-tape-plays-mp3s/

Cassette tapes were a major way of listening to (and recording) music througout the 1980s and 1990s and were in every hi-fi stereo, boom box, and passenger vehicle of the …read more (https://hackaday.com/2025/01/06/cassette-tape-plays-mp3s/)

Before GPS There Was LORAN
https://hackaday.com/2025/01/06/before-gps-there-was-loran/

We found it nostalgic to watch [ve3iku] fire up an old Loran-A receiver and, as you can see in the video below, he got it working. If you aren’t familiar …read more (https://hackaday.com/2025/01/06/before-gps-there-was-loran/)

Growing Semiconductor Layers Directly With TMDs
https://hackaday.com/2025/01/06/growing-semiconductor-layers-directly-with-tmds/

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08236-9
" data-image-caption="Schematic for progress of 3D integration. a, Schematic showing conventional 3D integration by TSV through wafers. b, M3D integration of single-crystalline Si devices by transfer, c, Growth-based M3D integration of polycrystalline devices. d, Growth-based seamless M3D integration of single-crystalline devices. (Credit: Ki Seok Kim et al., 2024, Nature)
" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/schematic_progress_of_3d_integration.jpg?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/schematic_progress_of_3d_integration.jpg?w=800">Transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are a class of material that’s been receiving significant attention as a possible successor of silicon. Recently, a team of researchers has demonstrated the use of TMDs …read more (https://hackaday.com/2025/01/06/growing-semiconductor-layers-directly-with-tmds/)