Candle clocks were once an easy way to build a clock without using complex mechanical devices: just observe how quickly a thin candle burns down, mark an identical candle with …read more (https://hackaday.com/2025/08/17/2025-one-hertz-challenge-a-flaming-oscillator-and-a-new-take-on-the-candle-clock/)

Hackaday Links: August 17, 2025
https://hackaday.com/2025/08/17/hackaday-links-august-17-2025/

We’ve studiously avoided any mention of our latest interstellar visitor, 3I/Atlas, on these pages, mainly because of all the hoopla in the popular press about how Avi Loeb thinks it’s …read more (https://hackaday.com/2025/08/17/hackaday-links-august-17-2025/)

Practical Guide to Pedal-Powered Electrical Generators
https://hackaday.com/2025/08/17/practical-guide-to-pedal-powered-electrical-generators/

An adult human can produce about 100 Wh of mechanical power whilst cycling, which is a not inconsiderable amount if you can convert that to electricity with reasonable efficiency. In …read more (https://hackaday.com/2025/08/17/practical-guide-to-pedal-powered-electrical-generators/)

Cracking Abandonware DRM Like It’s 1999
https://hackaday.com/2025/08/17/cracking-abandonware-drm-like-its-1999/

As long as there have been games, there have been crackers breaking their copy protections. “Digital Rights Management” or DRM, is a phrase for copy protection coined near the end …read more (https://hackaday.com/2025/08/17/cracking-abandonware-drm-like-its-1999/)

China’s Great Solar Wall is a Big Deal
https://hackaday.com/2025/08/18/chinas-great-solar-wall-is-a-big-deal/

Data centers and the electrification of devices that previously ran on fossil fuels is driving increased demand for electricity around the world. China is addressing this with a megaproject that …read more (https://hackaday.com/2025/08/18/chinas-great-solar-wall-is-a-big-deal/)

Sniffing 5G with Software-Defined Radio
https://hackaday.com/2025/08/18/sniffing-5g-with-software-defined-radio/

The fifth generation mobile communications protocol (5G) is perhaps the most complicated wireless protocol ever made. Featuring wildly fast download speeds, beam forming base stations, and of course non-standard additions, …read more (https://hackaday.com/2025/08/18/sniffing-5g-with-software-defined-radio/)

The Terminal Demise of Consumer Electronics Through Subscription Services
https://hackaday.com/2025/08/18/the-terminal-demise-of-consumer-electronics-through-subscription-services/

Open any consumer electronics catalog from around the 1980s to the early 2000s and you are overwhelmed by a smörgåsbord of devices, covering any audio-visual and similar entertainment and hobby …read more (https://hackaday.com/2025/08/18/the-terminal-demise-of-consumer-electronics-through-subscription-services/)