Calculator UI Is More Complex Than You Might ThinkCalculators are so ubiquitous and so familiar that they are easy to take for granted in many different ways. [lcamtuf] points out one that has probably never occurred to many of us: the user interface for a calculator is an unexpectedly complex thing.
The internal logic to support sequential inputs and multiple operators in a way that feels intuitive is a complex thing.
Resolving something like 1 + 2 = is pretty straightforward but complexity compounds rapidly after that, with numerous special cases. Let’s imagine one decides to program a simple calculator UI as a weekend project. The development process might look a little like this:

User types in 1 + 2 = and the calculator displays 3. What happens if the user immediately presses -?
No problem, just consider the result of the previous operation as an already-there input. So we’ll have 3 - for this next operation, and wait for more.
Unless we should have treated that - as a negative sign for whatever number is coming next, making it a negative number? No, ignore that. Just treat whatever results from pressing equals as a pre-typed input.
Unless the user hits a number. Because if they hit 2 (for example) then we’ll have a 32 and not a 2 which they probably, definitely don’t expect. So that’s a special case and we should insert a clear if that happens.
Oh, better clear if the user enters a decimal, too.
I’m going to need a coffee…

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Imagine trying to figure all this out for the very first time, without the benefits of habit and history to fall back on.
The fact is that supporting the apparently trivial behavior of a simple calculator requires an underlying complex state machine that deals with all kinds of special cases in order to make the UI feel intuitive. And that’s just for a basic four-function calculator; we haven’t even touched on how special keys like % should behave.
We know [lcamtuf] speaks from experience, not just because of their deep knowledge of calculator history but because they rolled their own calculator that uses voltmeters as digit displays and there’s nothing like actually implementing something to make one appreciate it.

Waymo says San Francisco service has resumed after one-hour pauseThis isn’t the first time power outages have caused issues for Waymo.

Stemwire Zero Sweep FilterA high-pass and low-pass filter that leaves the signal unchanged at zero, without clicks or wet/dry artefacts. Sweep the filter. Not the bypass. The sweep is the easy part. Getting the filter completely out again is where the workaround starts. With Zero Sweep, the signal moves smoothly from fully transparent to filtered, then back to clean. Zero Stays Clean No residual filtering at the resting position. Put it on a channel, bus or master without keeping a bypass lane beside it. One automation lane Draw the sweep itself. No separate bypass and wet/dry moves to keep in sync. Made for transitions Builds, breaks and DJ-style cuts without the usual bypass clicks, phasey wet/dry crossfades. Read More

Frap Tools update the Magnolia A second production run of the Magnolia is now complete, and the company have also been hard at work on a firmware update that delivers some enhancements and bug fixes. 

IK Multimedia add Brown Panel Signature Collection to TONEX Widely used across surf, country, blues and early rock records, the amps were behind everything from the expressive tones of Chris Stapleton to the pristine clean sounds embraced by Mark Knopfler.

FTX to distribute $900M to creditors in fifth payment roundThe FTX Recovery Trust and company have distributed about $10 billion since the exchange filed for bankruptcy in November 2022, leaving users cut off from their funds.

The Zoom hack that says, ‘Don’t record me’If every meeting, watercooler conversation, and date gets transcribed and summarized, who's actually reading any of it?

SCMS’ Balourdet Quartet, MLC Statutory DesignationHaving mentored musicians and sharing chamber music in homes, schools and health spaces, The Balourdet Quartet (Angela Bae, Justin DeFilippis, Benjamin Zannoni, Russell Houston) returns for a second residency with Seattle’s Chamber Music Society, through May 2027.

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Launching in 2021, The MLC now has almost 90,000 members and a database of over 54 million songs. With almost $4 billion in royalties distributed to songwriters and publishers to date, the US Copyrights Register continues in its designation of The MLC as the statutory Mechanical Licensing Collective for the United States.

The move follows a periodic review of designation required by the Music Modernization Act (MMA), with The MLC being determined to have met each of the redesignation criteria More HERE. Some improvements were recommended, including database tools, match-rate data disclosure, and investment transparency.

In addition to licensing and distribution, The MLC has also been actively enforcing royalty obligations of digital music services (including a lawsuit with Spotify against subscription bundling, and a dispute with Pandora over ad-supported radio).

The next review of The MLC is slated for January 2029.

The post SCMS’ Balourdet Quartet, MLC Statutory Designation first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

The BornHack 2026 Cyber Ægg Is A Badge With A Life AfterwardsA problem facing the designers of event badges is this: what happens to the badge after the event? It’s one that designers have tried to solve in many ways with varying levels of success, whether that be by making it a dev board, a games console, a mesh-networked communicator, or as in the case of Electromagnetic Field, a continuing badge for future events. Ar BornHack 2026 they have taken a novel approach, by making it a useful desktop appliance. The BornHack Cyber Ægg is a half-egg-shaped badge with a 3D-printed case, and aside from its on-camp applications it’s both a desktop clock/calendar, and a MeshCore node.
Produced with the assistance of the badge.team European badge makers, it’s an egg-shaped PCB with a Nordic nRF52840 at its heart, a Semtech LoRa module, and an e-paper display. On-site there’s a Tamagotchi-style virtual pet game, an event calender, and an RFID token game, but it’s the other two features that give it a life after the camp. The clock and Meshcore, coupled with its case being designed with a flat spot to sit on a desk, make this badge as much an appliance as it is a badge. This is where it will sit in the Hackaday office, and we’re pretty sure most BornHack attendees will use it thus too.
We like this approach to giving a badge a life after the event, and we look forward to seeing what influence it has on future badges. A badge should be a thing to enjoy, not a piece of e-waste.

Morphoice releases EightyTen, TWO vintage Roland synths in one (free beta)
Developer Morphoice has released EightyTen, consisting of two vintage Roland synths in one (free beta). Morphoice is back with another vintage synth emulation, and we all know the drill by now. In a relatively short time, Morphoice has released emulations of the Yamaha CS-80 (Unstable), the Roland Juno-6 (EightySix), and the Roland Jupiter-8 (EightyEight). EightyTen [...]
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AAF Tools AAF BridgeConvert AAF and XML to Ableton Live Sets, and back. AAF / XML Ableton Live (Resolve, Pro Tools, Avid, Premiere/FCP, Nuendo, etc): - import AAF, XML, FCPXML or FCPXMLD - Sample-accurate clip positions and source offsets, named tracks - Fades & crossfades (become Live-native crossfades), clip gain, volume automation, pan, markers, track/clip colors (some editors don't write automation or pan in AAF, please see our guide) - Picture cut on its own video track — mix to image inside Live - MXF-wrapped audio (Resolve) converts to WAV automatically. Ableton Live AAF / XML (Resolve, Pro Tools, Avid, Premiere/FCP, Nuendo, etc): - export AAF, XML, FCPXML or FCPXMLD - Named tracks, sample-accurate positions, full handles - Real AAF crossfade transitions, clip gain, volume curves - Timecode track at the session frame rate - Optional "collect media": one movable turnover folder. Every conversion writes a plain-text report — what transferred, what needs attention (e.g. warped clips to consolidate). No MIDI, no plugin chains: AAF can't carry those, and the report says so plainly rather than dropping things silently. www.aafbridge.com Read More

Dirk Ulrich reacquires Plugin Alliance & Brainworx As of 15 July 2026, Plugin Alliance and Brainworx are now officially owned by Ulrich once again, joining high-end hardware companies Manley and Apogee as part of the new RCKFRC audio group. 

Apple Music hikes subscription prices citing ‘rising licensing costs’"As a result of rising licensing costs, Apple Music is increasing its subscription price beginning today," the company said.
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Dirk Ulrich reacquires Plugin Alliance and Brainworx from inMusic
Dirk Ulrich has reacquired Plugin Alliance and Brainworx from inMusic. Well, it’s that time again; it’s time for another chapter in the Native Instruments story. With no more obvious moving parts left, I’m fairly confident that this chapter will be the last, but I never thought they’d make eleven Fast & Furious movies, so who [...]
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Sonniss offers FREE Pinball Machines sound effects library
Sonniss is offering Pinball Machines, a vintage pinball machine sound effects library by C. A. Sound, Inc, as a free download until July 22. I love Sonniss as a platform. There is a great variety of sounds to choose from, and the company occasionally releases some fantastic freebies, too. The big one is usually the [...]
View post: Sonniss offers FREE Pinball Machines sound effects library