Tech Stories Tech Brief By HackerNoon

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/hackernoon-projects-of-the-week-agent-observatory-formonger-and-olio-ai. This week's HackerNoon projects of the week are Agent Observatory, Formonger, and Olio AI. Check more stories related to tech-stories at: https://hackernoon.com/c/tech-stories. You can also check exclusive content about #proof-of-usefulness-hackathon, #proof-of-usefulness, #projects, #agent-observatory, #olio-ai, #formonger, #business-tools, #ai-tools, and more. This story was written by: @proofofusefulness. Learn more about this writer by checking @proofofusefulness's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com. HackerNoon Projects of the Week are projects that have proven their necessity and usefulness. This week's projects are from the Proof of Usefulness Hackathon. The competition is designed to measure what actually matters: real utility.

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/authorization-belongs-inside-the-agent-loop-not-at-the-edge. See how continuous, context-aware policy decisions can constrain autonomous tool use—without embedding brittle authorization logic inside the agent. Check more stories related to tech-stories at: https://hackernoon.com/c/tech-stories. You can also check exclusive content about #openclaw, #authorization, #cedar, #agentic-ai-authorization, #runtime-policy-enforcement, #continuous-authorization, #agent-control-loop, #delegation-of-authority, and more. This story was written by: @windley. Learn more about this writer by checking @windley's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com. See how continuous, context-aware policy decisions can constrain autonomous tool use—without embedding brittle authorization logic inside the agent.

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/how-buck-reached-10percent-yield-without-compromising-stability-in-defis-rate-wars. Buck increases yield to 10% and removes manual claim requirements, introducing automatic rewards in bid to lead emerging SavingsCoin category. Check more stories related to tech-stories at: https://hackernoon.com/c/tech-stories. You can also check exclusive content about #buck, #buck-news, #cryptocurrency, #defi, #strc, #good-company, #web3, #blockchain, and more. This story was written by: @ishanpandey. Learn more about this writer by checking @ishanpandey's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com. Buck Labs announced on February 12 that it would increase yields from 7% to 10% and transition from manual reward claims to automatic distribution. The changes apply to the existing token infrastructure, not a separate asset, and represent the company's attempt to carve out territory in what CEO Travis VanderZanden describes as the "SavingsCoin category"

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/poll-shows-technologists-are-reluctant-to-add-chatgpt-to-growing-subscription-burden. Technologists resist $20–$30 ChatGPT pricing as prediction markets bet on AI leadership shifts and possible OpenAI price hikes. Check more stories related to tech-stories at: https://hackernoon.com/c/tech-stories. You can also check exclusive content about #3-tech-polls, #hackernoon-polls, #ads-on-chatgpt, #ai-subscription-costs, #openai-price-increase, #polymarket-ai-model-rankings, #developer-sentiment-on-ai, #ai-adoption, and more. This story was written by: @3techpolls. Learn more about this writer by checking @3techpolls's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com. A HackerNoon poll shows most technologists won’t pay $20–$30 per month for ad-free ChatGPT, signaling value sensitivity as prediction markets simultaneously bet on OpenAI price hikes and rival AI model dominance. Together, the signals suggest ChatGPT is seen as useful — but not yet indispensable infrastructure.

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/why-employers-are-reconsidering-ichra-and-what-benefitbayr-is-seeing-on-the-ground. As health costs rise, employers are rethinking group plans. benefitbay® explains why ICHRA adoption is driven by control, not policy hype. Check more stories related to tech-stories at: https://hackernoon.com/c/tech-stories. You can also check exclusive content about #ichra-adoption-trends, #benefitbay-employer-insights, #ichra-vs-group-health-plans, #ichra-employer-strategy, #off-exchange-employer-coverage, #employers-volatility-renewal, #ichra-implementation, #health-contribution-benefits, and more. This story was written by: @lightyearstrategies. Learn more about this writer by checking @lightyearstrategies's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com. Employers are revisiting ICHRA not because it’s trendy, but because traditional group health plans are becoming harder to predict and manage. benefitbay® reports growing interest from both small and large employers seeking cost control, flexibility, and transparency. Success hinges on thoughtful design, education, and strong broker support—not shifting risk to employees.

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/how-to-download-and-use-googles-search-app-on-windows-11. Google is testing a new Windows 11 desktop app that brings Search, AI answers, Lens, and Translate into a floating search experience. Check more stories related to tech-stories at: https://hackernoon.com/c/tech-stories. You can also check exclusive content about #windows-11-updates, #google-app, #google-app-for-windows, #google-search-desktop-app, #google-search-labs, #google-lens-on-windows, #google-ai-search-features, #google-translate-desktop, and more. This story was written by: @vigneshwaran. Learn more about this writer by checking @vigneshwaran's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com. Google is experimenting with a Windows 11 desktop app that offers a floating, spotlight-style search bar with AI-enhanced results, Google Lens, image search, and translation features.

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/is-society-just-a-really-complicated-brain. Can any system with sufficient complexity have "thoughts?" Is our society any different? Check more stories related to tech-stories at: https://hackernoon.com/c/tech-stories. You can also check exclusive content about #society-as-a-system, #cognitive-science, #neural-networks, #human-cognition, #philosophy-of-mind, #social-systems-theory, #distributed-intelligence, #hackernoon-top-story, and more. This story was written by: @OurAI. Learn more about this writer by checking @OurAI's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com. This essay explores intelligence as an emergent property, arguing that just as consciousness arises from neural networks, human society itself functions like a distributed brain—powerful, uncontrollable, and self-preserving.

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/shoppinlyst-earns-a-35-proof-of-usefulness-score-by-building-an-advanced-grocery-list-system. Shoppinlyst, a mobile-first iOS grocery app, earned a 35 Proof of Usefulness score for combining smart lists with local store discovery. Check more stories related to tech-stories at: https://hackernoon.com/c/tech-stories. You can also check exclusive content about #proof-of-usefulness-hackathon, #hackernoon-hackathon, #software-development, #shoppinlyst, #smart-grocery-lists, #consumer-utility-apps, #consumer-mobile-apps, #digital-grocery-lists, and more. This story was written by: @mateo_87. Learn more about this writer by checking @mateo_87's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com. Shoppinlyst is a native iOS grocery app that merges smart list-building with local store discovery and has earned a 35 Proof of Usefulness score for its practical, everyday utility.

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/solving-cryptos-$1-trillion-problem-inside-ramp-networks-fiat-to-crypto-infrastructure. Ramp Network CEO Przemek Kowalczyk shares eight years of lessons building global fiat-to-crypto infrastructure, compliance-first onboarding, and Web3 rails. Check more stories related to tech-stories at: https://hackernoon.com/c/tech-stories. You can also check exclusive content about #ramp-network, #ramp-network-news, #cryptocurrency, #payment-rails, #fiat-to-crypto, #blockchain, #good-company, #interview, and more. This story was written by: @ishanpandey. Learn more about this writer by checking @ishanpandey's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com. Przemek Kowalczyk is the co-founder and CEO of Ramp Network. Ramp Network is building the financial pipes that connect 150+ countries to the crypto economy. The simple act of converting fiat to crypto and back continues to create friction.

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/noteocr-earns-a-36-proof-of-usefulness-score-by-building-handwritten-note-digitization-tools. NoteOCR converts handwritten notes into editable files and earned a 36 Proof of Usefulness score for saving users hours of manual typing. Check more stories related to tech-stories at: https://hackernoon.com/c/tech-stories. You can also check exclusive content about #proof-of-usefulness-hackathon, #hackernoon-hackathon, #software-development, #noteocr, #ocr-software, #handwritten-notes-to-text, #digital-note-taking, #note-digitization-tool, and more. This story was written by: @zerondone. Learn more about this writer by checking @zerondone's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com. NoteOCR is an OCR-powered tool that turns handwritten notes and scanned documents into editable files, earning a 36 Proof of Usefulness score for its real-world productivity impact.

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/heres-how-students-can-investigate-their-school-districts. Using a search engine like Google, search for public records request, your school district’s name, and your state Check more stories related to tech-stories at: https://hackernoon.com/c/tech-stories. You can also check exclusive content about #investigative-journalism, #investigative-techniques, #journalism, #local-journalism, #public-info-requests, #education-journalism, #the-markup, #public-records-request, and more. This story was written by: @TheMarkup. Learn more about this writer by checking @TheMarkup's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com. Students across the country say web filters are making it harder for them to do their homework. Schools are also censoring info about sexual and reproductive health and preventing LGBTQ+ students from accessing suicide prevention resources.

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/heres-why-the-godot-foundation-has-no-plans-for-console-ports. Nonetheless, here we attempt to describe the current blockers to the best of our ability, and detail what that means for you as developers looking to port Check more stories related to tech-stories at: https://hackernoon.com/c/tech-stories. You can also check exclusive content about #godot-engine, #godot, #godot-console-ports, #game-development, #godot-foundation, #game-development-on-consoles, #console-development, #hackernoon-top-story, and more. This story was written by: @Godot Engine. Learn more about this writer by checking @Godot Engine's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com. The Godot Foundation does not have active plans to work on console platform ports. This may change in the future, especially if it becomes possible to share console ports that are truly Free and Open Source (i.e. not locked behind any NDAs or paywalls) There are two types of console ports: approved middleware and custom ports.

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/cell-service-is-escaping-earth. Direct-to-device satellite connectivity is turning LEO spacecraft into cell towers. Check more stories related to tech-stories at: https://hackernoon.com/c/tech-stories. You can also check exclusive content about #satellite-internet, #starlink, #futurism, #satellites, #internet, #direct-to-device-satellite, #leo-satellite-connectivity, #hackernoon-top-story, and more. This story was written by: @zbruceli. Learn more about this writer by checking @zbruceli's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com. Direct-to-device satellite connectivity is turning LEO spacecraft into cell towers.

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/llmjacking-emerges-as-a-costly-new-threat-to-self-hosted-ai-infrastructure. LLMjacking is the hijacking of self-hosted AI models for profit. Learn how attackers exploit LLMs—and how to secure your infrastructure today. Check more stories related to tech-stories at: https://hackernoon.com/c/tech-stories. You can also check exclusive content about #llmjacking, #self-hosted-llm-security, #ai-infrastructure-security, #ollama-security, #mcp-security, #ai-compute-hijacking, #reverse-proxy-llm, #hackernoon-top-story, and more. This story was written by: @vgudur. Learn more about this writer by checking @vgudur's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com. LLMjacking is the illegal hijacking of self-hosted LLM infrastructure for bad purposes. This article goes into great detail about how it works and what weaknesses it takes advantage of. It also explains the code-level solutions you can use right now to protect your LLMs.

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/why-sales-it-data-analysts-are-becoming-critical-to-hospitality-revenue-in-2026. Sales IT Data Analysts are reshaping hospitality in 2026 by blending sales strategy, IT systems, and analytics to boost revenue and personalization. Check more stories related to tech-stories at: https://hackernoon.com/c/tech-stories. You can also check exclusive content about #data-analytics-in-hospitality, #hospitality-revenue-management, #sales-it-data-analyst, #hospitality-technology, #ai-in-hospitality, #revpar-analytics, #pms-crm-integration, #hospitality-it-systems, and more. This story was written by: @yashikas. Learn more about this writer by checking @yashikas's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com. Sales IT Data Analysts are emerging as a critical hospitality role, combining sales insight, IT integration, and analytics to drive personalized experiences and measurable revenue growth.

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/ignacio-brasca-on-building-systems-that-last. Staff engineer Ignacio Brasca explains why systems fail, how determinism beats over-engineering, and what it takes to build software that lasts. Check more stories related to tech-stories at: https://hackernoon.com/c/tech-stories. You can also check exclusive content about #software-systems-longevity, #deterministic-system-design, #cicd-guardrails-engineering, #building-scalable-data-systems, #staff-software-engineer, #over-engineering-and-flexibility, #developer-experience-and-tooling, #good-company, and more. This story was written by: @jonstojanjournalist. Learn more about this writer by checking @jonstojanjournalist's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com. Staff software engineer Ignacio Brasca shares how durable systems are built by embracing determinism, resisting over-engineering, and designing for change. He argues that maintainability, clarity under failure, and strong developer tooling—not clever abstractions—determine whether software survives growth. Lasting systems reflect both technical discipline and organizational values.

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/writing-about-the-environment-in-a-world-addicted-to-speed-and-tech. A reflective take on writing about the environment in a fast, tech-driven world, and why slowing down still matters in the age of speed. Check more stories related to tech-stories at: https://hackernoon.com/c/tech-stories. You can also check exclusive content about #technology, #future, #sustainability, #writing, #environmental-impact, #environment-tech, #environment-and-technology, #tech-driven-world, and more. This story was written by: @swagatwrites. Learn more about this writer by checking @swagatwrites's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com. Writing about the environment in a fast, tech-driven world is challenging but necessary. Thoughtful writing helps slow down attention and spark reflection.

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-and-use-restore-points-in-windows-11. Learn how to create, find, and use restore points in Windows 11 to fix update or driver issues, plus what to do when System Restore fails. Check more stories related to tech-stories at: https://hackernoon.com/c/tech-stories. You can also check exclusive content about #windows-11-updates, #system-restore, #data-recovery, #windows-pc-data-recovery, #windows-restore-point, #windows-troubleshooting, #windows-update-issues, #windows-boot-problems, and more. This story was written by: @johnjacobb. Learn more about this writer by checking @johnjacobb's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com. restore points are the snapshots of Windows’ system files, drivers and registry settings. They don’t touch your personal files but they let you rewind the system configuration to a moment that worked. Windows will automatically create restore points at some “significant” events (like certain updates or major. installs), but it’s not a predictable schedule.

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/what-is-volume-shadow-copy-and-why-does-windows-11-depend-on-it. A practical guide to Volume Shadow Copy and VSS on Windows 11, explaining snapshots, copy-on-write behavior, and essential admin commands. Check more stories related to tech-stories at: https://hackernoon.com/c/tech-stories. You can also check exclusive content about #windows-11, #volume-shadow-copy, #vss-windows-11, #windows-11-system-restore, #vssadmin-commands, #windows-backup-snapshots, #shadow-storage-windows, #windows-recovery-tools, and more. This story was written by: @vigneshwaran. Learn more about this writer by checking @vigneshwaran's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com. This article explains how Volume Shadow Copy and the Volume Shadow Copy Service work in Windows 11, covering snapshot behavior, copy-on-write storage, dependent services, and key administrative commands for managing system recovery.

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/check-out-what-weve-been-into-recently. Below you’ll find an eclectic mix of the things that we read, play, listen to, and otherwise feed our brains with when we’re not heads down doing the journalism Check more stories related to tech-stories at: https://hackernoon.com/c/tech-stories. You can also check exclusive content about #book-recommendations, #video-game-recommendations, #utopia, #who-trolled-amber, #means-of-control, #balatro, #the-anxious-generation, #the-markup, and more. This story was written by: @TheMarkup. Learn more about this writer by checking @TheMarkup's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com. This week, we round up the best things we’ve been reading, watching and listening to in the newsroom. From a deep dive into the role that bots played in the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard trials to a look at the ways spammers skirt content moderation, there's plenty to keep you entertained.